May
- Opinion
- Australian economy
On his third budget, Chalmernomics has finally emerged
The Albanese-Chalmers government embodies a short-term and emotive response to wage stagnation, not a rational one.
January
- Opinion
- Business investment
Australia needs banks to invest in businesses, not houses
This country doesn’t need more luck to drive productivity, it needs strategies to help finance SMEs, and to make better use of existing energy infrastructure.
October 2023
- Opinion
- Victorian budget
Victoria and ACT stand alone at the bottom as worst fiscal managers
In a federation, bad state governments do not go bankrupt. They look towards the federal government for handouts and bailouts.
May 2023
- Opinion
- Victorian budget
Victoria’s population and construction Ponzi scheme
The Victorian budget recalls an earlier time when the state permitted the forced confiscation of property – perhaps Spring Street’s most frightening legacy.
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Don’t break out the budget champagne just yet
The rosy picture painted by the amazing short-term turnaround in the government’s fiscal fortunes can’t hide the slew of structural issues in public finances.
April 2023
- Opinion
- Monetary policy
These are the questions the RBA review should have been asking
The focus on the reserve bank’s recent errors meant that bigger issues of how to make monetary policy work more positively were overlooked.
January 2023
- Opinion
- Energy transition
Australia’s road map to net zero sets too narrow a path
The AEMO is being asked to design a future energy system with too few options, and too many constraints on what it can do.
October 2022
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Chalmers misses chance to re-anchor the budget on Tuesday night
While the government’s economic team has hardly put a foot wrong since May, the treasurer has missed an opportunity to use his first budget to reimpose discipline and sensible priorities.
July 2022
- Opinion
- Monetary policy
Reviewing the monetary swamp
This must not be an insider review to endorse the choices of a central bank that has made policy mistakes. It matters too much.
March 2022
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Budget must check Australia out of never-ending debt and deficit
Josh Frydenberg must take maximum advantage of the strong recovery to signal productivity-enhancing transmission, tax and superannuation structural reforms that can accelerate fiscal repair.
December 2021
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Here are four big ideas for Australia to consider in 2022
There are win-win reform gains to be had in industry policy, taxation, social spending and super. Why don’t we take them?
- Opinion
- Federal budget
MYEFO charts no return to surplus this decade or the next
We really need to wake up now and start getting our fiscal house in order. Projections say we are surely living beyond our means.
September 2021
- Opinion
- Climate policy
How to put big super funds to work to clean up the energy mess
There’s no shortage of private capital to invest in building a clean and reliable power grid if we get the policy frameworks and market mechanisms right.
May 2021
- Opinion
- Victorian budget
The horror budget that reveals Victoria’s state of decay
A population Ponzi scheme followed by a bloated building boom has left a nightmare of high debt and high taxes.
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Will the budget be a requiem for economic responsibility?
If Josh Frydenberg rejects more pump-priming and makes tough policy choices to help drive investment and productivity, Tuesday night could be the Treasurer’s finest hour.
January 2021
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Australia is far too dependent on property and pits
Aimless policy thinking lost Australia’s last decade to falling growth, falling productivity and a massive erosion in housing affordability. We need cheap SME loans not cheap home loans and tax reform.
October 2020
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Federal budget must reboot growth agenda
The challenge for Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday night is to buy structural reforms that are good for jobs and business investment now, and great for productivity later.
July 2020
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Growing our way out of debt is a very big bet
The RBA governor says it's OK to rack up debt paying for the virus. But there may be no reliable way back out.
May 2020
- Opinion
- Federal budget
If today was budget day, the picture wouldn't be pretty
A check-up on how the federal budget is tracking reveals a spiralling deficit and debt, and government borrowing could reach 27 per cent of GDP in four years.
January 2020
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Game plan for jobs and growth in 2020
There is no silver bullet for Australia’s declining trend growth rates. But sensible reforms can create a virtuous spiral of productivity and wealth generation.