February
RBA warns of weak incomes, high inflation if productivity lags
The central bank hopes productivity will recover to boost economic growth and help business alleviate cost pressures.
PM pledges flat-fee childcare as part of second term ‘vision’
Anthony Albanese has revealed for the first time his support for a flat-fee system of universal childcare in which parents would pay no more than $10 or $20 a day.
‘Deadening effect’ on home building: PC urges slashing red tape
Half as many houses are being built per hour worked today than 30 years ago, according to a report by the Productivity Commission.
School retention, attendance rates continue to trend downwards
Fewer students are staying at school until the end and too many don’t turn up for class. Mental health is part of the problem.
January
Nicholas Moore: blame bigger government for falling living standards
Much of the cost-of-living malaise in Australia is the result of policies that have expanded the role of government at the cost of long-term productivity.
Seven ways everyday Aussies – not CEOs – would fix productivity
From pumping seawater into the lake in the South Australian outback to creating hydroponic farms in inner-city high rises, Australians say we can get productivity growing.
December 2024
ASX dives 2pc; Shayne Elliott’s $3m bonus hit; JobKeeper ‘saved jobs’
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
JobKeeper saved jobs but killed productivity, says commission
Pandemic-era policies abated unemployment but kept workers attached to dud employers, the Productivity Commission says.
Childcare package an early Christmas present to parents and children
For government to seek to save pennies by withholding access to early education for the children who will benefit from it the most is not just Scrooge-like behaviour, it’s a false economy.
Labor cuts with one hand, hands out with other
Targeting childcare spending at those who need it most would avoid another overly generous entitlement that becomes a financial problem down the track like the NDIS.
PM to scrap childcare activity test, fund centres in ‘deserts’
Anthony Albanese has unveiled the first big steps towards delivering universal and affordable childcare.
November 2024
A levy to help rural banking is also a tax on innovation
The quest to leave no one behind in the regions cannot come at the expense of working households in the outer suburbs and elsewhere.
Why our top corporate regulator wants less regulation
ASIC chairman Joe Longo says complex regulation is hurting businesses, consumers and the regulator’s work. It’s another window into Australia’s productivity problem.
Chalmers sets up $900m productivity fund
Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ new fund will offer incentive payments to streamline building approvals and enact other pro-productivity reforms
October 2024
It’s critical that Australia gets to net zero at the lowest cost
Climate and energy policy is no longer the hodgepodge of the past. But it will need to take a more market-driven approach.
How do we get back a lost decade of living standards?
Cracking the housing problem and empowering our economic institutions are two very good places to start.
Flat-fee childcare to spearhead PM’s second-term agenda
The government is working on plans to phase in a flat daily fee for childcare as it seeks a breakout issue to help secure a second term.
From small budget changes, big things grow
Minor technical tweaks by government can drive big changes. Including the economic benefits of First Nations culture into NSW budgeting is a game-changer.
Why measuring public sector productivity is so slippery
When Productivity Commission researchers examined past assessments of the health system’s productivity earlier this year, they were pleasantly surprised.
September 2024
‘Propping up a failed system’: Labor looks beyond PC on childcare
The Productivity Commission’s childcare proposal has raised questions of affordability, the removal of the activity test, and adding more subsidies onto a failed model.