Bernard Salt

Bernard Salt is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading social commentators by business, the media and the broader community. He is the Managing Director of The Demographics Group, and he writes weekly columns for The Australian that deal with social, generational and demographic matters.

@BernardSalt

Latest

Fast forward to 2023Weekend Australian Magazine

JULY, 1999 : Les Hiddins, host of TV show "Bush Tucker Man", 07/99.P/

From ‘Melbon’ to ‘Milbon’, we’ve come a long way, baby

TV shows have charted the shift in Aussie manners, values and even our accents since the 1960s. One nightly program in particular offers a stark measure of how we’ve changed.

Bernard Salt

commentaryThe Weekend Australian Magazine

Senior couple having fun in kitchen with healthy food - Retired people cooking meal at home with man and woman preparing lunch with bio vegetables - Happy elderly concept with mature funny pensioner

When does old age begin?

Have a look at family photographs of your grandparents from their wedding day and again 30 years later and they’re barely recognisable. Not so today.

Bernard Salt

commentaryWeekend Australian Magazine

Young woman on the beach at sunset takes a selfie portrait while holding an Australian flag in the air.

2023? There’s every reason to be optimistic

Cheer up, doomscrollers. For Australia, the year ahead looks promising.

Bernard Salt

salt on the censusInquirer

Generic shot of woman working on her laptop in the kitchen. Today's kitchens are more than just a food-prep zone, and have become spaces where we work and socialise. Free to use from iStock

The big shift: how our priorities have changed

The 2021 census suggests Aussies are able to handle whatever is thrown at them.

Bernard Salt

salt on the censusInquirer

a Customer uses the self serve checkout at Coles Erina - Theft from retail stores across the Coast up about 20% Picture by Mark Scott

Everyone’s an expert: what the self-serve checkout reveals about us

Buried deep within the mountain of data generated by the 2021 census there lies a rich seam of figures that reveal one of the most profound impacts of the pandemic.

Bernard Salt

InquirerInquirer

A young female nurse wearing blue scrubs and holding medical records is smiling to camera. She is standing on a busy corridor of a modern hospital . More male and female nurses are walking behind her .

Essential services demand shows jobs priority

Among the big issues in developing a workforce – both public and private – is a need for more nurses, teachers, police and frontline workers.

Bernard Salt

commentaryThe Weekend Australian Magazine

Newborn baby in adult hands Picture: istock

Birth of a new generation

There was a time when I would have advised my new grandson to develop skills in science, tech, engineering and maths. But now I think additional skills will be required.

Bernard Salt

commentaryWeekend Australian Magazine