Big ute loophole cost taxpayers over $250 million in 2023
Tax breaks for huge, American-style utes cost Australians over $250 million in foregone revenue in 2023, according to a new report from the Australia Institute.
Superannuation tax concessions are making inequality worse
Superannuation tax concessions were designed to encourage saving, but instead they are being used by the wealthiest to avoid paying tax
What would Trump 2.0 mean for the global economy?
The prospect of tariff hikes and higher inflation in a second Trump term has economic policymakers nervous, says Greg Jericho.
Australia wastes billions making housing more expensive
It’s not easy to screw up the housing market this badly – it’s taken Australia decades of bad policy and billions of dollars to get here, Matt Grudnoff says.
Over 30 organisations urge the Rockliff government to release Tasmania’s decade-overdue State of the Environment Report
Tasmania’s Government has failed to publish a State of the Environment Report since 2009,
despite having a legal obligation to do so every five years.
Why Queensland is Miles ahead of the game
Canberra doesn’t really have a fossil fuel industry, which perhaps explains why we lead the country in decarbonising our economy.
Supermarxist? Dutton and the duopoly
The prime minister joked that the Coalition is turning communist, but having strong powers to break up the Coles-Woolies duopoly is sensible economic policy, Matt Grudnoff says.
Dutton’s divestiture plan would help with cost-of-living, keep lid on inflation
The Coalition’s proposed divestiture powers to break up major hardware and grocery retailers could help keep inflation down and assist with cost-of-living pressures. “The introduction of divestiture laws is a sensible tool to stop large companies like Woolworths and Coles misusing their market power. It would be good for prices at the checkout and help
New union rights to boost workplace cooperation
New rights for volunteer union delegates are set to make workplaces more, not less, cooperative, according to a new analysis by the Australia Institute.
June 2024
Wages are clearly not driving inflation as new data shows wage growth is falling
With wage growth already falling, further interest rate rises would only serve to punish workers who are already suffering.
Majority of Australians Back Action to Track and Address Child Poverty
Four in five Australians (83%) want the Federal Government to officially define and measure poverty levels, and for income support payments to be boosted to prevent children from living in poverty, according to new research by the Australia Institute.
As the Coalition goes nuclear, Labor is free to ensure fossil fuels are burned with abandon and little scrutiny
The sham of Australia’s climate change policy has been made clear in the past two weeks.
Webinar: Stop passing the buck -Workers’ compensation and ‘gig’ workers
Workers’ compensation and rehabilitation are amongst the most important legal issues facing the ‘gig’ economy. This reflects the potential vulnerability of these workers and their families, co-workers, and community to harsh and long term consequences from injuries. For a while, it looked like federal industrial policy might ‘solve’ the workers compensation problem by redefining ‘gig’/platform
The narrow path
At a time of major uncertainty in the economy, Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock’s honesty is refreshing, says Greg Jericho.
The Seamless scheme and developing an Australian circular textiles industry
Every single year in Australia over 200,000 tonnes of textile waste go to landfill, and more than 100,000 tonnes are shipped overseas. Australia must somehow scale this 300,000-tonne mountain of clothing if the nation is to make the textile industry circular by 2030.
Momentous budget and planning decisions must be based on current environmental data
Leading environment and policy groups are calling on the Tasmanian Government to make the decade-long-delayed State of the Environment Report public before several key financial and planning decisions are made by the government and the parliament later this year.
Households are hurting. Savings are weak. The future’s uncertain. Is a rate cut near?
The Reserve Bank’s decision to keep rates steady reinforced that the economy at this moment remains one with both good and bad signs, and the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, is refreshingly upfront about the difficulties.
Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz Australian Speaking Tour: July and August 2024
Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate, former World Bank Chief Economist, and best-selling author and professor at Columbia University, will visit Australia from late July 2024 for a national speaking tour to discuss Australia’s growing inequality, the levers available to governments to address it, and his latest book, ‘The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society’.
The tax stats show the gender pay remains widespread across almost all occupations
The 2021-22 taxations statistics show that men have a higher average salary in 96% of all occupations
“Sticky inflation” is not Australian workers fault and higher interest rates and lower wages won’t solve it
Australia’s inflation is rising and falling in line with the experience in Canada and the USA despite the RBA not raising rates by as much as did the central banks in those two countries.
Australians buy more clothes than any other country | Video
“We are recommending a tax on fast fashion to protect Australian businesses and also protect the environment.”
Pick your poison
The government is trying to strike a delicate balance in the economy, getting inflation down without sending the country into recession, says Greg Jericho.
Obsessing over the inflation rate misses one key point: the economy is more than just how fast prices are rising
Over the past few weeks some economists and commentators have become rather obsessed and unhinged about Australia’s inflation rate.
Machiavelli would have known what to do about PwC
Today, the name of Niccolò Machiavelli is a byword for cynicism and hunger for power, but there was one profession so parasitic and selfish even he could not stomach it.
Australia’s Great Gas Giveaway | Between the Lines
This edition: Independents call out the gas industry and Australia’s consultant addiction continues
Superannuation tax concessions entrench income and gender inequality
Australia Institute research finds women and low-income earners are being left behind by a superannuation tax concession system that disproportionately benefits high-income earners and men.
“Shocking” near-zero growth a sign that rates are hurting the economy – Jericho
High interest rates have dramatically slowed the economy, pushing many households to their limits, says Greg Jericho.
“Shocking” near-zero growth a sign that rates are hurting the economy: Jericho
High interest rates have dramatically slowed the economy, pushing many households to their limits, says Greg Jericho.
It is time to abolish the expensive Fuel Tax Credit that incentivises fossil fuel use.
The OECD has recently called for the end of Australia Fuel Tax Credits Scheme, which is growing in cost every year.
Why our GDP is going nowhere
Near-zero economic growth is a good sign of how bad things are, says Greg Jericho.
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