When you reduce the revenue available to fund government services, you inevitably increase inequality

Whether you are old or young, low or high income, working in construction or admin, a labourer or a manager, being in a union delivers you better pay.

As wages fail to keep up with inflation a record number of poeple are having to work more than one job to get by

Public services massively reduce inequality, but the Stage 3 tax cuts will make it much more difficult to fund them

The build up of savings during the pandemic is over – now we need strong income growth to keep the economy going as the Reserve Bank tries to slow it.

As approvals for public sector housing hit 2 year lows, the ambition for more public housing needs to be even greater than the government’s 20,000 in 5 years target.

For most of this year, the warnings and news about inflation have been one of hope for the best but experience the worst. Predictions of future inflation growth have continually been revised upwards and with it has been the suggestion that interest rates need to keep rising.

The latest economic outlook from the OECD highlights the precarious path for Australia over the next few years.

The latest wage rises from enterprise agreements show good improvement, but overall, workers continue to see their wages lag behind inflation

The latest wages price index figures show that for the first time since 2013 wages grew by more than 3% in the past year.

Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine caused a massive surge in gas and LNG prices that have enabled gas companies around the world, including Australia to make record-level profits.

The current tightening of monetary policy is undoubtedly having an impact. While it may take some time for the slowing of inflation to flow through to the official CPI figures – especially given the level of inflation that is being imported – the economy is set to slow drastically.

In defending the Stage 3 tax cuts in parliament, Angus Taylor inadvertently highlighted the real benefits for low-middle income earners comes from Stages 1 and 2.

The latest enterprise agreements figures show small signs of wage growth and once again the benefits of being in a union

In 2020-21 the biggest companies in Australia were able to reduce their taxable income to just 12% of their total income

In the past 7 months, the Reserve Bank has increased the cash rate by 275 basis points. That is as fast as any time since the RBA became independent. Given the pace of inflation growth, the rises are not wholly without cause, but as policy director, Greg Jericho notes in his Guardian Australia column the main drivers of inflation are now easing, and wages are yet to take off. In that case, should the RBA continue to raise rates given it will only slow the economy further?

People around Australia have been seeing the advertised prices of rents increasing, now the inflation figures are catching up.

On Wednesday the latest inflation figures showed that in the 12 months to September prices across Australia grew by 7.3% – the fastest rate since 1990.

The Government acknowledges the need to get wages growing again, but the budget reveals just how big the task is

The latest data from the Bureau of Statistics on families shows that more than ever before couples with dependants are both working.

This week the IMF released its latest World Economic Outlook. And the outlook is dire. Economic growth around the world was downgraded with recession-like conditions being predicted for many advanced economies including the USA, UK and much of the EU.

The Stage 3 tax cuts will only balance out the tax increase from the end of the low-middle income tax offset for those earning above $97,000

The end of the Low-Middle Income Tax Offset will deliver a tax increase of up to $1,500 for people earning under $90,000 – a 3% tax rise for someone on $50,000

Taxation data shows which occupations will get the biggest cuts – and how few people work in them

If you wanted to address bracket creep, the Stage 3 tax cuts would be the worst way to do it.

Enterprise agreements in June averaged just 2.8% annual wage growth – well below inflation.

This week the UK government introduced massive high-income tax cuts – cuts that are not even as bad as the Stage 3 tax cuts here in Australia. And the reaction by the market was brutal. Investors saw the tax cuts for what they were – a redistribution of national income from the poorest to the wealthiest, that provided no economic growth. As a result the value of the UK Pound plunged.

Enterprise bargaining agreements deliver better wages, but union backed ones deliver the best.