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John KehoeFinancial Review |
On a recent Friday in Canberra, a deflated public servant friend revealed that there were only three people at work on a floor space that can seat 30...
What really matters for future living standards is government policy going above and beyond mediocre minor changes.
The price of solar panels has plunged and overseas makers are going broke, making it even more puzzling why the government is making a $1 billion...
The Reserve Bank’s 13 interest rate rises have curbed demand without tipping mortgage holders into big trouble.
The supermarkets are not profit gouging: less than $3 of every $100 spent goes to profits. Look at the market power of brewers and big tech instead.
Ever so gently, the RBA board has dialled back its outlook for interest rates, but governor Michele Bullock remains alert to the bumpy ride ahead.
Progressive activists have become so obsessed with distribution of income and profits, without giving any thought to first maximising the economic pie...
Beneath the doom and gloom talk of a “per capita recession” and mortgage stress, there are pockets of resilience and cause for optimism.
Our housing availability and affordability problem is having perverse effects on work, intergenerational mobility, entrepreneurship, fertility and...
A carbon levy is required, but the money should be returned to households, not bureaucrats trying to pick ‘green’ winners, writes John Kehoe.
Instead of taxpayer bailouts, Australia would be better off letting workers from loss-making mines become home builders to help housing affordability.
The costly GST deal attempting to save Liberal seats in WA could cost $50 billion – money that federal taxpayers will have to foot the bill for.
Higher-than-expected CPI readings in the United States is a timely jolt for Australians pinning their hopes on interest rate cuts this year.
The budget hole from the NDIS is now so serious that hard, honest truths must be told and a big light shone on Bill Shorten, Jim Chalmers and Katy...
RBA governor Michele Bullock is keeping her options open on interest rates, even as the bank’s statement laid out inflation risks from services and...
Australia is too reliant on slugging workers for income tax – sapping work incentives, deterring international talent and penalising working-age...
There is limited scope for the central bank to reduce borrowing costs in 2024 as it waits for evidence that inflation is returning to target, writes...
Bitcoin will turn out to be a sideshow whose only role is to pave the way for state-backed digital money and tokenisation.
Jim Chalmers has resisted pressure to spend a $64 billion tax windfall. The tougher test will be showing sustained fiscal discipline and getting the...
The disclosure of RBA board votes and public remarks by board members will make it more challenging for Michele Bullock to control the central...
Adjusting the performance test methodology could make green investments more viable. But super fund members should be wary that they could end up...
The Reserve Bank is coming in for some heavy criticism, but we need it to be a straight shooter in our age of spin and social media echo chambers.
The appointment for the first time of a foreigner to deputy governor reflects Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ desire for an outsider to help overhaul the...
Business start-ups are declining among younger generations and rocketing property prices may be to blame. That’s bad for the economy.
Important jobs and wages numbers this week have come in close to the Reserve Bank expectations. It’s now almost certain interest rates will stay...
Savings in offset accounts and workers prospering in the jobs boom mean Reserve Bank hikes are biting fewer people than observers predicted.
A ratcheting up in spending by federal and state governments under Liberal and Labor has pumped more money into the economy and made the RBA’s job...
The RBA’s actions from here will depend on the flow of economic data, particularly inflation and the labour market.
Big infrastructure builds and the migration surge are adding to inflation pressure on the Reserve Bank.
The bank must be seen to be independent of government and make good monetary policy decisions if it is to convince the public it will get inflation...
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is blaming the oil price spike for inflation but local factors are increasingly driving inflation.
The jump in underlying inflation will be extremely hard for Michele Bullock to ignore as she tries to shore up the RBA’s credibility.
The High Court’s decision banning Victoria’s electric vehicle tax has parallels to how the GST came about.
‘I worked hard and paid all my taxes’ does not pass the pub test when tax-free retirements now last so long.
Households are well braced to withstand the 4 percentage point of interest rate increases so far, amid the possibility of more monetary policy...
The government’s planned changes raise a legitimate question about the long-term future of dividend imputation.
New governor Michele Bullock didn’t jump at August’s higher inflation, but she will likely not hesitate to impose “some further tightening” if...
Is the independent review of the Reserve Bank ‘radical’ or is this ‘misinformation’? The reality may lie somewhere in between.
Victorians will pay a hefty price for decades after state gross debt exploded to above $200 billion, as borrowing costs for governments hit the...
Labor needs more than small-target ‘Hollowmen’ policies to keep the jobless rate sustainably low without pushing up inflation and help the Reserve...
Australia’s mix of a market-based economy with a social safety net has served people well.
A population surge of more than half a million into the state will deliver the budget more tax revenue from property owners and employers hiring...
It will be the “last mile” in getting CPI down that will tell us whether the outgoing RBA governor did enough at the right times.