Michael Pascoe
A sleight-of-hand balanced budget is no guide to our economic health
It is possible to make too much of last financial year’s federal budget coming in effectively “balanced” and another uptick in the...
The bipartisan carbon/energy policy we could have: A revenue-neutral carbon tax
Australian federal politics is in a unique position. Alone in the world, neither of our major political parties has an energy policy...
Australia’s China boom is busting – and it’s not because of iron ore
Iron ore prices are bouncing higher again, but the key employment generator in Australia’s China boom ride is flatling – Chinese tourism...
Australia in danger of falling through the economic looking glass
The federal government is pushing the Reserve Bank of Australia towards “unconventional” monetary policy – a dive through the looking glass into...
Nobody is dancing at Josh Frydenberg’s stimulus party
Josh Frydenberg announced a stimulus party when delivering his April budget – tax cuts, infrastructure spending, “strong economy”, good times. Five months...
Housing: We needed a floor, but raising the roof is scary
Offer Australians cheap money and they’ll rush out to buy housing. If any proof was needed, it’s in the July household finance...
What really decides whether you can afford a mortgage
Spare a thought for Justice Nye Perram of the Federal Court. He tried to introduce a little colour and humour into the...
Josh Frydenberg trying to blame RBA for weakest financial year since the recession
Oh this is rich. As we suspected here a week ago, Josh Frydenberg is attempting to deflect blame onto the Reserve Bank...
We’ve just recorded our worst financial year since the 1990-91 recession
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been let off lightly by the headlines reporting “only” the weakest economic growth since the GFC, thanks to...
Squeezing wages has come home to bite corporate Australia
Years of begrudging wage rises and screwing the last few cents out of suppliers have come back to bite corporate Australia where...