Peter Martin
A little ray of sunshine as 2021 economic survey points to brighter times ahead
Suddenly, economic forecasters are optimistic. Six months ago the forecasting team assembled by The Conversation was expecting Australia’s recession to continue into...
Top economists want JobSeeker tied to wages, boosted by at least $100 per week
Once about as high as the pension, the JobSeeker unemployment payment has fallen shockingly low compared to living standards. It’s now only...
‘Could do better’: Top Australian economists award the budget a cautious pass
Australia’s leading economists have struggled to grade this month’s budget. Challenged by the Economic Society of Australia and The Conversation to rate...
Top economists back boosts to JobSeeker and social housing over tax cuts in pre-budget poll
Overwhelmingly, Australia’s leading economists want the budget to boost social housing and the JobSeeker unemployment benefit rather than bring forward personal income...
No snapback: Reserve Bank no longer confident of quick bounce out of recession
The good news in the Reserve Bank’s latest quarterly set of forecasts is that the recession won’t be as steep as it...
No big bounce: 2020-21 economic survey points to weak recovery and declining living standards
The picture of economic recovery painted by Prime Minister Scott Morrison is looking like a mirage. The 22 leading economists polled by...
Economists back wage freeze, 21-19, in Economic Society-Conversation survey
Australian economists narrowly back a wage freeze in the minimum wage case now before the Fair Work Commission, a freeze that could flow through...
No lift in wages or economic growth, no progress on unemployment in year of low expectations
2020 is shaping up as a dismal year for the economy, with no progress on many of the key measures that matter...
Cabinet papers 1998-99: How the GST became unstoppable
Twice the goods and services tax had been rejected, the first time by Labor, which came close to introducing something similar in...
Everything you need to know about ‘deeming rates’
Now it’s the Coalition that’s being accused of a “retiree tax”. As interest rates have come down over the past four years,...