The Australian Economy
Australia hasn’t had a recession – in the widely used sense of two or more consecutive quarters of negative real GDP growth – since 1991. Since then, Australia’s ranking among nations in terms of per capita GDP has risen from 22nd to, in the last four years, either 12th or 13th, behind only the United States, Norway, Switzerland and a number of other smaller states which are predominantly either oil producers or financial centres. Australia’s economic performance reflects a combination of luck and management – the relative importance and quality of which have varied significantly from time to time. Monitoring the performance of and analysing the prospects for the Australian economy has been the major part of my ‘day job’ since I completed my university degree in 1979.
The Economic Consequences of Mr Trump – for the US, and for Australia
Economic Policies, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy | 18th June 2025Presentation to an ‘Island of Ideas’ forum hosted by the University of Tasmania in Hobart on 18th June 2025. There is a podcast of the forum here : Australia and the Trump Effect – YouTube (Saul’s presentation starts at about 20:00 minutes in).
The World and Australian Economies in a Nutshell – Presentation to 2025 All Actuaries Summit
Productivity, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy | 12th June 2025Saul’s presentation to the Actuaries’ Institute “All Actuaries Summit” in Sydney on 12th June 2025:
Victoria’s profligacy is a problem for all of us
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, The Australian Economy | 20th May 2025Saul Eslake’s op-ed on the 2025-26 Victorian Budget, published in The Australian Financial Review on 20th May 2025
Global turmoil, tariffs and impacts on the Australian economy
Asian Economies, Economic Policies, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy, Topics | 30th April 2025Saul Eslake’s presentation to a webinar hosted by the Freight & Trade Alliance (Australia’s leading representative body for the international supply chain sector bringing together importers, exporters, customs brokers, freight forwarders, logistics service providers and industry groups) on 29th April 2025.
The two worrying trends revealed in Australia’s AAA warning
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, The Australian Economy | 30th April 2025Saul Eslake’s op-ed published in The Australian Financial Review on 30th April about two sources of risk to Australia’s AAA credit rating, highlighted by S&P’s warning at the beginning of the final week of the 2025 election campaign.
Australia’s Federal Election 2025 Key Issues
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Productivity, Recent Media Interview, Taxation, The Australian Economy | 27th April 2025In this InEconomics podcast series Saul Eslake dives into an in-depth analysis of cost-of-living and housing issues, shedding light on untargeted policies and the broader economic implications.
The Importance of Productivity – and What to Do About It
Economic Policies, Productivity, The Australian Economy | 29th March 2025Slides accompany talks to clients of The Bevington Group, a Melbourne-based management consulting firm specializing in operating model and process transformation, about the importance of productivity – and what might be done to arrest and reverse the slide in productivity growth in Australia.
The 2025-26 Federal Budget – An Assessment
Economic Policies, The Australian Economy | 27th March 2025Saul Eslake’s assessment of the 2025-26 Australian Government Budget, presented by Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers on 25th March 2025.