SAUL ESLAKE

Economist

SAUL ESLAKE

‘Welcome to my website …
I’m an independent economist, speaker, company director
and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Tasmania’

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.

Interview with Eureka Report’s Alan Kohler, 15th December 2021

Housing, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy | 15th December 2021

Saul talks to the Eureka Report’s Alan Kohler about this week’s US Federal Reserve and other leading central bank meetings, inflation and house prices AK: Now, here’s Saul Eslake, independent economist and his business is called Corinna Economic Advisory. Saul, there’s a lot of central bank meetings this week, starting with the Federal Reserve, but […]


The costs and consequences of ‘small business fetishism’

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Publications, Taxation, The Australian Economy | 10th December 2021

Article published in the December 2021 edition of Agenda, the journal of the Australian National University’s School of Economics.


Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2021-2022

Economic Policies, News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy | 7th December 2021

Saul talks to ABC Radio National‘s Peter Ryan about Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2021-2022


‘Minding the store’? Or ‘building a bigger and better store’?

Economic Policies, Tasmania, The Australian Economy | 3rd December 2021

Saul’s presentation to the Economic Society of Australia’s annual Tasmanian Economic Forum in Hobart on 3rd December. Tasmania’s economic performance has improved considerably in recent years – and the current state government is entitled to claim some of the credit for that. It’s done a good job of ‘minding the store’ since being elected in […]



‘The Next Big Risk: Insights on the Economic and Financial Outlook

The Australian Economy | 28th October 2021

Presentation to the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Audit & Risk Committee Forum, 28th October 2021


Inflation in Australia

News, The Australian Economy | 27th October 2021

Interview with The Australian’s Business Editor-at-Large Ticky Fullerton published here on 27th October – just before the release of the September quarter CPI data. Although that number was in line with what I’d told Ticky that was expected, the ‘underlying’ inflation number was a bit stronger than expected, pushing the annual ‘underlying’ inflation rate into […]


‘Stagflation’

News, The Australian Economy | 27th October 2021

‘Stagflation’ is the simultaneous occurrence of persistently high unemployment with persistently high inflation, which many economies (including Australia’s) experienced in the second half of the 1970s and for part of the 1980s. Some economists fear it might be re-emerging now. I talk to ABC Business Reporter Gareth Hutchins about this possibility here.


SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

Speaking Engagement | Boardroom Advisory | Commissioned Report | Expert Witness



Saul Eslake online presentation


“You are the best economic thinker in the country hands down”

Sheryle Bagwell, recently retired Senior Business Correspondent (and sometime Executive Producer),
ABC Radio National Breakfast


“Just want to congratulate you Saul on the unbelievably good set of slides you just presented, possibly the best I have ever seen. You have set the bar very high.”

Dr Joe Flood, Adjunct Fellow, RMIT University, Pandemicia


“Thank you very much for your excellent presentation for the Economic Society today. It is always a great pleasure to hear your eloquent, up-to-date and comprehensive talks.”

Andrew Trembath, economist, Victorian and Australian Government agencies


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WHAT'S NEW

Most Recent Articles, Talks and Presentations


The WA GST deal – the worst public policy decision of the 21st century thus far – Address to the National Press Club
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies
8th May 2024


The implications of Australia’s higher-than-expected March quarter inflation numbers
News, The Australian Economy
25th April 2024


‘A distinctive part of life in Australia’ The Declining Dream of Homeownership
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing
17th April 2024


Could China have a currency crisis at some point in the next 2-5 years?
Asian Economies, The Global Economy, Topics
16th April 2024


“The Great Housing Disaster – Who’s to Blame?”
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Recent Media Interview, Topics
15th April 2024


The Economic Consequences of Surges in Immigration
Australian Society and Politics, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy, Topics
10th April 2024


Is China heading for some kind of currency or financial crisis?
Asian Economies, The Global Economy
4th April 2024


The next four years will be difficult for Tasmania
News, Tasmania
27th March 2024


Some initial reflections on the outcome of the 2024 Tasmanian State election
Australian Society and Politics, Tasmania
24th March 2024


Tasmania’s fiscal position
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview, Tasmania
24th March 2024


Productivity, Tax Reform and ‘Peak China’
Asian Economies, Economic Policies, Productivity, Taxation, The Australian Economy
13th March 2024


Tasmania – lost opportunities
Tasmania
12th March 2024


The Tasmanian Economy
Tasmania
29th February 2024


The worst public policy decision of the 21st Century
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview
20th February 2024


Is ‘price gouging’ a major contributor to inflation?
Recent Media Interview
19th February 2024


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TESTIMONIALS

What Others Say


“You are one of the best at what you do in the world”
Gail Fosler, Chief Economist, The Conference Board, New York, December 2002

“I have never known an economist to have such a knowledge of world economic facts and to be able to bring to bear so much information in answering a question without notice”
Charles Goode, Chairman, ANZ Bank, July 2009

“Saul Eslake is … a highly regarded independent economist with the highest degree of integrity"
John Durie, Columnist, The Australian, July 2009

“… one of the few people in this world who can have so many oranges up in the air at the same time but still manage to catch them"
Andrew Clark, journalist, Australian Financial Review, November 2008

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