The Coalition’s rewriting of economic history continues apace as part of its obsession with the Howard years.
Australian economy
The year of the non-lessons of fiscal stimulus
In 2011 we all became monetarists again, despite the lessons of the GFC.
Possum: it’s time to appreciate Australia’s exceptionalism
Reality check: Australia’s economic performance over the last few decades has been nothing short of astonishing. We are the wealthiest nation in the world, with remarkable growth figures, and it’s time we started to appreciate it, writes Possum Comitatus.
Mining industry surges, but we’re becoming a service economy
While the resources boom creates thousands of mining jobs, it is the services industries that are driving the biggest change in our workforce.
Political snippets: Aussies have not stopped spending
Australians might be prudently paying down their credit cards a little (see yesterday’s chunky bits) but they have not completely stopped spending.
Inflation down — but does it mean a rate cut?
Inflationary pressures are easing again — but it’s the European crisis that will occupy the RBA board next week, not domestic issues, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.
The Asian Century: Canberra readjusts the policy settings
If there is a conceptual shift on display in yesterday’s white paper launch, it is from Australia’s firm attachment to the construct of the Asia Pacific towards the “Asian Century”, writes Graeme Dobell.
Global economy in danger, but Oz cruising along nicely
Crikey media wrap: A new report by the International Monetary Fund declares that the global economy is in “a dangerous new phase”.
Political snippets: Spare a sympathetic thought for Wayne.
According to a study, there is no evidence that voters are at all interested in whether their economies are performing better relative to other economies in other countries.
Save the gloom for offshore: our economy is performing well
There’s plenty of bad economic news offshore but the Australian economy remains well-placed, whatever commentators might say, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.
No, the sky’s not falling — the economy is in rude health
The Australian economy isn’t dying, it isn’t in need of a rate cut to halt a slide towards a recession, it isn’t suffering from a lack of spending or demand: in fact it’s in rude health.
Gloom? Consumers are saving, but they are spending too
Some of the country’s leading economists and business analysts can’t see a boom for the gloom that they are preaching and writing about.
Cool heads needed to navigate crisis
The stockmarket isn’t the economy — but it can infect the real economy with panic if we allow it to, write Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer.
The sky isn’t falling: economy chugs away despite disasters
Despite the impact of the summer’s disasters, the economy is still showing signs of growth, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.
Essential: voters unmoved by budget
Wayne Swan’s dour, participation-focused budget has left voters unmoved, with many professing a lack of interest or concluding it was neither good nor bad, according to today’s Essential Report.
Our fiscal props: financial services and mining
Quick - what’s the biggest sector of the Australian economy? The answer reveals a lot about what’s happened since 2001, and what will happen in the next recession.
As housing credit collapses, carbon tax an even tougher sell
Pricing carbon to reorient Australia’s economy away from carbon-intensive activities looks to be one of the most difficult yet. Rob Burgess explains how the ‘at least it’s a boom’ argument isn’t that accurate.
Australia’s mixed economy — why health and education reform matters
When it comes to employment, Australia’s is a mixed economy dominated by one employer — the state.
Health and the hollowing-out of the economy
The real “hollowing out” of the Australian economy is likely to come from the health sector, which is our biggest employer and one of our fastest growing.
Was it just a bump in the road?
The term “economy” is a misnomer at the moment, because as everyone furiously agrees, there’s not one economy, but a two- or three-speed economy at work. So is yesterday’s GDP number a one-off, a mere “bump in the road?”
Despite 106,000 new jobs, the economy slows
Can an economy that created just over 106,000 new jobs in the three months to September, slow to a dirge-like stutter?
Pride comes before a fiscal fall: Oz economists are getting cocky
The blinkered view of many Australian economists is that the credit crisis in Europe can only benefit our economy. But that’s a load of hokum - if the euro falls it could spell serious trouble, writes David Llewellyn-Smith.
Employment data might give pause to hairshirt brigade — or not
The rise in unemployment is good news and bad news — good news because it reflects higher participation, but bad news because it confirms the domestic economy is still soft.
Meet Bob Katter, aka B Joyce … and Andrew Robb, aka J Hockey
The ABC has finally discovered the high value of the Australian dollar is more of an issue than just a simple race call at the back end of the news or a mention in the finance report.
Want to double the average income in four years?
Welcome to the WA mining boom! 18 of the top 20 local government areas across Australia that experienced the largest wage and salary growth were in WA. Possum Comitatus investigates the latest Estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas report.
