Decentralisation no longer a pipe dream thanks to COVID-19

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Policy makers have for generations attempted and failed to diversify Australia’s economic activity and settlement away from the cities.

However, according to Bernard Salt, COVID-19 might be the catalyst that finally reverses decades of centralisation:

Between the 1996 and 2016 censuses, the proportion of Australians who said they worked from home (not counting unpaid domestic work) never varied from 4-5 per cent. But with the mandated lockdown there has come an awakening of sorts, and it applies to workers and employers alike.

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.