Unconventional Economist

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

Weekend reading & MB media appearances

Investors pile in before house prices bust

What YIMBYs get wrong about property development

The ‘Yes in My Backyard’ (YIMBY) movement argues that the solution to Australia’s crisis lies in upzoning our cities to permit high-rise apartments in more locations.

University Vice-Chancellors feast on junk degrees

Last year, a Senate inquiry into university governance heard claims that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) was failing to monitor the standard of university degrees.

Australian mortgage stress poised to hit 14 year high

According to Cotality, 2026 began with Australians required to dedicate a near-record share of their income to servicing a new mortgage. Since then, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has increased the official cash rate three times to 4.35%, the same level as the prior peak.

Clare O’Neil admits mass migration is making housing unaffordable

Australia’s housing minister said the quiet bit out loud when she admitted that the tax changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax won’t do much for housing affordability.

Aussies turn to caravans to ease cost of living

Realestate.com.au reports that Australians — including high‑income professionals earning six‑figure salaries — are increasingly turning to van and caravan living as soaring rents, mortgage stress, and rising living costs make traditional housing feel unaffordable or not worth the pressure.

China deceives the world on carbon emissions

Workers across the globe are getting smashed

Why did renewables leader South Australia miss out on energy bill relief?

The media and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen were busy crowing about renewables supposedly helping lower the Default Market Offer (DMO) electricity prices, which were released this week by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).

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