Australian Economy

The taxation arrangements around electric vehicles (EVs) are a reverse Robin Hood arrangement that extracts taxes from ordinary Australians to distribute to the rich. A case in point is the EV fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption, which was introduced in 2022 to make EVs more affordable for employees through salary packaging and novated leases.

It is a peculiarity of the Australian labour market that when under pressure, it tends to reduce hours rather than headcount.

Thursday’s labour force release from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported a national unemployment rate of 4.4% in June, unchanged from May.

Later this morning, we will receive the June labour force accounts from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which will be a key input into the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) decision-making matrix ahead of next month’s monetary policy meeting.

South Australia offers a glimpse into the energy future facing Australia.

Contained within the federal budget are forecasts that stretch for a decade, often providing a far rosier longer-term perspective on the trajectory of the nation’s fiscal balance than more near-term estimates.

The March quarter national accounts from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that the economy is sliding back into a per capita recession, with real per capita GDP falling by 0.1% in the March quarter – the 10th decline in 15 quarters since Labor took office in mid-2022.

Poor productivity growth is the single biggest pressure point facing the Australian economy.

In the Persian Gulf, full-scale hostilities have once again resumed, as the ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ aimed at peace has proven completely nonviable.

CBA economist Lucinda Jerogin has written an interesting analysis of Australia’s data centre boom, which she forecasts will add 0.2% to Australia’s GDP growth over 2026 and 2027.

According to the nation’s most expensive toilet paper, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has proposed an ambitious infrastructure agenda.

In Australia’s history, the pub was long a place of community, mateship and a refuge from the challenges outside.

The latest Victorian Budget revealed that net debt will hit around $200 billion within four years.

The Climate Council contends that there are about 160 data centres currently operating in Australia, with another 90 proposed.

CBA notes that two key data points will determine whether the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will hike the official cash rate (OCR) at its next meeting in August, namely: This week’s Labour Force Survey (23 July); and The June CPI the following week (29 July).

The single most pressing issue facing the Australian economy is poor productivity growth.

There is nothing Canberra likes better than killing the economy and you along with it.

OECD data shows Australia has one of the highest income‑tax burdens on average workers in the developed world.

When the pandemic first arrived on Australia’s shores in early 2020, it set off a fascinating economic experiment on a grand scale: what would productivity growth look like without not only high migration but no migration at all?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will release its June labour force report on Thursday.