Australian Economy

By Leith van Onselen For years we’ve heard how hospitals in our major cities are being overrun by the ongoing population influx caused by Australia’s mass immigration program.

By Leith van Onselen While residents of Sydney and Melbourne are suffering from crush-loaded roads, trains, schools, and hospitals, as well as hideously expensive housing, toll road companies like Transurban are making out like bandits.

By Leith van Onselen In the lead-up to next month’s state election, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has pledge to create 250,000 jobs over four years.

By Leith van Onselen It’s amazing that mussel producer, Michael Harris, understands the lunacy of Australia’s gas policy better than Australia’s policy makers.

By Leith van Onselen Over the past few years, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) head, Rod Sims, has issued a spate of warnings about, and voiced opposition to asset privatisations.

By Leith van Onselen Figures released earlier this month by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries revealed that new car sales declined by 7.4% year-on-year in January: Now, car loans are falling and arrears are rising.

By Leith van Onselen Back in 2016, Bernard Salt attacked the Millennial generation, claiming they’d rather spend their money on $20 smashed avocado breakfasts than making the sacrifice their parents and grandparents made to forgo consumption in order to accumulate a deposit.

It is this.

There is one big difference between the global and local slowdowns right now.

There it goes.

By Leith van Onselen The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released the Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) data for the six months to November 2018.

By Leith van Onselen Yesterday’s ABS labour force release for January revealed a softening Australian youth labour market – i.e.

By Leith van Onselen As summarised earlier, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today released its labour force report for January, which registered a strong 39,100 increase in total employment and but no change in the headline unemployment (still 5.0%) because of a small rise in labour force participation.

The ABS is out with January Labour Force and the news is amusing: SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ESTIMATES Employed persons increased 39,100 to 12,751,800.

Recession anyone?

By Leith van Onselen Premier Mark McGowan has promised better times ahead for Western Australians, vowing to create “at least” 150,000 jobs over five years.

By Leith van Onselen Australia’s business leaders have finally admitted they are concerned about Australia’s crashing property market and falling consumer demand.

Throughout this cycle, MB has gotten wages right.

By Leith van Onselen Yesterday’s wages price index released by the ABS revealed a softening of annual wages growth to 2.27%: However, when adjusted for underlying inflation, which has softened, real wages firmed to 0.45% growth in the year to December: However, there remains a big disconnect between the private and public sectors.

By Leith van Onselen The Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday released its overseas short-term arrivals and departures figures for December, which continued to show a trend rise in the number of inbound visitors, with both Chinese arrivals and student arrivals hitting an all-time high.

Via the AFR, only a week late: The economy is at risk of a “doozy recession” as the housing downturn accelerates at an “alarming pace” weakening consumer sentiment, warns former Morgan Stanley global strategist Gerard Minack.

By Leith van Onselen The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released visitor arrivals and departures data for the month of December, which posted record annual permanent and long-term arrivals, as well as the highest net arrivals in 4 1/2 years.

From Treasury genius Phil Gaetjens this morning: Treasury Secretary Philip Gaetjens has warned that “falling house prices could also cause consumer spending to be weaker than forecast” and said “care must be take” on mortgage broker reforms.