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.

Hands off our superannuation

In a November joint statement, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher announced that the Future Fund, which is one-third the size of the Australian economy, will be directed to invest in housing, security, and the green energy transition “where possible, appropriate, and consistent with strong returns”.

Australian renters have been bled dry

The latest rental vacancy report from SQM Research showed that the nation’s vacancy rate fell to 1.0% in January 2025, down 0.1% from a year earlier.

Victoria may decide the federal election

Victoria has been a stronghold for the Labor Party in recent federal and state elections.

Australia’s recession may finally be over

Australians have experienced the longest recession in modern history, with real per capita GDP falling for seven consecutive quarters as of Q3 2024.

How Melbourne became the cheapest housing market

CoreLogic’s results for February show that Melbourne is now the cheapest major capital city housing market in the nation. Melbourne’s median dwelling value was $772,561 at the end of February 2024, $124,052 (14%) below the national capital city median.

Weekend reading and media appearances

How technocrats like Abul Rizvi lost control of Australia’s borders

Below is a brilliant guest post by Misha Saul, examining how immigration bureaucrats like Abul Rizvi have damaged Australia through excessive immigration levels.

Chinese buyers raid Australian property

From 1 April 2025, temporary residents will be banned from purchasing established dwellings for two years.

Australian wages can’t buy what they used to

Earlier this month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the Q4 2024 wage price index, which recorded growth of 0.7% for the quarter and 3.2% year over year.

Streaming wars drive Aussies back to piracy

A decade ago, Australia was one of the worst nations for online piracy.

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