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.

Aussie mortgage holders desperate for interest rate relief

Late last year, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) chairman John Lonsdale warned that the number of Australian households experiencing severe mortgage stress had nearly doubled since 2016 and was trending higher amid the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) aggressive monetary tightening.

Aussie rents hit affordability ceiling

According to PropTrack, national median advertised rents have surged by 47% since December 2019.

Peter Dutton grovels to China and India

Anyone who hoped that a Coalition government under Peter Dutton would seriously cut immigration needs to confront reality.

Dutton takes aim at housing demand side

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has promised to take moderate action to curb housing demand in a bid to make homes more affordable for Australians.

Pressure builds on RBA to cut rates

Wednesday’s Q4 CPI release from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has increased pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to cut the official cash rate. The headline CPI rose by 0.2% in Q4 2024 and the annual rate fell to 2.4% (i.e., around the middle of the RBA’s target band).

Aussie house prices tipped to soar after rate cuts

KPMG Australia is upbeat about the outlook for the housing market in 2025, spurred on by expected interest rate cuts.

Labor right to axe 15% superannuation guarantee

The superannuation guarantee is scheduled to increase to 12% in July, and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones says the federal government has no plans to expand it further.

Can Queensland afford the Olympics?

According to 9News, the Australian Olympic Committee has backed a bold, new proposal by Swimming Australia and other aquatic sports to build a multi-million dollar complex for Brisbane 2032.

It’s official: Australians face lost economic decade

Australians have suffered their deepest decline in material living standards in modern history.

Door opened for RBA rate cuts

Advertisement