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 and MB media appearances

Strong auction volumes weigh on house prices

The tsunami of auction activity is beginning to weigh on home values in Melbourne and Sydney.

International student myths debunked

Business Council of Australia Chief Executive Bran Black delivered a keynote address to the Universities Australia Solutions Summit that repeated the same old myths and fallacies about the vital importance that international students play in the Australian economy.

Victoria careens toward energy scarce future

Victoria has legislated a target to source 95% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2035.

YIMBY Grattan Institute spins housing supply fantasies

The Grattan Institute argues that NSW could make 1 million additional homes feasible to build by copying Victoria’s planning rules that allow terraces and three‑storey apartments “as of right” across most residential zones.

Population growth hampers Australia’s emissions reductions

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has released its National Greenhouse Gas Inventory for the September quarter of 2025.

CGT concerns don’t stack up

The Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) has attacked the proposed reduction in the capital gains tax (CGT) discount, arguing that: Reducing the CGT discount (from 50% to 25%) would push landlords to raise rents to compensate for lower after‑tax capital gains.

Victoria: Land of the union grift

Victoria’s infrastructure program—intended to support a fast‑growing population—has been undermined by corruption and lawlessness.

Make older Australians a resource, not a drain

A record 760,000 Australians aged over 65 are now in the workforce—the highest number since records began in 1995 and up nearly 20% since 2022.

Billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on EVs for minimal carbon abatement

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen is celebrating the tiny 0.4% decline in Australia’s transport emissions in the year to September 2025, which Bowen claims is “proof” that his government’s heavy subsidisation of battery electric vehicles (EVs) is working.

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