Australian Economy

In the ongoing debate over the right level of migration into Australia, there have been a great many narratives trotted out in an attempt to make a case that the status quo is perfectly fine.

On 1 October, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese boasted on social media that banning card surcharges at stores would save Australians $1.6 billion a year: “Every time you tap, those little surcharges add up.

Australia’s immigration system is overwhelmingly geared towards lower-skilled workers.

Below is CBA economist Lucinda Jerogin’s round-up of this week’s economic data: Key points: Australian consumer sentiment fell 4.7% in October to be among the weakest level since survey records began in the early 1970s.

Most fanfare and concern have focused on the sharp decline in Australian dwelling values, which have fallen 6.8% from their April peak across the five major capital city markets.

A little over a year ago, One Nation was polling in the same range that it had been for years, in the low to mid single digits at a federal level, only marginally removed from the 6.4% of the vote they achieved at the last federal election.

The federal government and renewable energy advocates continually argue that renewables are the cheapest energy source.

Last week’s 25 bp interest rate hike from the Reserve Bank has dealt a hammer blow to consumer sentiment.

Anthropic is concerned.

The 2026 Intergenerational Report, released last month, forecasts that the federal budget will remain in deficit for the next 40 years, with tax receipts falling short of expenditure.

Treasurer “Spin” Jim Chalmers defended the federal government’s inflation record ahead of Tuesday’s 0.25% rate hike from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

Below is CBA economist Lucinda Jerogin’s round-up of this week’s economic and housing data: Key points: The RBA hiked the cash rate 25bps on Tuesday to 4.60%, its highest level in 15 years.

The 2026 Statistical Review of World Energy, released in July, revealed that: Oil consumption hit a record high.

Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock recently suggested that the unemployment rate may need to rise to 5%, up from 4.6% currently, to ease inflation pressures in Australia.

The private credit market, which has grown to around $200 billion in assets, has become a key lender to developers as traditional banks pull back from construction lending due to tightening risk appetites.

In the latest Intergenerational Report from the Albanese government, a series of assumptions are, to put it politely, “overly optimistic”.

In a classic scheduling error, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the August quarter consumer price inflation (CPI) report a day after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised the official cash rate by 0.25%.

Australia ranks near the top in the world for household wealth.

Treasurer “Spin” Jim Chalmers defended the federal government’s inflation record ahead of Tuesday’s 0.25% rate hike from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

Contained within the 352 pages of the latest ‘Intergenerational Report’ (IGR) from the Albanese government is a series of forecasts on how Treasury and the Albanese government believe the next 40 years will play out.

As widely expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) unanimously lifted the official cash rate (OCR) by 0.25% at today’s monetary policy meeting, taking the cash rate to 4.60%—a 15-year high.

Australia has run one of the strongest immigration programs over the past 20 years, growing the nation’s population by an extraordinary 37% between 2005 and 2025, easily outpacing other advanced nations: The Economist Magazine last week argued that many advanced economies are experiencing slower growth because productivity is weak while immigration is high.