Australian Economy

The spurious claim that intermittent, weather-dependent energy is best to power data centres has been thoroughly debunked by the operators of such sites.

Ross Elliott from The Pulse argues that cities are undergoing a long‑term structural shift away from CBD‑centric office economies towards polycentric, suburban‑focused urban systems.

US nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, far less than expected. The bulk of the drop came from declines in leisure and hospitality (-40k) and local government education (-50k).

The 60 day ceasefire enabling negotiation of a final deal on the Straits of Hormuz ends tomorrow week.

Alex Joiner, chief economist at IFM Investors, posted the following chart on X (Twitter) illustrating the massive difference in goods (merchandise) exports between NSW and Victoria.

Former senior Australian Treasury official David Pearl gave a fantastic interview on the John Anderson podcast where, among other things, he highlighted how economic policy in Australia has lost focus on growing the economy via productivity improvements and has become increasingly reliant on government spending and interference to drive growth.

Sometimes it takes a personal angle to attract interest. I have been discussing the developing super El Niño for a couple of months without anyone taking much notice. The SOI (within its usual statistical parameters) is predicting a global food disaster.

As the debate on the issue of net zero emissions and climate change continues in the halls of power and around backyard BBQ’s across the nation, new data from Compass Polling has shed light on what voters believe when the time comes to pay for action on climate change directly with their wallets.

Last week, I published an article titled “Why New Zealand migration to Australia will fall”, arguing that New Zealand’s improving labour market would lead to fewer Kiwis migrating to Australia.

While rate hikes are off the agenda for now, courtesy of last week’s lower-than-expected trimmed-mean inflation, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would remain concerned about the strength of consumer spending.

In 1984, Australia’s flag-carrying airline, Qantas, began using the slogan “The Spirit of Australia”.

Saul Eslake has taken the moment of Jacinta Allen’s fall to provide some useful advice to whoever inherits her mess.

Former senior Australian Treasury official David Pearl gave a fantastic interview on the John Anderson podcast where, among other things, he highlighted the decline in the Treasury, which he claims has become overly ideological and politicised.

On Wednesday, I presented expert evidence to the Senate Select Committee on Productivity in Australia.

Over recent years, Australia has received large volumes of migrants from New Zealand, as illustrated by the following chart: In the 2025 calendar year, Australia received 28,500 net overseas migrants from New Zealand, down from the recent peak of 32,100 in mid-2024.

MB’s David Llewellyn-Smith (DLS) and Nucleus Wealth’s Damien Klassen disagree with me on energy policy.

The Westpac credit card tracker for the past fortnight is showing a consumer battered by oil.