Yearly Archives: 2025
A podcast about “The Worst Public Policy Decision of the 21st Century Thus Far” – the corruption of the arrangements for distributing revenue from the GST among Australia’s states and territories
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview | 27th June 2025Saul’s interview with ‘The Wire‘ about what I’ve called ‘The Worst Public Policy Decision of the 21st Century Thus Far” – the corruption, at the behest of Australia’s richest state (Western Australia) of the principles which have governed the distribution of financial assistance from the Australian Federal Government to the states and territories since the […]
Tasmania’s public finances – a comparison with other states and territories in eight charts
Economic Policies, Tasmania | 25th June 2025With all eight Australian states and territories having presented their 2025-26 Budgets, it’s clear that, by most metrics, Tasmania’s public finances are in a worse condition than those of any other jurisdiction – a judgement underscored by the Tasmanian Treasury in its Pre-Election Financial Outlook Report released on 25th June 2025, which vindicates all of […]
An agenda for tax reform
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Taxation | 22nd June 2025On 22nd and 23rd June, John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations blog published (in two parts) Saul’s article about options that ideally should be on Australian Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers’ table as he considers how tax reform could contribute to two of the challenges he highlighted in his address to the National Press Club on 10th […]
The Economic Consequences of Mr Trump – for the US, and for Australia
Economic Policies, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy | 18th June 2025Presentation to an ‘Island of Ideas’ forum hosted by the University of Tasmania in Hobart on 18th June 2025. There is a podcast of the forum here : Australia and the Trump Effect – YouTube (Saul’s presentation starts at about 20:00 minutes in).
Tasmania’s next government needs to have credible plans to return the budget to a cash surplus and reduce debt
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Tasmania | 17th June 2025Unfunded pork-barrelling accounts for more than three-quarters of the increase in Tasmania’s ‘general government’ net debt between 2017-18 and the forecast for 2027-28. During the campaign for the election to be held on 19th July (the third in four years, the fourth in seven) someone needs to say, echoing Kevin Rudd during the 2007 Federal […]
The World and Australian Economies in a Nutshell – Presentation to 2025 All Actuaries Summit
Productivity, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy | 12th June 2025Saul’s presentation to the Actuaries’ Institute “All Actuaries Summit” in Sydney on 12th June 2025:
Inequality in the Distribution of Wealth – An Inter-Generational Perspective
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Taxation | 5th June 2025Article published by Inside Story and Pearls and Irritations in June 2025 , based on Saul’s talk to the Business Breakfast hosted by the Tasmanian Division of the Salvantion Army on 19th May 2025 for the launch of their Annual Red Shield Appeal.
Tasmanian Government Privatisation Assessment – ‘Stage One’ Report
Economic Policies, Tasmania, Topics | 1st June 2025In March this year the Premier of Tasmania, the Hon. Jeremy Rockliff MP, asked Saul to give his Government “high level” advice on the possible privatization or divestment of 16 different government business enterprises (GBEs), state-owned companies (SOCs) and other entitites. The terms of reference called for the advice to be presented in two stages, […]