Business
The economy
Opinion
School funding
Two-class school system a great way to entrench low productivity
You’d expect a Labor government to care about public school students getting a decent education. We’ll soon find out if it does.
- by Ross Gittins
Latest
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Vladimir Putin has Russia headed for economic ruin. The West can’t lose its nerve now
Russia’s defence spending has tripled since the invasion of Ukraine, approaching 8 per cent of national output – roughly what it was under the Soviet Union.
- by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Opinion
Tax reform
How top earners kid themselves (and us) they’re overtaxed
Don’t let the rich guys’ talk of high taxes fool you into believing Australia is a high-tax country.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Billionaires
Enemies they may be, Taylor Swift and Donald Trump have a lot in common
Billionaires were never popular, but they are almost reflexively reviled today in our time of rising inequality. Yet, here we see the exceptions to the rule.
- by Waleed Aly
Opinion
Inside China
The clock is ticking as China spirals
China’s problems are mounting. And it is ramping up efforts to fix its biggest one.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Property prices
Why fixing negative gearing would be a positive for our kids
Real estate agents and home building companies always claim getting rid of the tax lurk would do great damage to renters and buyers alike. Don’t believe it.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Live music
Swifties like me are getting thrifty to see her live
To understand the economics of Taylor Swift, you must understand what fans like me forgo to see her concerts.
- by Millie Muroi
Opinion
Accounting
Lest we forget the unknown public servant, working away to better inform us
Forty years ago, government financial reports were a dog’s breakfast of facts and figures. Don Nicholls, who recently died, did much to improve this.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
US Votes 2024
America’s booming economy is turning toxic for Joe Biden
It seems to be a near impossible task to convince Americans that their economy is performing well.
- by Kate Andrews
Opinion
Carbon pricing
We can’t escape a carbon tax, which is good news, not bad
In their own polite way, Professor Ross Garnaut and Rod Sims this week spoke out against the blatant self-interest of our fossil fuel industry.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
NAPLAN
Want better productivity? Start by ensuring our kids can read
One in three Australian primary and secondary students cannot read proficiently, limiting their life chances. It’s an appalling deficiency with a costly economic sting.
- by Ross Gittins