Vital signs

Vital Signs: If we fall into a recession (and we might) we'll have ourselves to blame

07 Jun 2019

Australia has two options to keep out of recession, neither of them easy. The government will have to abandon its determination to get the budget into surplus.

Vital Signs: When it came to the surplus, both Bill and Scott were having a lend

10 May 2019

The state of budget-balance fetishism in Australia means political leaders promise to balance the budget, no matter what.

Vital Signs: Policies come and go, but surely we shouldn't be subsidising inheritances

03 May 2019

The media loves a victim, but sympathy for someone who won't spend what they've got because they're saving for their children is taking it too far.

Vital Signs: Zero inflation means the Reserve Bank should cut rates as soon as it can

26 Apr 2019

Inflation has barely been within the Governor Philip Lowe's target band his entire time in office. Zero inflation means he should cut now, before the election.

Vital Signs: Why governments get addicted to smoking, gambling and other vices

12 Apr 2019

Governments are addicted to tax revenue from harmful activities. It is stopping them from doing what is in society's best interests.

Vital signs. The political conundrum of dealing with mortgage brokers

15 Mar 2019

Josh Frydenberg wants to leave mortgage broker commissions unchanged for three years. It's hard to see why.

Vital Signs: Australia's sudden ultra-low economic growth should not be a surprise

08 Mar 2019

The treasurer says 2018 was a year of two halves, but there were signs of a downturn well before mid year.

Vital Signs: When watchdogs become pets – or the problem of 'regulatory capture'

15 Feb 2019

Do regulators act in the public interest, or in the interest of those they are meant to regulate?

Vital Signs: The man who can and will cut rates if needed during the election campaign

08 Feb 2019

Rates might need to be cut urgently, and because things are good. RBA Governor Philip Lowe has signalled he won't wait.

Vital Signs: Another year of steady rates. What's the point of the RBA inflation target?

01 Feb 2019

The Reserve Bank's inflation target seems out of date in a world of ultra low inflation. So why is Governor Lowe persisting with it?

Vital signs

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