Analysis
Affordable housing
Albanese goes back to the future for housing reform
Giving the states a kick up the bum while offering them cash to really put more housing stock into the market is one step to repairing the damage caused by decades of poor policy.
- by Shane Wright
Latest
Jobs market at ‘turning point’: RBA wary as rate rises bite
The Reserve Bank has growing evidence that its run of rate increases is eating into the labour market and the broader economy.
- by Shane Wright
Rate cuts coming to help mortgage-stressed shoppers: CBA
The nation’s biggest lender tips interest rates will fall a full percentage point in the next year to offset the hit being felt by consumers struggling to make ends meet.
- by Shane Wright
Soaring home insurance bills leave one in eight households struggling
The median home insurance premium has jumped $400 in the past year, and there are warnings costs will continue to climb without government action.
- by Shane Wright
Lowe warns against rent freezes as he signals rates may rise again
In his last appearance before the House of Representatives’ economics committee, the outgoing RBA governor also admitted he had made mistakes during the COVID-19 pandemic, that had contributed to today’s inflation pressures.
- by Shane Wright
Analysis
RBA
Lowe drops truth bombs as he prepares to leave the RBA stage
In his final parliamentary appearance, Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe ended where he started – bemoaning the high cost of land in Australia.
- by Shane Wright
Lowe’s last stand: RBA governor to face MPs one more time
Every six months, the RBA governor is quizzed by federal MPs. Philip Lowe faces his last federal grilling on Friday.
- by Shane Wright
Public service puts taxpayer billions at risk by fumbling major contracts
The federal government spends about $80 billion a year on contracts. A bipartisan committee says consulting firms, not taxpayers, are benefiting the most under the current system.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
General insurance
Looming insurance crisis could make the GFC ‘look like a picnic’
If the blowout in insurance premiums – both here and overseas – is not dealt with soon, we could be forced to face a reckoning nobody is ready for, least of all the global economy.
- by Shane Wright
Wary consumers fear RBA is not done with rate rises
As evidence mounts that consumers are shutting their wallets, a key measure of confidence actually fell despite interest rates remaining steady.
- by Shane Wright
Inquiry to examine insurance costs as study shows Australians being priced out
A parliamentary inquiry will examine insurance affordability as a new report shows more people are being priced out of protecting their homes and assets.
- by Shane Wright