Op-Ed Articles/Writings

On retirees and their big homes

Older Australians in retirement often find themselves asset rich yet cash poor. This is a widespread problem with a seemingly obvious solution: sell off the family home, buy something smaller and live off what's left. Yet the large majority of older Australians are choosing to stay put. To read more, click here. 

Parental generosity: why some get more than others

Parental generosity is both great and contentious. For a young person trying to navigate life and balancing work and family and all its challenges, it is great to have parents you can lean on in difficult times.For a parent, it is also great to be able to help, and stay connected with the children that way. Parental generosity has, however, also caused persistent tension in many families – as parents end up giving more (financial) help to some children than others. To read more, click here. 

The Economics of an ageing Population

 The Real Cost of Foreign Aid Cuts. 

For all its good intentions, and some evidence of gains, a big and increasing foreign aid budget is becoming harder to defend. The developed world has evolved from abundance to austerity, fiscal cliffs, deficits, and struggles to ensure financial solvency. Money is simply tighter now and the public is much less keen on aid spending than their heads of government might be.

To read more: click here   

 Wages down to demand and supply 

I was talking to a friend in the winemaking business recently. She lamented the high and rising cost of doing business in Australia, that wages are high and worker interests have overshadowed those of employers and business, through the high minimum wage and the many worker protection measures, which she attributed to the former Labor government.  Read more: click here 

How does an ageing population affect the economy? If the pool of active, productive workers is continually shrinking in favour of a larger and larger set of retired, older individuals, then each one has to be happy with a smaller and smaller share of the cake, so to speak. An ageing population therefore can pose serious threat to a nation's  standard of living. That said, the growing pool of very experienced, older  workers in Australia can present some exciting opportunities as well.  To read more; click here.

Australia's boom made billionaires of some but 

what did it do for the poor?

An analysis of economic and social data shows that Australia's 25-year boom improved the lot of the poorest Australians a little but the gap between richest and poorest widened markedly. One widely held view has been that Australia's economic growth does not reach the poor as fully as it does other members of society. This demands the question: "How good has Australia's economic growth been for the poor?"  ....  The extent to which growth reduces poverty depends on the degree with which the poor participate in the growth process and share in its process. In this sense, both the pace and pattern of growth matters for reducing poverty.  Read More: click here.

Student Lesson In Debt

From 2016, universities and other education providers will be able to charge students whatever fees they think the market will bear - a policy outcome from the federal government’s 2014 budget. The cap on fees is being relaxed to enable universities to generate income while the government cuts back on university funding. In effect, the government is following the US model, where universities generate income from private sources and the students and/or their families become fully responsible for all the costs associated with obtaining their chosen university degree.  And because the thrust of the Abbott government is to cut costs at all costs, we can expect university fees to further increase in time.  To read more, click here

Home Sweet Home

Rapidly rising house prices and home affordability are on the front pages again. Of primary concern is the claim that the typical Australian family faces even more constraints on its ability to keep a roof over its head. It's a multifaceted debate, ranging from the relevant demand and supply forces affecting residential property prices, to such policy matters as tax concessions, negative gearing, property ownership by foreign nationals and the government's role in the provision of public housing. To read  more, click on article title above. 

  How Industry Subsidies Work

The new Coalition government greeted the new year with a clear resolve to produce a May budget that would cut the deficit significantly in the coming financial year and, most possibly, the one after that. Treasurer Joe Hockey's dogged determination to achieve a surplus at all costs is based on flawed economic theory.   

To read  more, click on article title above.