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Rising productivity is the major driver of incomes in the long run, as it grows the economic pie and helps keep cost of living under control.

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EconomyPremium
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Why we’ve got to rev up Australia’s economic engine

There’s one word that helps explain wage growth, the housing shortage, and even the iron laws of global trade that US President Donald Trump has struggled to overcome.

Matt Mckenzie

Fremantle Port is slated for closure, with the State Government to build Westport at Cockburn Sound instead.

InfrastructurePremiumFreo Port kicks the goals in shock Westport analysis

WA would get a better deal by delaying the $7 billion-plus Westport project for another decade, as scrutiny over the State Government’s infrastructure spending widens.

Matt Mckenzie

Economists reckon Michele Bullock’s Reserve Bank is readying for a rate cut in May.

EconomyCommentsWestpac cuts to the chase on RBA call

Major banks are locking in expectations of an interest rate cut in May just as new Reserve Bank research shows the impact of relief would extend far beyond mortgages.

Matt Mckenzie

RBA governor Michele Bullock and Treasurer Jim Chalmers with an IMF logo.

EconomyCommentsInflation fight not over as Trump trade storm brews

Australia will have close to the highest inflation among developed nations next year even as the global economy teeters on the brink through a trade storm and surging public debt, the IMF predicts.

Matt Mckenzie

Consumer confidence Illustration: Don lindsay

EconomyCommentsConsumers ‘very highly’ stressed over retirement funding

The number of Australian consumers feeling ‘very highly’ stressed has crept up amid growing concern over the ability to fund retirement, which has risen to a seven-year high.

Cheyanne Enciso

Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock and Treasurer Jim Chalmers

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EconomyComments
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Jobs market ‘resilient’ as trade storm looms

Australia’s jobs market posted another solid month in March but the Reserve Bank will be focused on the road ahead amid a growing trade war.

Matt Mckenzie

US President Donald Trump.

EconomyCommentsTaxing times: Trump trade fight to dent growth

NAB experts have declared recessions are ‘highly likely’ in some major economies, with the bank dialling down growth forecasts as Donald Trump’s tariff chaos rampages through markets.

Matt Mckenzie

US President Donald Trump.

EconomyCommentsTrump’s trade war continues to sour consumer confidence

Donald Trump’s trade war continues to sour Australian consumer confidence as the US President presses ahead with plans to impose tariffs on semiconductor and pharmaceutical imports.

Cheyanne Enciso

Which way will Aussie inflation go in Trump’s trade war? Michele Bullock’s team isn’t yet sure.

EconomyCommentsWhy RBA is unsure how trade war will impact inflation

A big fall in Australia’s exchange rate or major supply chain disruptions would restart inflation, the Reserve Bank has warned as it readies for the global trade storm.

Matt Mckenzie

Hospitality fared worst with almost one-in-ten food and beverage businesses closing doors in the past year.

EconomyCommentsCorporate collapses could be Trumped up by trade war

About 30,000 Australian businesses are in default of their tax debts and the looming storm of Donald Trump’s trade war will likely push more over the edge.

Matt Mckenzie

US President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Photographer: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg

EconomyCommentsWhy this economist reckons the RBA needs Trump insurance

This economist has ditched his long-running caution about interest rate cuts amid Donald Trump’s chaotic trade war.

Matt Mckenzie

Footy matches and the Melbourne Grand Prix helped lift household spending in March.

EconomyCommentsF1 racing and return of AFL put spending in fast lane

Australian household spending lifted in March as consumers loosened their purse strings at the Melbourne Grand Prix and football matches.

Cheyanne Enciso

RBA governor Michele Bullock has sought to stand firm amid panic in financial markets.

RBACommentsRBA boss seeks to steady the ship amid Trump chaos

Michele Bullock says her Reserve Bank will be patient watching the fallout from the global trade storm on a day markets rebounded following a backflip by Donald Trump

Matt Mckenzie

RBA boss Michele Bullock has to balance unemployment and inflation.

EconomyCommentsBank tips supersized rate cut for May

A big investment bank reckons a super-sized interest rate cut is coming next month as panicked markets up their bets on rate relief despite concerns about inflation.

Matt Mckenzie

On Monday, Australian shares plunged to their biggest loss in five years.

EconomyCommentsAustralian consumer sentiment hit by Trump’s tariff turmoil

Australia’s consumer sentiment has plunged to a six-month low after US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs triggered carnage on global stock markets.

Cheyanne Enciso

RBA Governor Michele Bullock said the full impacts of the trade war are not yet clear — and the central bank also warned Australia’s fight against inflation was far from over.

EconomyComments‘Tread carefully’: Markets pile on bets for rate cuts

Panicked investors have bet on four to five more rate cuts through to the end of December as analysts predict President Donald Trump’s massive tax hikes will batter the US economy.

Matt Mckenzie

Michele Bullock on Tuesday talked down the RBA’s rate cut driving up house prices.

EconomyCommentsWe need more supply to cool house prices: Bullock

Governor Michele Bullock wants to dampen concern that the Reserve Bank’s February rate cut has sparked a resurgence of rising prices in Australia’s housing market.

Matt Mckenzie

RBA Governor Michele Bullock’s board signalled that it would be ready to act amid turmoil offshore, with an escalating global trade war driven by the United States.

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RBAComments
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RBA holds rates ahead of trade war storm

A cautious Reserve Bank has kept interest rates on hold, but declared it is ready to act as an escalating trade war sparks uncertainty about the future of the global economy.

Matt Mckenzie

Pubgoers drove the rise in retail turnover in February.

RetailCommentsRetail sales hold steady as consumers flock to cafes, bars

Retail sales held steady in February, according to fresh figures, with food-related spending driving the small lift.

Cheyanne Enciso

U.S. President Donald Trump gets out of a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025.

EconomyCommentsTrump’s trade chaos shakes up markets

Share markets took a battering on Monday ahead of major economic news this week when the US reveals further tariffs and the Reserve Bank inks its next decision on interest rates.

Matt Mckenzie

Iron ore is a key ingredient in making steel.

EconomyPremiumTrading places as Chinese iron ore demand set to be tempered

Australian iron ore production is set to plateau within three years, while trade battles and an ageing China loom as hurdles for the State’s top industry.

Matt Mckenzie

US President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Trump said he will be implementing a 25% tariff on auto imports, expanding a trade war designed to bring more manufacturing jobs to the US and setting the stage for an even broader push on levies next week. Photographer: Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg

EconomicsTrump “couldn’t care less” about car prices

President Donald Trump said he “couldn’t care less” if automakers raise car prices in response to his planned tariffs on imported vehicles.

Bloomberg

Shelter Brewing Co. in Busselton

Regional WAPremiumGig goers ditch parmis and pints as cost of living bites

The ritual of buying a parmi and a pint before watching a live band at the pub is on the out as cost of living pressure continue to rise. 

Sofia Fimognari

RBA governor Michele Bullock.

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EconomyComments
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Inflation posts slight fall ahead of RBA meeting

Economists have talked down the chances of back-to-back interest rate cuts when the RBA meets next week, despite inflation cooling slightly.

Matt Mckenzie