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SAUL ESLAKE

Economist

SAUL ESLAKE

‘Welcome to my website …
I’m an independent economist, consultant, speaker,
and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Tasmania’

Topics


The capital gains discount was meant to usher in an Australia of ‘shareholders’ – not property speculators

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Topics | 29th April 2026

The Australian edition of The Guardian published an op-ed article from Saul about prospective changes to the taxation of capital gains in the forthcoming Federal Budget on 28th April 2026.


Ominous warnings from sharp falls in business and consumer confidence

Economic Policies, The Australian Economy | 16th April 2026

Op-ed article published in the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age newspapers on 16th April 2026. . The published version of the op-ed is here:  https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/another-interest-rate-rise-will-tip-australia-into-a-recession-we-don-t-have-to-have-20260415-p5zo0r.html  or here: https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/another-interest-rate-rise-will-tip-australia-into-a-recession-we-don-t-have-to-have-20260415-p5zo0r.html


The Impact of the Middle East Fuel Crisis on Australia’s Civil Engineering Construction Sector

Economic Policies, The Australian Economy | 16th April 2026

Report commissioned by the Civil Constructors’ Federation of Australia on the potential impact of the Middle East fuel crisis on Australia’s civil engineering construction sector, including some suggestions as to how governments could ameliorate at least some of those consequences.


Saul on Bloomberg’s Wall St Week about Australia’s Housing Crisis

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Economic Video, Housing, Recent Media Interview | 7th April 2026

Saul Eslake talks to Bloomberg TV’s Wall Street Week about Australia’s “housing crisis”, and why it is unlikely to be solved by any conscious government policies.


Federal Budget 2026: Capital Gain Tax Reform and Western Australia’s GST Share

Australian Federal Budget, Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Economic Video, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview, Taxation, The Australian Economy | 2nd April 2026

Saul Eslake talks to Sky’s Laura Jayes about the possibility that the upcoming Federal Budget may include changes to the capital gains tax regime – and why the Government should (but won’t) stop giving so much money to Western Australia.


Interim Report to the ACT Legislative Assembly Select Committee on the Fiscal Sustainability of the ACT

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Publications, The Australian Economy | 2nd March 2026

At the beginning of last month Saul was engaged by the Australian Capital Territory’s Legislative Assembly as a Special Advisor to the Select Committee on the Fiscal Sustainability of the ACT, which was established in December last year. Saul’s interim report was presented to the Committee on 27th February. . The Final Report is due […]


The Worst Public Policy Decision of the 21st Century Thus Far – a discussion with the Economics Writer for The West Australian, on ABC Radio National’s “It’s the Economy, Stupid”

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Taxation | 26th February 2026

Saul appeared along with the economics writer for _The West Australian_ newspaper, Matt McKenzie, on ABC Radio National’s “It’s the Economy, Stupid!” hosted by Peter Martin AM, to discuss The Worst Public Policy Decision of the 21st Century Thus Far, aka “the WA GST deal” (under which the Federal Government is gifting Australia’s richest state, […]


Opening statement to the Senate Select Committee on the Operation of the Capital Gains Tax Discount

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Taxation | 25th February 2026

Saul was asked to testify to the Senate Select Committee on the Operation of the Capital Gains Tax Discount on 25th February 2026. Below is Saul’s ‘opening statement’ to the Committee.


SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

Speaking Engagement | Boardroom Advisory | Commissioned Report | Expert Witness



Saul Eslake spoke to Zurich Australia executives and staff at their ‘Accelerate’ conference in Sydney on 9th May 2024, covering short- and longer-term trends in major ‘advanced’ economies, China, India and Australia, with a bit of geo-politics thrown in.



“You are the best economic thinker in the country hands down”

Sheryle Bagwell, recently retired Senior Business Correspondent (and sometime Executive Producer),
ABC Radio National Breakfast


“Just want to congratulate you Saul on the unbelievably good set of slides you just presented, possibly the best I have ever seen. You have set the bar very high.”

Dr Joe Flood, Adjunct Fellow, RMIT University, Pandemicia


“Thank you very much for your excellent presentation for the Economic Society today. It is always a great pleasure to hear your eloquent, up-to-date and comprehensive talks.”

Andrew Trembath, economist, Victorian and Australian Government agencies


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VIDEO

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TESTIMONIALS

What Others Say


Australian Minister for Housing, the Hon. Clare O'Neill MP on ABC Q&A, September 2024

“We are lucky as a State to have an economist of your calibre willing to readily make yourself available to give us a clea r perception of where we are at and the direction we need to go for a better future”
Diplomatic Representative, August 2024

“You are one of the best at what you do in the world”
Gail Fosler, Chief Economist, The Conference Board, New York, December 2002

“I have never known an economist to have such a knowledge of world economic facts and to be able to bring to bear so much information in answering a question without notice”
Charles Goode, Chairman, ANZ Bank, July 2009

“Saul Eslake is … a highly regarded independent economist with the highest degree of integrity"
John Durie, Columnist, The Australian, July 2009

“… one of the few people in this world who can have so many oranges up in the air at the same time but still manage to catch them"
Andrew Clark, journalist, Australian Financial Review, November 2008

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LINKS

Useful Links


Below is a list of links I’ve found useful under the following broad topics

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