SAUL ESLAKE

Economist

SAUL ESLAKE

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

Economic Policies


The Nobel Prize winning economist James Tobin once said that the study of economics “offered the hope, as it still does, that improved understanding could better the lot of mankind”. One of the ways in which it does this is through the implementation of economic policy that helps to ameliorate boom-and-bust cycles, reduces unemployment, contains inflation or lifts people’s living standards in sustainable ways.

Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Tax and Revenue inquiry into Housing Affordability and Supply in Australia

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing | 31st August 2021

My submission to a House of Representatives Committee inquiry into housing affordability and home ownership, which recapitulates things I’ve been writing and saying about housing affordability and home ownership for the best part of four decades – without ever having really made any difference to the housing policies which governments at all levels and of […]


Tasmania’s 2021-22 State Budget

Economic Policies, Tasmania | 26th August 2021

The 2021-22 Tasmanian State Budget is an uncharacteristically big-spending affair, with some $2½ billion in new spending over the next four years funded by ‘windfall gains’ from Tasmania’s share of GST revenue, and buoyant stamp duty collections, together with $500-$600 million more borrowing than had been previously envisaged – although because last year’s deficit was […]


Excerpt: Modern Monetary Theory

Economic Policies, Economics and Economists, QE & MMT, The Global Economy | 25th August 2021

Login or subscribe to view the full video and presentation slides Login Subcribe Some commentators seem to think that ‘QE’ is simply a variant of, or a step along the road to, something called ‘Modern Monetary Theory’ or ‘MMT’.  It isn’t: and so in the second part of this series Saul explains what MMT is […]


Video & Presentation Slides: Modern Monetary Theory

Economic Policies, Economics and Economists, The Global Economy | 25th August 2021

In this webinar Saul will explain what MMT is (and what it isn’t), what the historical record shows about how it might work in practice, and what some of the results might be if it were implemented in current circumstances.

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Reflections on the 2021 Intergenerational Report

Economic Policies, Taxation, The Australian Economy | 15th August 2021

The 2021 IGR, released some six weeks ago, suggests that Australia will be running budget deficits for the next 40 years. But that’s only because of the quite arbitrary assumption that tax collections will remain ‘capped’ at 23.9% of GDP, forever more. There’s no reason why that should be the case.


Are skyrocketing house prices a wellness issue?

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview | 7th August 2021

Saul talks to ABC Radio National’s Geraldine Doogue about the reasons for ever-escalating property prices


Bursting the Housing Bubble

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, The Australian Economy | 3rd August 2021

Podcast of a discussion with Janet Ge, Associate Professor in the School of Built Environment at University of Technology, Sydney and Matt Grudnoff of the Australia Institute, a think tank, hosted by Toby Hemmings of Think: Business Futures, focussing on the consequences of and reasons for the continued escalation of Australian residential property prices. 


Video & Presentation Slides: What is ‘QE’, and how does it work?

Economic Policies, Economics and Economists, QE & MMT, The Global Economy | 29th July 2021

In this webinar Saul will explain exactly what ‘QE’ is, how its done, why central banks are doing it, what its intended and unintended effects are, and how long central banks might keep doing it for.


SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

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Saul Eslake online presentation


“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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TESTIMONIALS

What Others Say


“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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