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.

The “corrupt bargain” imposed by the Morrison Government

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview, Tasmania | 28th September 2021

Saul talks to Tasmania Talks’ Mike O’Loughlin about Tasmania’s Treasury’s findings regarding the “corrupt bargain” imposed by the Morrison Government regarding the distribution of GST revenue among the states and territories, 28th September 2021


Old wine in new bottles: more ‘rent-seeking’ from South Australian manufacturing interests

Economic Policies, Publications, The Australian Economy | 17th September 2021

There’s a new lobby group pleading for preferential treatment for manufacturing in the name of ensuring ‘sovereignty’, a word of which the present Federal Government is especially fond. But it boils down to the same old rent-seeking that has been a feature of Australian manufacturing policy for most of the past 120 years. (Full text […]


The ‘corrupt bargain’ underpinning WA’s budget surpluses

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Taxation | 16th September 2021

Article published in the Australian Financial Review on 16th September 2021, examining the way in which Western Australia’s budget surpluses are being bolstered at the expense of the rest of Australia by the ‘corrupt bargain’ over shares of revenue from the GST imposed by the Morrison Government three years ago


Housing Grants: more harm than good

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy | 15th September 2021

Saul talks to Tasmania Talks’ Mike O’loughlin on 14th September, 2021 about housing affordability crisis 


Housing affordability crisis with Brooke Corte

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy | 14th September 2021

Saul talks to 2GB‘s Money News‘ Brooke Corte about housing affordabilty crisis


This is a recession – we’re just not calling it one

Economic Policies, Publications, The Australian Economy | 9th September 2021

Op-ed published in the Australian Financial Review of 9th August 2021 –  arguing (1) that we are in a recession now, irrespective of whether we have two consecutive quarterly contractions in real GDP, and (2) that although it shares some of the ‘responsibility’ for this second recession, the federal government’s fiscal policy response to it […]


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 […]


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Dr Joe Flood, Adjunct Fellow, RMIT University, Pandemicia


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WHAT'S NEW

Most Recent Articles, Talks and Presentations


The next four years will be difficult for Tasmania
News, Tasmania
27th March 2024


Some initial reflections on the outcome of the 2024 Tasmanian State election
Australian Society and Politics, Tasmania
24th March 2024


Tasmania’s fiscal position
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview, Tasmania
24th March 2024


Productivity, Tax Reform and ‘Peak China’
Asian Economies, Economic Policies, Productivity, Taxation, The Australian Economy
13th March 2024


Tasmania – lost opportunities
Tasmania
12th March 2024


The Tasmanian Economy
Tasmania
29th February 2024


The worst public policy decision of the 21st Century
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview
20th February 2024


Is ‘price gouging’ a major contributor to inflation?
Recent Media Interview
19th February 2024


The massive $50bn GST revenue distribution blow out (with Andy Park)
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview
14th February 2024


The massive $50bn GST revenue distribution blow out (with Gary Adshead)
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview
14th February 2024


Tasmania’s senior secondary education reform
Recent Media Interview, Tasmania
13th February 2024


Distribution of GST Revenue: the Worst Public Policy Decision of the 21st Century to date.
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, The Australian Economy
4th February 2024


Insights on Asian Elections 2024 mentioned in The Economist
Asian Economies
30th January 2024


Alternatives to interest rates
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
29th January 2024


Reflections on ‘Australia Day’
Australian Society and Politics
26th January 2024


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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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