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’

The Australian Economy


Australia hasn’t had a recession – in the widely used sense of two or more consecutive quarters of negative real GDP growth – since 1991. Since then, Australia’s ranking among nations in terms of per capita GDP has risen from 22nd to, in the last four years, either 12th or 13th, behind only the United States, Norway, Switzerland and a number of other smaller states which are predominantly either oil producers or financial centres. Australia’s economic performance reflects a combination of luck and management – the relative importance and quality of which have varied significantly from time to time. Monitoring the performance of and analysing the prospects for the Australian economy has been the major part of my ‘day job’ since I completed my university degree in 1979.

A Pre-Election Western Australia Chart Pack

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, The Australian Economy | 10th March 2021

A set of charts exploring the unusual structure of Western Australia’s economy; and how it became Australia’s richest state as a result of the China-fuelled ‘resources boom’ of 2005-2015, before falling into recession after the end of the ‘investment phase’ of that boom, and how having squandered a good deal of the revenue bonanza thrown […]


The Australian economy and its recovery from the Covid recession

The Australian Economy | 28th January 2021

Saul talks to The Eureka Report’s (and the ABC’s) Alan Kohler about the Australian economy and its recovery from the Covid recession


The current economic environment

Publications, The Australian Economy | 30th November 2020

Saul talks to Veronica Morgan and Chris Bates of the “Elephant in the Room” Property Podcast


Panel discussion hosted by the Sydney Business Chamber

The Australian Economy | 17th November 2020

Saul participated in a panel discussion on “The Way Out – the NSW Economy” hosted by the Sydney Business Chamber on 10th November, ahead of the NSW State Budget presented on 17th November, along with Gigi Foster, Professor of Economics at the University of NSW, and Mark Frost, Chief Economist of Business NSW. An edited […]


Regulatory action that ANZ would not like

Australian Society and Politics, Publications, The Australian Economy | 8th November 2020

Last month, a senior Minister in the Morrison Government threatened my former employer, ANZ Bank, with adverse regulatory actions because a well-known employee with the initials “SE” (in this case, the current CEO Shayne Elliott) said something that the Minister didn’t like. This brought back fond memories, which I couldn’t help writing about .


Video & presentation slides: An Assessment of the 2020-21 Australian Government Budget

Economic Policies, The Australian Economy | 7th October 2020

Video* and presentation slide for Assessment of the 2020-21 Australian Federal Budget, 7th October 2020. *Subscribers will receive YouTube invitation email to access this private video.


Economist Saul Eslake details what the significant deficit means for our nation

Economic Policies, News, Tasmania, The Australian Economy | 7th October 2020

Post Budget2020 interview with Tasmanian Talks‘ Aaron Stevens, 6th October 2020 BUDGET 2020: A Tasmania Talks deep dive


Budget 2020: A recalibration of fiscal strategy

Economic Policies, News, The Australian Economy | 7th October 2020

Interview with Alan Kohler, Talking Finance, 7th October 2020 It’s all about the federal budget this week as Alan Kohler is joined by Independent Economist, Saul Eslake who questions whether the targeting of money will boost economic activity while suggesting households should have been offered vouchers to spend in order to stimulate the economy.


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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WHAT'S NEW

Most Recent Articles, Talks and Presentations


The implications of Australia’s higher-than-expected March quarter inflation numbers
News, The Australian Economy
25th April 2024


‘A distinctive part of life in Australia’ The Declining Dream of Homeownership
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing
17th April 2024


Could China have a currency crisis at some point in the next 2-5 years?
Asian Economies, The Global Economy, Topics
16th April 2024


“The Great Housing Disaster – Who’s to Blame?”
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Recent Media Interview, Topics
15th April 2024


The Economic Consequences of Surges in Immigration
Australian Society and Politics, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy, Topics
10th April 2024


Is China heading for some kind of currency or financial crisis?
Asian Economies, The Global Economy
4th April 2024


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


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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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