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’

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

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


Request Speaking Engagement

VIDEO

Most Recent Multimedia


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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WHAT'S NEW

Most Recent Articles, Talks and Presentations


‘Tasmanian Money Matters’ – Tasmania’s Economy and Public Finances
Economic Policies, Tasmania
3rd October 2024


Challenges and Opportunities for Australian Agriculture
Commodities, The Australian Economy
1st October 2024


Negative Gearing
Economic Policies, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview, Taxation
26th September 2024


Will Anthony Albanese succeed where Bill Shorten failed in making changes to the taxation treatment of property investment?
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, Taxation
26th September 2024


‘Super for housing’ is a souped-up first home owners grants scheme – and it won’t help any more than first home owners grants have
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing
24th September 2024


‘Super for Housing’ – a Thoroughly Bad Idea
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, The Australian Economy, Topics
19th September 2024


A ‘path back to surplus’ for the Tasmanian Budget? Not really
Tasmania
17th September 2024


What’s happening in the economy – nationally and in Tasmania
Economic Policies, Tasmania, The Australian Economy
13th September 2024


Tasmania’s State Budget 2024 – 2025 with Leon Compton
News, Recent Media Interview, Tasmania
13th September 2024


Tasmania’s 2024-25 State Budget – an Assessment
Economic Policies, Tasmania
12th September 2024


Solutions to Australia’s Housing Crisis
Australian Society and Politics, Housing, News, Recent Media Interview
11th September 2024


Tasmania’s State Finances – presentation to the Local Government Association of Tasmania’s Annual Conference
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Tasmania
4th September 2024


All about inflation
Economic Policies, News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
31st August 2024


LINKS

Useful Links


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

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