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.

The Future of the Australian Economy

The Australian Economy | 12th October 2016

A look at Australia’s economic performance over the past 25 years, where the Australian economy is today, and how well placed the Australian economy is to weather some of the growing external and domestic risks on the horizon … The second annual NATSEM address hosted by the University of Canberra’s National Centre for Social & […]


The Economy – Challenges and Opportunities

The Australian Economy | 31st August 2016

Presentation to the Self-Storage Association of Australasia’s 2016 Convention in Melbourne, on 31st August 2016 – covering the global, Chinese, Australian and New Zealand economies with a focus on population flows and housing


An Economic Update

The Australian Economy | 29th August 2016

Presentation to the annual Shareholders’ Dinner of Norman Disney and Young, an engineering construction firm, in Adelaide on 29th August 2016 – covering Australia and New Zealand, with a particular focus on commercial construction


The Tourism Economy

The Australian Economy | 23rd August 2016

A talk to the Victorian Caravan Parks’ Association 2016 Annual Conference, Melbourne, 23rd August 2016


The Australian resources boom and its aftermath – Review of ‘Balancing Act’ by George Megalogenis

Economic Policies, Publications, The Australian Economy | 15th June 2016

Saul Eslake | Quarterly Essay | Issue No 16 2016 In reply to George Megalogenis’s Quarterly Essay, Balancing Act: Australia Between Recession and Renewal. George Megalogenis writes about today’s economy with a grasp of the broad sweep of Australian history and an awareness of the social consequences of economic performance and policy – attributes which have been […]


The Changing Structure of Economic Activity and Employment in Queensland

The Australian Economy | 26th April 2016

Presentation to a ‘Queensland Jobs Summit’ hosted by the Australia Institute and the University of Queensland in Brisbane on 26th April 2016


Australia’s Economic Horizon

The Australian Economy | 1st March 2016

Presentation to the 2016 ABARES Outlook Conference in Canberra, on 1st March 2016


Disruptive Economic Forces

The Australian Economy | 6th November 2015

Presentation to the Queensland Division of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA)’s Annual Developers’ Conference at Sanctuary Cove, Queensland, 6th November 2015


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


Tasmania’s Public Finances
& the Independent Review of Tasmania’s State Finances (Aug, 2024)

Recent Media Interview, Tasmania
14th February 2025


Interest Rate Outlook 2025
Economic Video, The Australian Economy
12th February 2025


The Economic Consequences of Mr Trump
Economic Policies, The Global Economy
29th January 2025


Widening the Gap – An Intergenerational Lens on Wealth Inequality in Australia
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Housing, The Australian Economy
12th December 2024


How Victoria became one of Australia’s ‘poor states’
Economic Policies, News, Publications, The Australian Economy
25th November 2024


Elections and economies – the US and Australia
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, The Australian Economy, The Global Economy
23rd November 2024


Opening Statement to Senate Select Committee on the Tasmanian Freight Equalization Scheme
Economic Policies, Tasmania
13th November 2024


“Hiding in Plain Sight” – $180 billion of spending over four years.
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, The Australian Economy, Topics
11th November 2024


‘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


LINKS

Useful Links


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

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