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.

Who are the ‘better managers’ of Australia’s economy?

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, Publications, The Australian Economy | 21st April 2022

Article originally published on John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations site on 21st April 2022, asking whether either of Australia’s major political parties can credibly claim to be “better economic managers” than the other.


Jobs in Depth with SBS’ Ricardo Gonçalves

News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy | 15th April 2022

Saul talks to SBS World News’ Ricardo Gonçalves about todays labour force data


“Better economic managers”: a factcheck with Saul Eslake

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy | 13th April 2022

Saul talks to Linda Mottram, of ABC Radio’s flagship program “PM” about the accuracy of political parties’ claims, during election campaigns like the current one, to be “better economic managers” than their opponents


Scott Morrison spruiks Australia’s post-Covid jobs recovery. We factcheck him

Australian Society and Politics, News, The Australian Economy | 8th April 2022

Guardian Australia’s Paul Karp filed this story based on an interview with Saul, ‘fact checking’ the PM’s claim that the Covid-19 recession was “30 times worse” than the GFC. Scott Morrison spruiks Australia’s post-Covid jobs recovery. We factcheck him | Australian politics | The Guardian      


The RBA and the Budget

News, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy | 7th April 2022

Saul Eslake talks to Alan Kohler about the outcome of this week’s RBA Board meeting, which foreshadowed the possibility of a first rate rise in June, and about last week’s Federal Budget AK: And now, here’s Saul Eslake, independent economist and his business is called Corinna Economics. Saul, any surprises in yesterday’s monetary policy decision […]


Morrison’s special GST deal with WA – Monday Finance with Elysse Morgan

Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, News, The Australian Economy | 4th April 2022

Saul talks to the ABC’s Elysse Morgan about the ‘dirty deal’ which adds almost $20bn to federal deficits in order to boost WA’s surpluses by the same amount, on ABC Radio National Breakfast


The 2022-2023 Federal Budget with Tasmania Talks’ Mike O’Loughlin

Australian Federal Budget, Australian Society and Politics, News, Recent Media Interview, Tasmania, The Australian Economy | 30th March 2022

Saul talks to Tasmania Talks’ Mike O’Loughlin about the 2022-23 Federal Budget, and its likely impact on Tasmania, wages, and housing affordability


The 2022-2023 Australian Federal Budget

Australian Society and Politics, The Australian Economy | 30th March 2022

This year’s Federal Budget is, inevitably, a pre-election affair – given that an election has to be called no later than 18th April and held no later than 21st May. But, despite being blessed by substantial windfall revenue gains, this Budget isn’t as much of a ‘spendathon’ as some previous pre-election budgets have been. Some […]


SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

Speaking Engagement | Boardroom Advisory | Commissioned Report | Expert Witness



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


Request Speaking Engagement

WHAT'S NEW

Most Recent Articles, Talks and Presentations


‘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


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


VIDEO

Recent Presentations


See more


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

Read more

LINKS

Useful Links