This Month
AustralianSuper calls for end to 30-year ban on super fund borrowing
In a proposal that has split the sector, the big fund wants to be able to issue bonds and debt instruments to boost investment power in times of crisis.
ACTU is a shadow of its old self in the Keating-Kelty era
More than 40 years later, Bill Kelty is still regarded as an authority on the economy. Today’s union movement should take heed.
Greens threaten to play Senate hardball on CGT changes
The Greens argue the 50 per cent CGT deduction for investors should be abolished altogether, and that the change be applied retrospectively.
February
CGT change will help first home buyers and won’t harm supply: Treasury
Industry assertions about the hit to supply have been rejected by Treasury assistant secretary Shane Johnson during an inquiry into the capital gains tax deduction.
ACTU and Kelty at odds on tax reform
The union movement has called for the proceeds of capital gains tax reform to benefit housing construction, while Labor luminary Bill Kelty is pushing for comprehensive tax reform
Chalmers won’t like Bill Kelty’s blunt advice on capital gains tax
The great Labor reformer agrees the tax is unfair but says Labor should drastically cut income tax and government spending as part of a real reform package.
Higher tax on capital gains alone won’t fix ‘cruel system’: Kelty
The Labor luminary says scaling back the capital gains tax discount was “double-edged” as it could increase rents and must be accompanied by personal tax cuts.
January
Fix ‘cruel’ taxes for young workers, Kelty tells Labor
Labor luminary Bill Kelty says the Albanese government should redesign the tax system to fix inequality for younger and future generations.
June 2025
Wayne Swan calls for super ‘armistice’ at 12pc
The former treasurer said a super guarantee at 12 per cent of a worker’s earnings “provides adequate retirement savings for most”.
March 2025
Labor must be straight with voters: Kelty
Economic trailblazer Bill Kelty says the government should acknowledge that people are worse off than three years ago, as Labor makes contingency plans for a May election.
September 2024
Kelty condemns Labor failure on economic growth
Trailblazing former union leader Bill Kelty says the Albanese government has no plan for economic growth and no appetite for the big reforms to secure Australia’s future.
April 2024
Chalmers reassures on cash supplies after Armaguard meeting
The government wants Armaguard, together with the banks and major retailers, to deal with the challenging economics of the cash distribution industry.
March 2024
Coles hoards cash over Easter as Armaguard teeters on the brink
The Lindsay Fox-controlled monopoly has engaged former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty to lead negotiations with major banks over a rescue package.
December 2022
Chalmers must snuff out ACTU’s deplatforming of Productivity Commission
The treasurer has to harness the Productivity Commission against the returning curse of policy populism, clumsy government intervention and ‘sovereign’ protectionism that can only make Australia poorer.
September 2022
Kelty puts politics first, good policy second
Bill Kelty is a political genius. But his ideas are grounded in the world of three decades ago – just like Labor’s jobs summit.
Chalmers says 15pc super not on his agenda
The architects of the superannuation system, Paul Keating and Bill Kelty, say lifting the contribution rate is not necessary.
Keating, Kelty abandon 15pc super ambition
Thirty years after legislating compulsory super, Paul Keating and Bill Kelty have broken with Labor policy on superannuation and given up on one of their key ideas.
Kelty opposes super funds offering advice (but Keating doesn’t)
One of the fathers of compulsory super, Bill Kelty, is against superannuation funds offering financial advice – a position in conflict with industry super doyens.
Transurban ‘exploiting government stupidity’: Kelty
Australia’s dominant operator and developer of toll roads, Transurban, has been accused of earning excessive returns, but its CEO says it is governments that set the terms and conditions.
Keating, Kelty share secrets to reform
Politicians can learn from Paul Keating and Bill Kelty, the fathers of a compulsory super system set to hit three to four times the size of Australia’s economy.
