This Month
Debelle interviews AOFM officials as review deadline nears
Former central banker Guy Debelle has been interviewing officials and financial market participants over the past few weeks, with more interviews expected this month.
Productivity downgrade risks adding up to $100b in debt
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said the slump is expected to continue for the next five years, while economists also forecast wage growth to stall.
Spender’s tax reform plan doesn’t tackle real causes of unfairness
Anyone who starts a discussion about tax reform without first highlighting the waste, fraud and abuse in our spending is, simply put, not serious.
‘Future now more expensive’: Rates hit 15-year high on $1trn debt
The bond market meltdown in reaction to conflict in the Middle East is threatening to add billions of dollars in interest costs to Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ budget.
Larger entitlements and longer holidays won’t fix our economic woes
Until we address the bloat in the non-market sector and reject more leave for less work, we are effectively subsidising our own economic sunset.
Public spending and booming profits push economy’s limits
New data on the December quarter is expected to show it is expected to have grown faster than can be sustained without a resurgence in inflation.
February
Labor’s $93b high-speed rail hobby horse has no price tag
Taxpayers deserve frankness about whether they may ultimately be forced to pay for an economically unsound project for decades to come.
Sunken budget honesty rules need a facelift
If we want more honesty in budgeting, effective fiscal guardrails, and improved fiscal policy outcomes, it’s time for an independent review of the charter
Meet Claire Chandler. The would-be finance minister who hates debt
The federal opposition’s new finance spokeswoman comes from a public service family in Hobart and wants to be a voice for youth on intergenerational wealth.
Australia faces two decades of budget deficit
The combined spending of federal and state authorities has risen to about 38 per cent of GDP and the trend won’t get better any time soon.
Ending NDIS corruption essential to fixing budget
We can’t tolerate the ongoing corruption of government programs, like the NDIS; especially when the waste is financed by debt – which is tomorrow’s taxes.
U-turn: AOFM boss blames inflation for rate rise on $1trn debt
The Treasury official in charge of managing the federal government’s debt is now blaming a jump in domestic inflation for a sharp rise in borrowing costs.
Grattan is half-right about GST. But Chalmers may have to redo NDIS
It’s critical to get disability spending under control. If the government misses the 5 per cent target, then it will soon need to be rebuilt from scratch.
Can Victorian Liberals start to dig Australia out of its debt hole?
The opposition leader should level with Victorians about the inevitable need for some financial pain. It’s the only way to win a Jeff Kennett-style mandate.
Surging demand has helped Australia’s bond market finally come of age
A jump in issuance is great news for Australian investors and the federal government. But it has not always been this way.
‘About time’: Calls for Labor government spending review
Australia has scrutinised the tax system five times in the past 40 years but conducted only two comprehensive spending reviews – the last more than a decade ago.
America’s debt time bomb just got bigger. Here’s the near-term trigger
US national debt will surge over the next decade, but the picture would be worse if it weren’t for Donald Trump’s tariffs. And that’s why a new flashpoint looms.
‘I’ve operated professionally and with integrity’: AOFM boss
Anna Hughes, the head of the federal government’s $1 trillion debt office, has defended herself, following the launch of an independent review of the agency.
Staff at $1trn debt agency blew whistle to Treasury
Australian Office of Financial Management employees raised concerns about the restructuring, loss of workers, and the performance under chief executive Anna Hughes.
‘This is a real problem’: Australia’s $1trn debt office in chaos
Treasury’s Australian Office of Financial Management has been rocked by a series of senior staff departures, the loss of 22 of 48 staff and shocking employee-survey results.
