Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, appeared last week on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing with host Patricia Karvelas, where Leigh stated the following blatant lie about Australia’s immigration numbers: “We’ve reduced migration from the record highs it was under the Coalition, getting it more in line, including working with universities on the
Over the past 20 years, Australian universities have evolved into revenue-driven corporations. To summarise, the federal government and Australian universities created a framework to attract huge volumes of full-fee-paying overseas students by: The Australian government provided generous student visa work rights and the opportunity for permanent residency. Australian higher education institutions lowered admission and teaching
As the Australian economy progresses, increasingly driven by the expanding size of government and the rising population, warning lights are beginning to signal that not everything is well. Like a real car, it’s possible that the warning lights are being thrown up due to a faulty sensor, in this instance, the deterioration of multiple labour
From the Market Ear: AI mania Consecutive sessions higher for the AIQ… Momentum mania “Our high beta momentum winners basket just rallied +11.5% last week (following an +8.8% gain the week prior). This basket aims to capture the best performers over the last year. Notably, 50% of the basket’s gain this past week was driven
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the nation’s total fertility rate fell to a record low of 1.50 babies per woman in 2023. The ABS also reported that the median age of parents hit a record high of 33.8 (fathers) and 31.9 (mothers) in 2023. Last week’s Q1 2025 population data from the
The University of Melbourne’s latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey has found that households have less disposable income than they did before the pandemic. The survey found that mean annual household disposable income has dropped below 2020 levels to $116,432. Households are also spending far more on childcare, rent, and mortgage
Sunset over Mount Dromedary, Broulee, NSW AUD/USD EUR/USD USD/JPY GBP/USD Gold WTI Brent Australia 200 US S&P 500
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A decade ago, soaring New Zealand home prices were “freaking people out, especially in Auckland”, claims Catherine Masters at One Roof. “The headlines were relentless in stories of despair by first-home buyers shut out of the market, and that was before Covid became a household name and prices went higher still”, Masters wrote. “Back in
In the years following the conclusion of the mining boom, the size of government in Australia has continued to grow larger and larger. Conceptually, such growth is not necessarily a bad thing; if a government is wisely investing large amounts in infrastructure to boost the quality of service to the public and to enhance productivity,
Many often invoke Japan as a cautionary tale in discussions about Australia’s future and the appropriate level of migration, emphasising the importance of avoiding its fate. Viewed purely through the lens of fertility rates, that is undoubtedly the case; Japan has had a below-replacement fertility rate for over 50 years and, at a national level,