In the 1960s and 1970s Australians were big believers in having a nest egg of savings set away for a rainy day. Since then times have changed. In the ninth AMP/NATSEM Income and Wealth Report, Ann Harding, Simon Kelly and Rebecca Cassells investigate Australians' relationship with debt and the profile of debt consumption in Australia...

Using microsimulation, Agnes Walker finds that if a policy was implemented which resulted in the lifting of the health status of all Australians to that of the most affluent 20 per cent in the population, then close to one million fewer Australians are estimated to be disabled, over 180,000 life years could be saved, health...

As well as reviewing the results and implications of the housing unaffordability estimates for New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the ACT, Elizabeth Taylor, Rachel Lloyd, Marcus Blake and Ann Harding provide a general overview of the scope of the linkage project, and the methodological approaches taken in building the estimates. This background includes attention...

Rachel Lloyd, Mandy Yap and Ann Harding examine trends in income for different regions of Australia between 1996 and 2001, using census data. Most regions and states experienced strong income growth during the five years, although incomes in the capital cities remained much higher than in other areas of Australia. Sharp rises in housing costs...

Ann Harding, Rachel Lloyd and Neil Warren examine the distribution of household income, and of selected taxes and benefits in Australia, in 2001-02. They find that direct cash transfers are more progressive than indirect (non-cash) benefits, but that the combined overall impact of all benefits remains strongly redistributive towards lower income Australians. Similarly, the regressive...