Grattan Institute researchers, Brendan Coates and Danielle Wood, outline who wins and who loses from Labor’s hotly debated tax policy.

This report argues that if the major parties and politicians want to rebuild trust with voters, they will need to change the way they do politics: stop misusing their entitlements, strengthen political donations laws, tighten regulation of lobbyists, and slow the revolving door between political offices and lobbying positions.

This working paper examines trends in incomes, employment, and demographics across Australia over the past decade. The trends outlined have been influenced by broader economic forces: a mining investment boom that boosted investment and incomes in particular regions; and the continuing shift of consumption and employment from agriculture and manufacturing to services.

If I ask you to picture an economist, what’s the first image that comes to your mind? I’m guessing it’s a man, probably with grey hair, a suit and a certain air of authority. And that’s not surprising: that is pretty much the public face of economics in Australia.

Long overdue changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax would save the Commonwealth Government about $5.3 billion a year. SummaryThe interaction of a fifty per cent capital gains tax discount with negative gearing distorts investment decisions, makes housing markets more volatile and reduces home ownership.