Claims that Australia faces a productivity crisis are overblown, this report argues. It presents evidence showing productivity growth in recent decades has not been equally reflected in higher real wages and better living standards. Proactive measures to lift wages and living standards are needed if stronger productivity growth is to support stronger living standards.

This report provides a macroeconomic assessment for OECD countries. It notes that global economic prospects are weakening, with the slowdown expected to be most concentrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. For Australia, the report predicts a return to modest growth in 2025-26 but identifies several fiscal and policy actions needed to address...

This paper examines the policy implications of areas where classical economic views have been overhauled in recent decades. It points to neglected policy levers for governments, with the potential to significantly boost economic growth and improve outcomes.

This note looks at the evolution of inflation over the last term of government, failures of wage growth to keep up with inflation, and what the major parties proposed in the 2025 federal election campaign to alleviate cost-of-living pressures. It suggests that structural changes are needed to provide long-term relief and to protect consumers from...

This report considers why wages growth in Australia has been so low over recent years, despite a tight labour market and a brief surge in inflation. It documents how workers have lost power in the past two decades, with most changes in the economy and many in government policy taking away workers’ bargaining power, although...