This report reframes the national productivity debate – arguing that rather than pursuing productivity growth for its own sake, its purpose must be clarified: to lift living standards, improve wellbeing and accelerate the transition to net zero. It lays out practical, achievable reforms and provides recommendations on three key themes: a dynamic and more resilient...

Ahead of the upcoming Australian Government's Economic Reform Roundtable, this policy report highlights relevant research and potential policy directions aimed at achieving the Roundtable’s stated goals of improving resilience, productivity and fiscal sustainability. It provide policymakers with recommendations in four key areas.

The proportion of Australia’s population aged 15 to 64 receiving income support payments reached record lows in 2023 and 2024. This was driven by a strong labour market and pre-COVID-19 policy changes. This paper outlines the Australian context for working-age welfare recipients, the impact of COVID-19 policies, and trends in students and people with disability...

The New South Wales JobSaver program was a job retention scheme that supported businesses and workers during the 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns by subsidising a proportion of firms’ payroll expenses. But like the federal JobKeeper program, it may have preserved jobs during the lockdown at the cost of poorer future labour market outcomes for the workers...

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...