Consumer confidence is a timely measure of what Australian households think about their own finances and the state of the economy overall. In the week ending 29 March, the ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence index plunged to the lowest level in the nearly-50-year history of that series.
read more Consumer confidence is at its lowest level on record
Workers affected by the COVID-19 economic crisis can now access up to $20,000 of their super to help see them through. It’s a good move.
read more COVID-19: Giving people early access to their super is the right move
It’s clear than many Australian households will need help if they loose their livelihoods through the COVID-19 crisis. They should be a high priority for the Morrison Government as it puts together its second economic support package.
read more As the COVID-19 crisis deepens, few Australians have much cash in the bank
Over a third of Australian workers don’t have paid sick leave. They’re in a vulnerable position.
read more COVID-19: Our most vulnerable workers need more help
Our new paper finds that when super goes up, wages grow more slowly. This has sparked a lively debate – and the need to correct some myths and misconceptions about our work.
A recent OECD report claims Australia’s superannuation system has some of the lowest fees of any pension system in the world. But the report is based on flawed data that misses much of the story.
read more The curious case of the missing superannuation fees
Looser macro-prudential rules, rather than the federal election result, appear to be driving a rebound in house prices in Sydney and Melbourne.
read more What’s driving the rebound in house prices since the election?
A recent McKell Institute report makes unsupportable claims about how superannuation interacts with wages to justify higher compulsory super contributions. McKell’s analysis doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Here’s why.
read more McKell makes unsupportable claims about superannuation and wages
Low income earners are struggling with high housing costs and there are widespread calls for governments to help. But the last major effort, the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS), was fundamentally flawed.
read more Learning from past mistakes: lessons from the National Rental Affordability Scheme
Our latest research shows that lifting compulsory super contributions to 12 per cent would leave workers in Middle Australia poorer over their entire lifetimes – and that remains true under any plausible assumptions.
read more More compulsory super hurts Middle Australia — however you look at it
