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Category: South Australian economy
Electricity and the perils of second-best thinking – Paul Kerin
In an article in Wednesday’s Australian, Paul Kerin argues that our governments should focus on “first-best” environmental and energy policies to best serve the overall public interest. He warns that the negative consequences of second-best policy choices (such as the large-scale renewable energy target (LRET) and the maximum price cap (MPC) on wholesale electricity) are […]
SA green shoots but soft fundamentals – NAB
The NAB’s latest State Update for South Australia and State Economic Handbook (the latter covering all states) both indicate that some “green shoots” are emerging in SA, but SA’s economic fundamentals remain “soft” relative to other states. Both reports are available here. The green shoots include improvements in business conditions, business confidence, household income and […]
The Citizens Jury and the Proposed Nuclear Dump – Dick Blandy
“Citizens’ jury questions economics of nuke dump” is the headline to Rebecca Puddy’s article on page 2 of The Australian on Monday 11 July, 2016. Ms Puddy’s article begins: “The bid to establish a nuclear waste facility in South Australia has suffered a further setback, after an independent “citizens’ jury” raised concerns about the economic […]
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Federal election: should we vote again to save the economy? – Paul Kerin
In my January column in Company Director, titled “The election effect” (and available here), I pointed out that economic research shows that in the year leading up to an election, business investment is (on average) about 5% lower than it otherwise would be. As business investment accounts for about 15% of GDP, a typical election […]
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Economic briefing on SA, Australian & global economies – SACES
At the SA Centre for Economic Studies’ Economic Briefing Luncheon this week, the Centre’s Deputy Director Steve Whetton, gave an excellent overview of the SA, Australian and global economies. Steve’s slides are available here.
Beware of jumping the gun on Arrium in Whyalla – Paul Kerin
In his article in today’s Australian (available here), Paul Kerin argues that governments must be weigh decisions to assist private businesses very carefully. When businesses are about to be sold through a competitive tendering process, governments jumping the gun can simply waste taxpayer dollars for no benefit. Governments must also critically assess claims about the […]
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Boost infrastructure investment through key reforms – Darryl Gobbett
In a recent speech to the 2016 South Australian Infrastructure Conference in Adelaide, Darryl Gobbett made several recommendations to help improve South Australia’s economic performance, including: Boost infrastructure investment that focuses on cost-reduction, output, exports and regional SA; Establish a SA Productivity Commission to determine investment and other priorities; and Fund investment priorities though a broad-based […]
SA ranked equal last state economy: Commsec
Commsec’s latest State of the States report (released today and available here) ranks SA equal last (with Tasmania) on economic performance. SA’s best ranking across the 8 indicators was 4th on equipment investment, but it ranked 7th on unemployment and 8th on dwelling starts and retail spending. However, the report noted that SA’s job market […]
SA must take risks – Dick Blandy
In a recent article in InDaily (available here), Dick Blandy argues that South Australia needs to throw off its conservative, timid approach to create a multi-faceted new economy if it is to bounce back and prosper in the medium term future and beyond.
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Commsec down on SA economy
Commsec’s latest State of the States report (released today and available at State of the States) marks SA 7th (behind only Tasmania) on economic performance. On the dimensions taken into account in Commsec’s rankings, SA ranks best (3rd) on population growth and equipment investment, but ranks 7th on economic growth and retail trade.