Opinion
School funding
Two-class school system a great way to entrench low productivity
You’d expect a Labor government to care about public school students getting a decent education. We’ll soon find out if it does.
- by Ross Gittins
Latest
Opinion
Tax reform
How top earners kid themselves (and us) they’re overtaxed
Don’t let the rich guys’ talk of high taxes fool you into believing Australia is a high-tax country.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Property prices
Why fixing negative gearing would be a positive for our kids
Real estate agents and home building companies always claim getting rid of the tax lurk would do great damage to renters and buyers alike. Don’t believe it.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Accounting
Lest we forget the unknown public servant, working away to better inform us
Forty years ago, government financial reports were a dog’s breakfast of facts and figures. Don Nicholls, who recently died, did much to improve this.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Carbon pricing
We can’t escape a carbon tax, which is good news, not bad
In their own polite way, Professor Ross Garnaut and Rod Sims this week spoke out against the blatant self-interest of our fossil fuel industry.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
NAPLAN
Want better productivity? Start by ensuring our kids can read
One in three Australian primary and secondary students cannot read proficiently, limiting their life chances. It’s an appalling deficiency with a costly economic sting.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Interest rates
Let’s stop using interest rates to throttle people with mortgages
One day, the politicians who carry the can politically for inflation miscalculations will revolt against the arrogance of their economic gurus.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Competition
Yes, you can (partly) blame greedy businesses for the cost-of-living crisis
The nation’s economists have not covered themselves in glory in the present inflationary episode, showing an unwillingness to re-examine their long-held views.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
The Sydney Morning Herald
Fifty years ago, I found my dream job – and I’m not done yet
When I arrived at The Sydney Morning Herald in 1974, I was the square peg that had fallen into a square hole.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Supermarket inquiry
How much do supermarkets gouge us? Time to check it out
When an industry is dominated by just a few huge companies, they can, and often do, manipulate prices to their own advantage.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Jobs
Bosses are finding more innovative ways to handcuff their workers
The era of golden handcuffs might be over thanks to compulsory superannuation, but Australian bosses are finding new ways to keep staff loyal: non-compete clauses.
- by Ross Gittins