Barley, beef and bullies: trade tensions in a COVID-19 world

Trade boycotts do not usually work and will come at a great cost to the country imposing the ban.

Cutting red tape to boost the recovery

COVID-19 derailed many government plans on a budget surplus, but the pandemic may be the anchor of change in a much bigger shift that could reshape economies around the world.

Australia needs a better tax system

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the fact we are failing to collect tax revenue while giving away hundreds of billions in tax concessions, increasing the financial burden on the working public.

Will COVID-19 change attitudes to unemployment?

As thousands of Australians face unemployment due to COVID-19, it is a good time to revisit the image of the ‘dole bludger’ and support everyone who seeks work with respect.

8 adventures in “coronomics”

If the 1991 recession is the ‘recession we had to have’ then 2020 is the business slowdown we had to engineer to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, but what will be some of its economic ramifications in Australia and the rest of the world?

The novel coronavirus requires novel economic solutions

The economic priority for governments today is to keep the economy ticking over, to keep businesses and their employees tied together, to avoid a deeper downturn that will create huge numbers of unemployed and position for a sharp recovery.

Rethinking our food supply

Shocks to our food supply, like COVID-19, provide an opportunity to transform our food systems in a way that is healthier, more sustainable and equitable.

We’re steering in the right direction, but we’ll need a bigger boat

If we continue to think of fiscal responses to this crisis as loans that need to be paid back on a short clock, we will damage the ability of the economy to come out this crisis healthy enough to grow away the debt.

A 22% blow to Australia’s economy?

New Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates paint a grim picture of the direct economic costs of public health measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, and the need for more government support to cushion the blow.

Supply chain shock

While it’s impossible to predict the ultimate cost of the pandemic, business should take COVID-19 as an opportunity to learn the costs of under-preparation in the face of global risk.

Are we too reliant on Chinese trade?

Is Australia trading too much with China and too dependent on the Chinese economy, as a lot of the public commentary would have you believe?

We can’t buy our way out of recession

An Australian recession is likely to be part of a global slump, with some workers especially vulnerable, says a UNSW Economics expert.