An extensive government review of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) in 2023 made 51 specific recommendations to enable “an RBA fit for the future”. But the narrow terms of reference confined the review to an economic lens. The failure to investigate the effectiveness of monetary policy setting through a demographic lens has resulted in…
Self-storage is a simple idea with complex execution. The operators who win combine local knowledge, smart design, and disciplined operations. They keep units full, reduce friction for customers, and move faster than competitors when the market shifts. Keep it simple, measure often, and adjust quickly. Know Your Local Demand Every market has its own rhythm….
Australians are retiring with unprecedented levels of wealth. This wealth, which is primarily held in housing, investment properties and superannuation, allows retirees to draw incomes to support their retirement. As Australians have become wealthier, we might expect government spending on social safety nets for older Australians to fall. Instead, we have seen these programs grow…
We’re all familiar with the jolly, white-haired and bearded overweight man who sneaks down chimneys on Christmas Eve delivering presents to children. But where did this come from? With roots in Christianity, the origins of the world’s most beloved gift-giver transcend time, culture and religion. Andrei Porzhezhinskii/Shutterstock St Nicholas It all starts with St…
When buyers or renters walk through a property, their first impression isn’t always shaped by square footage or fittings — it’s shaped by feeling. And few design elements influence that feeling as quietly yet powerfully as lighting. In particular, bedrooms often get overlooked when it comes to lighting upgrades. A space that’s meant to feel…
Christmas can be a very busy and stressful time of year. Between festive gatherings, ticking off what’s left on your yearly to-do list and shopping online for that perfect gift, it can be easy to let your guard down against fraudsters. Australians lost more than A$2 billion to scams in 2024. This year, losses are…
All those thousands of hours that Australians put towards unpaid household work and care – cooking, cleaning and caring for family members – are an essential thread that keeps our economy stitched together. But they’re not recognised in official economic statistics. My new research puts a dollar value on what all this unpaid labour is…
There are several predictable cycles in Australian public opinion, and one of them is the moral panic surrounding immigration. Some readers will remember the immigration panic of the 1990s, which gave rise to Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party. Then the issue fades from the mainstream, only to return sometime later. Why? It turns…
For landlords in Melbourne, security is rarely just a “nice-to-have”. It’s a practical way to protect rental income, minimise disruption and maintain a property’s appeal to long-term tenants. When a break-in occurs, the visible damage is often only part of the cost. There’s the damaged door frame, the cost of an emergency locksmith call-out,…
Australia is becoming increasingly unequal. The story is unmissably generational: young Australians today face a tougher reality than their parents and grandparents. Despite having greater access to education and information, they are more precarious, indebted, insecure and anxious than ever before. This paradox has deep implications for the social fabric of our nation. Financial, educational…
