The Sydney Morning Herald logo

Productivity Commission

Advertisement
Scott Morrison, with former finance minister Mathias Cormann. The PM’s GST is fracturing the budget and the federation

The GST is broken, and hurting NSW and Victoria badly

A deal to quell anger from West Australians is now a $60 billion drain on the budget and generating anger across the federation.

  • Shane Wright

Latest

Treasurer Jaclyn Symes and Premier Jacinta Allan.

‘Sweetheart deal’: Victoria demands GST overhaul as WA claims $6.6b windfall

In the latest carve-up of the GST, Victoria’s share will shrink slightly while Western Australia cashes in at the expense of the east coast.

  • Daniella White and Matt Wade
Janetzki has led calls for the distribution model to be overhauled.

Why Qld was ‘dudded’ by GST carve-up despite pocketing more cash: Janetzki

Queensland will receive the largest dollar increase in GST distribution of $1.7 billion but the state government is furious.

  • James Hall and Matt Wade
Victoria has fallen behind on school student funding.

Victoria spends less on students as parents bridge the gap

Parents, teachers and principals at Victorian public schools are being forced to spend their own money to fill funding gaps, as schools allocations per child continue to lag way below the rest of the nation.

  • Jackson Graham
Mimi Highgate, 14, takes part in the Hands on Learning program at Mount Eliza Secondary College.

Trouble getting your kids to school? So do many Australians

Since the pandemic, a lot of Australian students are missing school, but programs like Hands On Learning have helped students like Mimi Highgate re-engage, and even find a sense of belonging.

  • Nicole Precel
Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood years of second best climate policy continues to weigh on the economy and greenhouse gas reduction.

Australians bearing the brunt of ‘second-best’ climate plans

One of the nation’s leading economists says Australians are paying the price for a political class that is “far from brave” when it comes to climate policy.

  • Shane Wright
Advertisement

Brace yourself for the full-throated politics of grievance

Inflation hits poorer people harder, which creates the very worst social equation: the wealthy can continue to spend, further stoking inflation. It creates a recipe for populism.

  • Waleed Aly

Are we going to be a country that still makes things?

The government has staked billions on its Future Made in Australia policy, but our heavy industries are struggling.

  • Cherelle Murphy
The commission’s 458-page final report pins the productivity fall on the growing regulatory burden across land use, building and labour, along with “increasingly interventionist procurement policies”.

LNP to retain character zoning to protect ‘Queenslander’ homes

The state government has rejected productivity commission calls to scrap character zoning in a bid to boost construction.

  • Matt Dennien
The Business Council of Australia wants a Trump-style war on red tape in Australia.

The amount that red tape is adding to the cost of new homes

The Productivity Commission has estimated how much in regulation is being added to the cost of a home. It’s a lot.

  • Brittany Busch and Shane Wright