Media & Commentary
Media Items
China: not the “be all and end all” for WA trade
A report released today (Wednesday 16 September) by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) has emphasised the need to diversify Western Australia’s exports and widen our trading partnerships beyond China to maximise growth opportunities and strengthen WA’s economy. The Tiger,... Read article

FactCheck Q&A: Are a lot of cafes and restaurants closing because of Sunday penalty rates?
The Conversation is fact-checking claims made on Q&A, broadcast Mondays on the ABC at 9:35pm. Thank you to everyone who sent us quotes for checking. Viewers can request statements to be FactChecked via Twitter using hashtags #FactCheck and #QandA, on... Read article

Australians less likely to survive home ownership than Britons
Between 2001 and 2010 roughly 1.7 million Australians dropped out of home ownership and shifted back to renting. More than one-third did not return by 2010. These statistics, from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, reflect... Read article

Report reveals WA has highest payroll tax in Australia
A report released today (Wednesday 29 July) by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) reveals payroll tax, labour costs and wages to be the most significant cost pressures experienced by Western Australian businesses. The report uses this information to provide... Read article

Leaders debate the GST
Leaders debate the GST: what you need to know Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra; Alan Duncan, Curtin University; John Daley, Grattan Institute; Patricia Apps, University of Sydney, and Roger Wilkins, University of Melbourne State premiers and chief ministers meet Prime... Read article

The real reasons negative gearing on housing should be phased out
In recent weeks, there have been signs sentiment may be changing around the contentious policy of negative gearing. There are well-rehearsed arguments on both sides. Critics argue that the deduction of property losses from other sources of income (such as... Read article

Top households have 200 times the savings of the bottom
A new report released today (Wednesday 17 June) by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) finds that the inequality in the distribution of household savings is considerably worse than the much talked about inequality in incomes. Beyond our Means? Household... Read article

Australians are saving more, but are more comfortable with debt
Alan Duncan, Curtin University and Rebecca Cassells, Curtin University Australians know that adequate savings can help provide for a rainy day, help a family put down a deposit on a home, or ensure a comfortable retirement. Debt also offers a... Read article

Research finds working from home is good for families
A study released by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) has found that working from home benefits businesses, employees and other members of the family. Associate Professor Mike Dockery, Principal Lead Research Fellow at BCEC, examined how employees’ working patterns... Read article

The facts on Australian housing affordability
Housing affordability, high house prices and rents are attracting plenty of media attention right now. The latest figures on house prices, mortgages, number of first time buyers and so on are dissected by journalists and commentators as if this is... Read article

Senate Inquiry Submission: Home Ownership
Home ownership has always been, and will remain, the tenure of choice for households living in Greater Perth. A recent survey as part of the Housing We’d Choose: A Study for Perth and Peel report (Department of Housing, 2013) found... Read article

Tim Marney to lead Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre Advisory Board
Highly regarded public servant Tim Marney has been appointed Chair of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) Advisory Board. Mr Marney succeeds prominent business leader John Langoulant, who was appointed to the role of BCEC Advisory Board Chair in 2013.... Read article
