Relative Return Insider: Productivity stagnation and the path forward

In this week’s episode of Relative Return Insider, AMP chief economist Shane Oliver joins the show to discuss Australia’s stagnating productivity ahead of the government’s economic reform roundtable, and how picking all the “low-hanging fruit” for reform in the ’90s helped kick off a surge that has since stalled out.

Oliver outlines several key areas to boost productivity, advocating for tax reform – specifically reducing reliance on income tax and increasing the GST, while also addressing taxes like stamp duty – and deregulation of product and labour markets, incentivising business investment through the tax system, and enhancing competition across a range of industries

Tune in to hear:

• How the ongoing erratic tariff announcements and the claims from trade deals are hard to rely on.
• Whether the complacency of markets is cause for concern.
• Why the latest inflation figures bode well for further interest rate cuts.