Patrick Commins

Canberra

Economics Editor at The Guardian Australia

Economics editor at Guardian Australia. Formerly of The Australian and Australian Financial Review.

Articles

Chalmers says cheaper cigarettes will not solve illegal tobacco boom, dismissing NSW premier

3 days ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins |Anne Davies |Benita Kolovos

Jim Chalmers says making cigarettes cheaper will not solve the booming trade in illegal tobacco, dismissing the call by the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, to slash taxes on smoking. Minns joined Victoria’s state government in blaming the high tobacco excise for a spike in organised crime that has led to arson attacks on businesses and stretched police resources.
Extreme weather weighs on Australian economy as growth slows to 0.2%

3 days ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins

The Australian economy has had an underwhelming start to the year, with growth of just 0.2% in the first three months of 2025 compared to 0.6% in the previous quarter. Annual growth was steady at 1.3%, the new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed. Katherine Keenan, the ABS’s head of national accounts, described the latest data as “soft”. “Public spending recorded the largest detraction from growth since the September quarter 2017,” Keenan said.
Millions of Australian workers to get an above inflation pay rise as minimum wage lifts by 3.5%

4 days ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins

Australia’s minimum wage of $24.10 an hour will be increased by 3.5% from July, in a decision by the Fair Work Commission that delivers a real wage increase for the country’s lowest paid workers. Last year’s decision was for a 3.75% increase. Nearly 3 million employees have their pay set by an award and are directly affected by the annual minimum wage determination.
North West Shelf gas extension will deliver 'almost nothing' to Australia's public purse

6 days ago | futures.tradingcharts.com | Patrick Commins

Jun 01, 2025 (The Guardian Australia - ABIX via COMTEX) --The federal government has come under fire over its decision to extend the Woodside Energy-operated North West Shelf gas project out to 2070. Woodside paid just $175m in petroleum resource rent tax from the NW shelf project in 2022-23, and independent economist Chris Richardson contends that the PRRT has proved entirely unfit for purpose.
North West Shelf gas extension will deliver ‘almost nothing’ to Australia’s public purse

6 days ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins

Extending the licence for the North West Shelf gas project won’t assist Australia’s energy transition, experts say, even as it allows Woodside and its foreign partners to profit from the nation’s mineral wealth while delivering “almost nothing” to the national purse. Environmental and Indigenous groups were dismayed this week after the environment minister, Murray Watt, granted conditional approval to extend the Woodside Energy-operated NW Shelf gas project out to 2070.
Expensive eggs, rental rises, falling fuel costs: what we learned from the ABS April inflation report

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins

There are high hopes among economists that 2025 will mark the year we got inflation under control. We shouldn’t get too complacent but consumer price growth is back below 3%, and according to the Reserve Bank of Australia is going to settle at around its official target of 2.5% over the coming year. But beneath the calm surface, the Australia Bureau of Statistics’ consumer price report for April shows some wild swings in prices, and not all are good.
Working from home not to blame for dip in productivity, Australian report says

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins

The national shift to working from home is not to blame for the sharp drop in productivity in the wake of the pandemic, the Productivity Commission says. A new report by the PC examines causes for the brief productivity “bubble” during the height of the Covid-19 health crisis and its subsequent collapse, finding that the whiplash was driven in large part by the sharp drop in working hours through the lockdowns, followed by a surge in hours worked as the economy roared back to life.
Leading tax expert calls out ‘confected outrage’ of wealthy Australians over Labor’s $3m super plan

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins

The man who wrote the history of tax reform in Australia has called out the “confected outrage” surrounding Labor’s plan to trim concessions for wealthy Australians with super balances over $3m. Paul Tilley, the author of Changing Fortunes and a former senior Treasury official, said it was “well understood” that there were equity issues within the super system that needed to be addressed. “The problem is high-income earners would have to pay more tax, and they don’t like it.
Labor’s super tweak affects only the wealthiest Australians. To argue against it is misguided | Patrick Commins

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins

If you’re wondering why reform in this country is so hard, look no further than the criticism of Labor’s plan to trim tax breaks for people with more than $3m in superannuation. An estimated 80,000 very wealthy Australians will be affected by the extra 15% earnings tax on their retirement savings above $3m. That’s the top 0.5% of super savers, according to Treasury estimates.
‘Hysterical’ criticism of Labor’s super tax plan could thwart needed reform, experts say

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Patrick Commins

The “hysterical” criticism of Labor’s plan to trim tax breaks for people with $3m in retirement savings risks undermining needed reforms to make the superannuation system more equitable and sustainable, leading experts say. The authors of two previous government reviews into super suggest the federal government’s proposal might not be perfect but it is “the right way to go”.

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Patrick Commins @ComminsP

28 Apr 25

RT @peter_tulip: The starting point for any useful discussion of housing policy is an acknowledgment that prices and rents should not keep…

Patrick Commins @ComminsP

4 Jul 23

RT @australian: The Reserve Bank’s struggle to tame inflation is being exacerbated by $230bn worth of state and territory infrastructure sp…

Patrick Commins @ComminsP

4 Jul 23

RT @MitchellGlenn: Interesting comments by Stuart Broad during the 2013 Ashes series after he edged to slip and didn’t walk: 🏏 #Ashes #E…

Patrick Commins

Articles

Chalmers says cheaper cigarettes will not solve illegal tobacco boom, dismissing NSW premier

Extreme weather weighs on Australian economy as growth slows to 0.2%

Millions of Australian workers to get an above inflation pay rise as minimum wage lifts by 3.5%

North West Shelf gas extension will deliver 'almost nothing' to Australia's public purse

North West Shelf gas extension will deliver ‘almost nothing’ to Australia’s public purse

Expensive eggs, rental rises, falling fuel costs: what we learned from the ABS April inflation report

Working from home not to blame for dip in productivity, Australian report says

Leading tax expert calls out ‘confected outrage’ of wealthy Australians over Labor’s $3m super plan

Labor’s super tweak affects only the wealthiest Australians. To argue against it is misguided | Patrick Commins

‘Hysterical’ criticism of Labor’s super tax plan could thwart needed reform, experts say

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