Benchmark Analytics

Independent economic and financial services analysis

Original analysis of new Australian economic and financial-services data.

Subscribe Explore Political Data Alerts

Latest updates

4 Sep One-quarter of the economy generated almost half of the growth in hours worked under Labor 4 Sep Background: Armaguard designation 4 Sep Understanding the ING prudential reporting failure

Latest analysis

Australian Non-market Employment Growth

One-quarter of the economy generated almost half of the growth in hours worked under Labor

Nearly half of the increase in hours worked since Labor came to office has occurred in health, education and public administration. ABS data shows non-market hours grew 18.9%, compared with 7.6% across the market economy.

Cash Distribution System

Background: Armaguard designation

The RBA has brought Armaguard inside Australia’s new Cash Distribution Framework only a week after the legislation commenced. Here is why cash distribution is under pressure, what the new powers do and what the change means for Australians.

ING Australia

Understanding the ING prudential reporting failure

ING Australia appeared to hold a very large liquidity buffer, with published Liquidity Coverage Ratios around 160%. APRA has now revealed the true position was materially weaker and at times below the prudential minimum.

Australia

Australia’s productivity gap with the US is becoming embarrassing

Australia and the United States are recording similar GDP growth, but they are getting there very differently. Australian productivity fell over the year to June while US productivity rose strongly.

Very interesting change to Australia's securitisation market structure

Securitisation is the process of pooling loans — such as mortgages, car loans or business loans — inside a special purpose vehicle, which then issues asset-backed securities to investors. The repayments on the underlying loans ultimately support the interest and principal paid to those investors. Residential mortgage-backed securities, or RMBS,

Benchmark Indicators

Australian economy at a glance

View all 15 indicators →

Political Data Alerts

Know what the new data means.

Priority monitoring and rapid analysis of the releases that matter to government relations, corporate affairs and policy teams.

Explore Political Data Alerts

More analysis

Which political party is best for business investment?

Private sector business investment is one of the hardest economic indicators to fake. Surveys can tell us how businesses say they feel, but investment tells us what firms actually do with their money. When businesses spend on machinery, buildings, engineering work and intellectual property, they are making a concrete judgement

How Australia’s economy has changed

Australia’s economy today looks markedly different from the economy of two decades ago. Gross value added measures the value an industry creates after subtracting the goods and services it uses in production. Comparing each industry’s gross value added with the total therefore provides a simple measure of its

RBA

Australia’s $288 billion-a-day financial plumbing

The RBA’s RTGS system settles about $288 billion per business day. This explainer shows what that figure means, why it is so large, and how it compares with NPP payments, card spending, wages and GDP.

GDP

GDP Released: Australian productivity has barely increased in a decade

Australia's economy grew 0.4% in the June quarter, but hours worked increased by exactly the same amount. GDP per hour worked remains only around 1% above its June 2016 level.

Australian Economy

Australia is borrowing from abroad to pay higher fuel prices

Australia is paying substantially more overseas for imported fuel. The fuel is quickly consumed, but the foreign liabilities used to help finance Australia’s external deficit can remain.

Banking

Could Macquarie become Australia’s fourth-largest mortgage bank by 2030?

Macquarie Bank is growing its Australian mortgage and deposit books at more than 20 per cent a year. APRA data suggest that, if recent percentage growth rates persist, it could overtake ANZ’s principal banking entity around 2030.

Housing

Victoria is approving more homes than NSW despite having 1.5 million fewer people

Victoria approved more dwellings than New South Wales in July despite having around 1.5 million fewer residents. On a per-capita basis, its approval rate is approximately 25 per cent higher.

Queensland

Queensland's government budget starting to get out of control

Queensland recorded an $8.4 billion operating deficit and $19.1 billion of net borrowing in 2025–26, giving it the largest borrowing requirement relative to revenue of any Australian state or territory.

Independent economic and financial services analysis

Latest analysis

Australian economy at a glance

Know what the new data means.

More analysis

Independent analysis when decisions matter

Never miss new Benchmark analysis