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16 Sep RBA links poor productivity to inflation 16 Sep Science: Australia’s decade of stability in proficiency 15 Sep Australia Inc: The copper resources and production gap

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Productivity

RBA links poor productivity to inflation

Australia's productivity fell 0.2% in 2025–26. The RBA says weak productivity lowers the economy's growth speed limit, while businesses are also reporting the burden of continually changing regulation.

PISA Science Results

Science: Australia’s decade of stability in proficiency

Australia’s science performance fell during the decade after 2006, but the decline has since stalled. The latest PISA results show science scores essentially unchanged since 2015 and Australia maintaining its advantage over comparable OECD countries.

Australia

Australia Inc: The copper resources and production gap

Australia ranks second globally for economic copper resources but only eighth for production. With global copper demand forecast to rise 50 per cent by 2040, Australia's undeveloped copper endowment is becoming increasingly valuable.

Australia PISA Maths Decline

Mathematics: Australia’s two-decade steady decline in proficiency

Australia’s PISA mathematics performance has fallen at every cycle since 2003. The latest data show more low-performing students, fewer top performers, and a sharply reduced lead over comparable OECD countries.

ABS

Who employs our young people?

Hospitality and retail together account for almost 40 per cent of all filled jobs held by Australians under 25, highlighting just how concentrated Australia’s youth labour market remains.

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Australian economy at a glance

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Industry super's $320 billion bet on unlisted assets

Industry funds hold almost $320 billion in unlisted equity, property and infrastructure—more than six times the amount held by retail funds. The strategy offers potential benefits, but also creates a genuine valuation and transparency trade-off.

Inflation

Look under the hood: comparing Australian and US inflation

Headline inflation is 3.5% in Australia and 3.4% in the US. But Australia's underlying inflation is 3.6%, compared with US core inflation of just 2.4%.

The death of the corporate super fund

Employer-sponsored corporate super funds were once a significant part of Australia's retirement system. APRA data show just one now remains in the corporate-fund category.

ABS

More than one job - what do we know?

The proportion of employed Australians holding multiple jobs has risen from 5.5 per cent to 6.8 per cent in a decade, with particularly large increases among younger workers.

ABS

Australians over 65 now hold 773,000 jobs

Australians aged 65 and over held around 773,000 jobs in June 2026, up from just 160,000 in 1996. Their share of all filled jobs has risen from 1.8 to 4.7 per cent.

Consolidation and rise of the superannuation mega-funds

Australia had 130 APRA-regulated super funds in June 2021. Five years later there are just 66, while member benefits have risen to $3.2 trillion and the top ten funds now control more than 60 per cent.

ABS

Women hold more than 50% of all jobs in Australia

Women now hold 50.2 per cent of Australian filled jobs. But men still hold more main jobs — the difference is explained by women’s much greater share of secondary employment.

Investors now demand more than 5% to lend to the US Government for 30 years

Something unusual is happening in the world's most important bond market. Investors now demand more than 5% a year to lend money to the US Government for 30 years, with the 30-year Treasury yield recently reaching its highest level in almost two decades. A Treasury bond is

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