menu_open Columnists
Ross Gittins

Ross Gittins

Brisbane Times

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Australia is under strain – and politics is part of the problem

Australia is under strain – and politics is part of the problem

Financial stress is rising and life satisfaction is falling, but Australians’ discontent runs deeper than household budgets to growing distrust in...

wednesday 20

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

It’s easy to blame politicians for our grumpiness. It’s also valid

It’s easy to blame politicians for our grumpiness. It’s also valid

We’re often angry, sceptical and pessimistic about how our nation is being run. But right now, the research suggests, we’re despairing.

wednesday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

It’s easy to blame politicians for our grumpiness. It’s also valid

It’s easy to blame politicians for our grumpiness. It’s also valid

We’re often angry, sceptical and pessimistic about how our nation is being run. But right now, the research suggests, we’re despairing.

wednesday 10

The Age

Ross Gittins

It’s easy to blame politicians for our grumpiness. It’s also valid

It’s easy to blame politicians for our grumpiness. It’s also valid

We’re often angry, sceptical and pessimistic about how our nation is being run. But right now, the research suggests, we’re despairing.

wednesday 10

WA Today

Ross Gittins

It’s easy to blame politicians for our grumpiness. It’s also valid

It’s easy to blame politicians for our grumpiness. It’s also valid

We’re often angry, sceptical and pessimistic about how our nation is being run. But right now, the research suggests, we’re despairing.

wednesday 20

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

House prices are falling. Now we’ll find out who really wants affordability

House prices are falling. Now we’ll find out who really wants affordability

Australia cannot make housing more affordable while protecting homeowners from falling prices. The current downturn may reveal how serious politicians...

03.09.2026 30

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

Do our pollies really want a more ‘affordable’ housing market? We’re about to find out

Do our pollies really want a more ‘affordable’ housing market? We’re about to find out

If you force them to choose, politicians will always go for rising rather than falling house prices. Why? Arithmetic.

02.09.2026 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

Do our pollies really want a more ‘affordable’ housing market? We’re about to find out

Do our pollies really want a more ‘affordable’ housing market? We’re about to find out

If you force them to choose, politicians will always go for rising rather than falling house prices. Why? Arithmetic.

02.09.2026 10

The Age

Ross Gittins

Do our pollies really want a more ‘affordable’ housing market? We’re about to find out

Do our pollies really want a more ‘affordable’ housing market? We’re about to find out

If you force them to choose, politicians will always go for rising rather than falling house prices. Why? Arithmetic.

02.09.2026 20

WA Today

Ross Gittins

Do our pollies really want a more ‘affordable’ housing market? We’re about to find out

Do our pollies really want a more ‘affordable’ housing market? We’re about to find out

If you force them to choose, politicians will always go for rising rather than falling house prices. Why? Arithmetic.

02.09.2026 20

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

Labor’s carbon offsets look better on paper than in practice

Labor’s latest carbon offset proposal shows how economic ideas that work neatly on paper can deliver far less environmental benefit when put into...

27.08.2026 20

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

Why Labor’s carbon credit scheme’s an economist-conceived sham

Environmental economists came up with the idea of the offset. The Albanese government’s using the mechanism to pretend it cares about climate change.

26.08.2026 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

Why Labor’s carbon credit scheme’s an economist-conceived sham

Environmental economists came up with the idea of the offset. The Albanese government’s using the mechanism to pretend it cares about climate change.

26.08.2026 20

The Age

Ross Gittins

Why Labor’s carbon credit scheme’s an economist-conceived sham

Environmental economists came up with the idea of the offset. The Albanese government’s using the mechanism to pretend it cares about climate change.

26.08.2026 20

WA Today

Ross Gittins

Why Labor’s carbon credit scheme’s an economist-conceived sham

Environmental economists came up with the idea of the offset. The Albanese government’s using the mechanism to pretend it cares about climate change.

26.08.2026 20

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

Australia is running deficits – and leaving the bill to the kids

Australia is running budget deficits. That means today’s taxpayers are not fully paying for the services they receive – and younger generations...

19.08.2026 30

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

It’s my job to raise a topic which neither side of politics will mention

These days no one mentions the budget deficit. But they should.

19.08.2026 30

WA Today

Ross Gittins

It’s my job to raise a topic which neither side of politics will mention

These days no one mentions the budget deficit. But they should.

19.08.2026 30

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

It’s my job to raise a topic which neither side of politics will mention

These days no one mentions the budget deficit. But they should.

19.08.2026 30

The Age

Ross Gittins

It’s my job to raise a topic which neither side of politics will mention

These days no one mentions the budget deficit. But they should.

19.08.2026 30

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

Australia’s voters are now split three ways, but not by party

Voters are now aligning themselves with the bloc that reflects their economic experience.

12.08.2026 30

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

Australia’s voters are now split three ways, but not by party

Voters are now aligning themselves with the bloc that reflects their economic experience.

12.08.2026 40

The Age

Ross Gittins

Australia’s voters are now split three ways, but not by party

Voters are now aligning themselves with the bloc that reflects their economic experience.

12.08.2026 30

WA Today

Ross Gittins

Australia’s voters are now split three ways, but not by party

Voters are now aligning themselves with the bloc that reflects their economic experience.

12.08.2026 30

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

Australia’s federation has survived 125 years of economic shocks

Australia’s economic history shows that major shocks often come from overseas, but better policy settings over the past three decades have helped...

05.08.2026 30

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

Stop complaining. Australia’s in good economic shape (mostly)

Australia has existed as a federation for one-and-a-quarter centuries. And on the economic front, things are not as bad as they seem.

05.08.2026 50

WA Today

Ross Gittins

Stop complaining. Australia’s in good economic shape (mostly)

Australia has existed as a federation for one-and-a-quarter centuries. And on the economic front, things are not as bad as they seem.

05.08.2026 40

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

Stop complaining. Australia’s in good economic shape (mostly)

Australia has existed as a federation for one-and-a-quarter centuries. And on the economic front, things are not as bad as they seem.

05.08.2026 30

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

Stop complaining. Australia’s in good economic shape (mostly)

Australia has existed as a federation for one-and-a-quarter centuries. And on the economic front, things are not as bad as they seem.

05.08.2026 30

The Age

Ross Gittins

Want to lift productivity? Force businesses to give workers a big pay rise

Weak growth, falling real wages and poor productivity are linked, and one way to force business to invest and improve efficiency may be to lift wages...

29.07.2026 30

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

Your boss will hate this economic fix … but you’ll love it

The government should order businesses to give workers a big pay rise as a way of forcing them to improve productivity.

29.07.2026 40

WA Today

Ross Gittins

Your boss will hate this economic fix … but you’ll love it

The government should order businesses to give workers a big pay rise as a way of forcing them to improve productivity.

29.07.2026 30

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

Your boss will hate this economic fix … but you’ll love it

The government should order businesses to give workers a big pay rise as a way of forcing them to improve productivity.

29.07.2026 30

The Age

Ross Gittins

Your boss will hate this economic fix … but you’ll love it

The government should order businesses to give workers a big pay rise as a way of forcing them to improve productivity.

29.07.2026 30

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

The productivity obsession has a measurement problem

The focus on productivity as the key to economic growth ignores the fact that we can’t directly observe productivity. We need better ways to measure...

09.07.2026 40

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

If productivity can’t be measured (and it can’t, not really), how can we improve it?

When politicians and economists bang on about the need to increase productivity, they’re arguing about a concept that is nothing more than a puff of...

08.07.2026 60

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

If productivity can’t be measured (and it can’t, not really), how can we improve it?

When politicians and economists bang on about the need to increase productivity, they’re arguing about a concept that is nothing more than a puff of...

08.07.2026 40

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

If productivity can’t be measured (and it can’t, not really), how can we improve it?

When politicians and economists bang on about the need to increase productivity, they’re arguing about a concept that is nothing more than a puff of...

08.07.2026 40

WA Today

Ross Gittins

If productivity can’t be measured (and it can’t, not really), how can we improve it?

When politicians and economists bang on about the need to increase productivity, they’re arguing about a concept that is nothing more than a puff of...

08.07.2026 50

The Age

Ross Gittins

We’re running late on climate, but not out of time

Overshooting the 1.5 degrees target for limiting global warming is not good news but there is progress on renewable energy and electrification.  I...

02.07.2026 50

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

I’m in two minds about climate change. But not like Hanson

When I decided to check on our progress in limiting climate change, I discovered the news wasn’t good. But then I realised we’re not dead yet.

01.07.2026 50

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

I’m in two minds about climate change. But not like Hanson

When I decided to check on our progress in limiting climate change, I discovered the news wasn’t good. But then I realised we’re not dead yet.

01.07.2026 50

WA Today

Ross Gittins

I’m in two minds about climate change. But not like Hanson

When I decided to check on our progress in limiting climate change, I discovered the news wasn’t good. But then I realised we’re not dead yet.

01.07.2026 50

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

I’m in two minds about climate change. But not like Hanson

When I decided to check on our progress in limiting climate change, I discovered the news wasn’t good. But then I realised we’re not dead yet.

01.07.2026 40

The Age

Ross Gittins

Gambling reform was quietly taken out with the trash

Labor’s response to calls for a ban on gambling advertising was announced quietly and falls well short of the Murphy report’s recommendations,...

24.06.2026 50

Pearls and Irritations

Ross Gittins

Did the PM try to ‘take out the trash’ with his lame gambling reform? You bet

The government put out a delayed, inadequate response to a report calling for gambling ad reform on budget day. Is it hoping we won’t spot it?

24.06.2026 50

The Age

Ross Gittins

Did the PM try to ‘take out the trash’ with his lame gambling reform? You bet

The government put out a delayed, inadequate response to a report calling for gambling ad reform on budget day. Is it hoping we won’t spot it?

24.06.2026 50

Brisbane Times

Ross Gittins

Did the PM try to ‘take out the trash’ with his lame gambling reform? You bet

The government put out a delayed, inadequate response to a report calling for gambling ad reform on budget day. Is it hoping we won’t spot it?

24.06.2026 40

WA Today

Ross Gittins

Did the PM try to ‘take out the trash’ with his lame gambling reform? You bet

The government put out a delayed, inadequate response to a report calling for gambling ad reform on budget day. Is it hoping we won’t spot it?

24.06.2026 70

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins

Small relief rises from a tight ship, but there might yet be rough seas ahead

Cost of living handouts are nice, but Sydneysiders will always be hit hardest by things outside their control.

23.06.2026 50

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins