Jessica Irvine
Jessica Irvine is National Economics Editor of News Limited’s metropolitan daily newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph, The Herald Sun, The Courier Mail and The Adelaide Advertiser. Before that she was economics writer for The Sydney Morning Herald, including a two-year stint in the federal Press Gallery in Canberra. She has an honours degree in Economics (Social Sciences). She is a regular commentator on TV and radio and author of “Zombies, bananas and why there are no economists in heaven: The economics of real life”.
Articles by Jessica Irvine
There’s no such thing as a free bus ticket
Crisis is a word that gets used a lot in newspapers. There’s the cricket crisis. The Global Financial Crisis. The…... Read more
Even financial transactions can be human ones
When I was seven, I sold my favourite Barbie at a trash and treasure sale for $1. Immediately, I felt…... Read more
The election cycle is the enemy of infrastructure
Could this be the biggest spending election campaign of all time? Six months out and the bacon is flying. Pork…... Read more
Traffic hurts the economy as much as it hurts you
The Prime Minister and I have something in common: we both want to live close to where we work. So…... Read more
Don’t be fooled into a banking mistake
Try this pop quiz: How many of the following financial institutions do you think are owned by the big four…... Read more
Here’s a simple equation that will take away those kilos
Everyone knows that to lose weight you have to eat less and move more. The real question is: how much?…... Read more
We want style and substance from our politicians
If the polls are to be believed, Australians are about to resoundingly boot out a government that has delivered an…... Read more
Don’t worry mums and dads, Generation Rent are OK
I’m moving in two weeks. Yep, it’s all cardboard boxes and roller tape at our house. Happily married for two…... Read more
Why my pricey smartphone is not the apple of my i
It was love at first swipe. I still remember the first time I held a gleaming iPhone in my hands.…... Read more
Hey pollies, leave our super alone - for now
Super nest eggs have emerged as the first major policy battle ground of the election and neither side of politics…... Read more
Abbott could be the father of a motherhood revolution
Tony Abbott doesn’t have a woman problem. What he has is a radical, feminist policy proposal that, if elected, will…... Read more
The Aussie shopper is back! But something’s changed
Every Sunday morning, we bustle into the car, kids freshly washed and dressed. We come together to congregate in massive…... Read more
Down the rabbit hole of surplus politics
It doesn’t take long, in election years, before every galah in the pet shop is squawking about economic management. So…... Read more
Australia is a bigger deal than we give ourselves credit for
We Aussies have an endearing tendency towards self-deprecation. We cringe when we see our leaders at important international meetings, convinced…... Read more
Job cuts are coming, but let’s keep them in perspective
Job cuts are set to dominate the economic news again this year, so it’s going to be important to keep…... Read more
News just in from elsewhere: money does buy happiness
Does money buy happiness? Until very recently, the surprising consensus among economists was that no, it does not. At least,…... Read more
We’re all going on a cheap overseas holiday
Is the mining boom back? While everyone was on holidays, the price of iron ore has shot back up to…... Read more
Property plunge: At least dinner parties have improved
Some love affairs end in tears. Other times, a relationship sours so gradually that when the final parting comes, it…... Read more
Staving off the cliff by giving debt haircuts to zombies…
2013 is shaping up as the year of blockbuster economic jargon. Unless you’ve been living under a rock or relaxing…... Read more
The size of your bottom line is a numbers game
Hands up if you’ve stepped on the scales yet this year? Well, I have, and it’s not pretty. In 2011,…... Read more
The strong reason why you should head overseas
A record number of Australians are expected to jet overseas this year. Only a decade ago, overseas travel was a…... Read more
We’ve come so far but there’s a long way to go
Our Governor General, Quentin Bryce, is one classy lady and a role model for young women everywhere. Speaking yesterday at…... Read more
Deliver the climate message via the hip pocket
For too long, world leaders have tried appealing to our better angels to bring about a solution to climate change.…... Read more
We’re spending what on our weddings! The cost of love
I’m getting married in two weeks. Which is to say, I’m a stressed-out Bridezilla with serious cash-flow problems. A dear…... Read more
Tighten your belts Australia, we can’t spare the fiscal flab
A donut here. A missed gym session there. We’ve all done it. Too many calories in and not enough out.…... Read more
Time to exorcise the evil of stamp duty
What if I told you there was a way to make housing more affordable, cut congestion on our roads, lower…... Read more
Discredited: How Australia exposed creditor predators
Australians have a tendency to feel small and insignificant on the global stage. But it’s time to take a bow.…... Read more
The RBA should bet against the mining boom tomorrow
IT’S time for the Reserve Bank to stump up on Tuesday with an interest rate cut to kick-start the nation.…... Read more
The bottom line on the dazzling Asian Century
The Gillard government’s much-touted Australia in the Asian Century report is packed full of eye-popping statistics about the rise of…... Read more
It’s easy to be filthy rich when you don’t pay tax
A TAX that doesn’t raise a cent? The sorry saga of the mining tax continues after revelations that Australia’s big…... Read more
Swanny cuts the budget fat with a liposuction
A crackdown on government-funded liposuction; tax cuts for Mongolian, Tongan and Tunisian diplomats; a cut to the cherry and stone…... Read more
Swan the builder more of a maintenance man
Wayne Swan is looking more Stepford wife than Bob the Builder. His mid-year budget update yesterday was largely an exercise…... Read more
It’s the economy, stupid
It’s the economy, stupid. Always is. On the eve of America’s presidential elections, the world’s biggest economy is showing signs…... Read more
The price of basically everything keeps going up
(Ed’s note: This is a news story by Jessica Irvine. Her regular column is published above.) The costs of basic…... Read more
Done your tax return? Well, it could have sucked less
As an economics and finance commentator, I make a good living telling other people what to do with their money.…... Read more
While raging against Abbott, the PM voiced our silent rage
The sex wars which erupted in federal parliament last week are only the tip of the iceberg of a deep…... Read more
Who’s looking after your super? “Well, I dunno”
Who is looking after your retirement savings? Twenty years after the introduction of compulsory superannuation, an alarmingly high proportion of…... Read more
You can’t bank on the Big Four to do the right thing
One of my first jobs in journalism was as the banking reporter. The thing you learn quickly on the banking…... Read more
Start preparing for the end of the mining boom
It is immodest to say I told you so. So let’s move on… The board of the Reserve Bank has…... Read more
Sport plus Australia equals more dollars than sense
From a very early age, I struggled with handstands at little lunch. Come sports day, I invariably finished last. My…... Read more
This man should cut interest rates next week
It’s not an easy job, being the Governor of the Reserve Bank. Glenn Stevens may have the benefit of hundreds…... Read more
A common humanity behind that Great Firewall
In June this year, the Chinese version of the micro-blogging website Twitter - which is banned in China - erupted…... Read more
Tax things that can’t move. That’s all you need to know
Australians are generous at heart. You see it when disaster strikes – drought, flood, fire – we all chip in…... Read more
Why one household’s trash is the economy’s treasure
Twice a year on a Sunday, my local council arranges a hard rubbish collection day. For nosey parkers like me,…... Read more
With the economy, the truth is out there
Struggling to get a handle on where the economy is heading? Don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re facing an…... Read more
Busting myths about the mining boom
We’ve been here before. Amid all the breathless commentary about the end of the mining boom, it pays to recall…... Read more
If the mining boom busts, education could step in
Who wants to earn a million dollars? Forget TV game shows or get rich quick schemes, studies reveal the true…... Read more
Facebook Recommendations
Read all about it
Punch live
Up to the minute Twitter chatter
REPORT - Ireland set to phase out the tax deals that have saved tech giants billions http://t.co/fZESvMZJsW
@mrjoeaston it's great sir. Although I'm waiting for a repeat of telling the treasurer to go f himself
Recent posts
The latest and greatest
The Punch is moving house
Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…
Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go
Tim says:
They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go
Kel says:
If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
