West African health systems were weak before the IMF got involved. Sadly, the policy reforms demanded by the IMF in exchange for loans have undermined governments’ ability to repair these problems.
Under the proposed plan for reform, there is still a risk that private providers will continue to shop between the Commonwealth and the states for the best price and conditions.
The Financial Conduct Authority’s new controls on payday lenders are geared toward protecting borrowers from excessive charges, which is welcome news. From January of next year, the regulator will impose…
A decade of strong mining revenue growth has seen workers disproportionately located in the “mining states” of Queensland and Western Australia. With mining investment now waning, workers drawn by in the…
Pressure is mounting on high cost credit companies to face tighter controls when they hand out short-term loans. Debt advice agencies, consumer organisations, anti-poverty campaigners and a cross-party…
The Federal Government has taken significant steps in recent years to protect consumers from predatory lending practices, such as very high-interest “payday loans”. An unfortunate, though surely unintentional…
The Australian government has begun to focus on the issue of financial inclusion, as reflected by an allocation of $60.6 million in this year’s federal budget. This follows earlier government support for…