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The Case for Reforming Fiscal Policy in Australia

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The Case for Reforming Fiscal Policy in Australia Chapter 2 - The Dangers of Complacency: The Case for Reforming Fiscal Policy in Australia Bob McMullan MP Lecture presented 27 April 2005 Australia entered the 20th century as arguably the richest country in the world. However, during the century we slowly fell through the rankings. This was not primarily because we went backwards, but rather that we failed to keep pace with our competitors. We face a similar challenge as we enter the 21st century. We do not enter this century as the richest country in the world, but we are one of the fastest-growing developed economies. However, there are signs that the same factors which led to our decline last century are re-emerging. Therefore, it is timely to examine what caused our genteel decline and the factors which underpinned our improved performance over the last 20 years so that we may apply those lessons to our 21st century challenges. A brief examination of the statistical evidence illustrates the extent and significance of Australia's underperformance during the 20th century. Consideration of this illustrates the potential consequences should a similar loss of momentum continue through the early 21st century. Paul Ormerod, in Butterfly Economics, cites Australia as one of those at the bottom of the league table of Western economies in terms of growth performance during the 20th century. He estimates we were one of only three which grew at less than 1.5 percent on average over the period. Ormerod also cites Australia in the early part of the 20th century as one of the few countries to achieve higher per capita GDP than the US during this period. And yet we had fallen to 76 per cent of US per capita GDP in the early 1970s; to 70 per cent by 1990 and had recovered only to the 1970s level by 2002 (OECD Economic Survey of Australia, February 2005:30). Put simply, this means the average Australian is thousands of dollars per year worse off than they should have been. It also means we as a nation have fewer resources to apply to the social and national challenges we face today. America's economic performance has been strong and steady. While the average increase in real per capita income in the US over the century to 1997 appears modest ± slightly below 2 per cent ± the cumulative effect has been dramatic as the graph in Figure 1 illustrates: 19 A Passion for Policy Figure 1 - Real per capita income in US dollars 1870-1997 Source: Paul Ormerod, Butterfly Economics, p 142 The comparative rate of growth between Australia and the US, as shown in Figure 2 below, graph based on data for the USA and Australia illustrates the compounding impact of the gap between our respective performances over the previous century. Figure 2 - Australia and United States GDP Growth per Capita 1900-2000 Source: The World Economy, Historical Statistics, OECD The implications of this long-term analysis are reinforced by Tiffen and Gittins in their excellent book, How Australia Compares. This provides a number of tables which throw an interesting light on Australia©s economic performance 20 The Dangers of Complacency: The Case for Reforming Fiscal Policy in Australia over the last century. They quote work by Angus Maddison which estimates world economic growth over the last century. Table 1 below refers to income per capita over the period 1870 to 1998: Table 1 Income per capita, 1870-1998 Per capita income in 000s of 1990 international dollars 1870 1913 1950 1973 1998 United States 2.4 5.3 9.6 16.7 27.3 Norway 1.4 2.5 5.4 11.2 23.7 Denmark 2.0 3.9 6.9 14.0 22.1 Switzerland 2.2 4.3 9.1 18.2 21.4 Canada 1.7 4.4 7.4 13.8 20.6 Japan 0.7 1.4 1.9 11.4 20.4 Australia 3.6 5.7 7.5 12.8 20.4 Netherlands 2.8 4.0 6.0 13.1 20.2 France 1.9 3.5 5.3 13.1 19.6 Belgium 2.7 4.2 5.6 12.2 19.4 Austria 1.9 3.5 3.7 11.2 18.9 United Kingdom 3.2 4.9 6.9 12.0 18.7 Sweden 1.7 3.1 6.7 13.5 18.7 Finland 1.1 2.1 4.3 11.1 18.3 Ireland — — 3.4 6.9 18.2 Germany 1.8 3.6 3.9 12 17.8 Italy 1.5 2.6 3.5 10.6 17.8 New Zealand 2.7 5.2 8.5 12.5 14.8 Mean 2.1 3.8 5.9 12.6 19.9 Source: Rodney Tiffen & Ross Gittins, How Australia Compares: 42 In 1870 and 1913 Australia was at the top of the table for per capita income. However, by 1950 we had dropped to fourth and by 1973 we were no better than eighth. The period from 1973 to 1998 has seen us improve to sixth. The comparative figures on the fastest growing economies (Table 2 below) provide a dramatic demonstration of Australia's poor relative performance in the early part of the 20th century. Of the 17 countries measured, from 1822 to 1870 Australia was clearly the fastest growing economy in the world, yet from 1870 to 1913 Australia had fallen to 14th position. In the period 1913 to 1950 we fell further to be the 15th fastest growing economy. Significantly, the only countries with lower growth rates than Australia were Austria and Germany, which were reaping the consequences of the First World War. 21 A Passion for Policy Table 2 Economic growth, 1820—1998 Average per capita growth rates, % 1820-70 1870-1913 1913-50 1950-73 1973-98 Ireland - - - 3.04 3.97 Norway 0.52 1.3 2.13 3.19 3.02 Japan 0.19 1.48 0.89 8.05 2.34 Austria 0.85 1.45 0.18 4.94 2.1 Italy 0.59 1.26 0.85 4.95 2.07 Finland 0.76 1.44 1.91 4.25 2.03 United States 1.34 1.82 1.61 2.45 1.99 Belgium 1.44 1.05 0.7 3.55 1.89 Australia 3.99 1.05 0.73 2.34 1.89 Denmark 0.91 1.57 1.56 3.08 1.86 United Kingdom 1.26 1.01 0.92 2.44 1.79 Netherlands 0.83 0.9 1.07 3.45 1.76 France 0.85 1.45 1.12 4.05 1.61 Germany 1.09 1.63 0.17 5.02 1.6 Canada 1.29 2.27 1.4 2.74 1.6 Sweden 0.66 1.46 2.12 3.07 1.31 New Zealand 3.9 1.51 1.35 1.72 0.67 Switzerland 1.09 1.55 2.06 3.08 0.64 Mean 1.27 1.42 1.22 3.63 1.9 Source: Rodney Tiffen & Ross Gittins, How Australia Compares: 44 However, the most telling part of the table is for the period 1950 to 1973, often paradoxically referred to as the `golden years'. In this period, while Australia, like all other Western countries, was experiencing strong economic growth, our relative economic performance was dreadful. We fell to 17th out of 18 and grew at less than two thirds the average rate of other developed countries. During the final period referred to by Tiffen and Gittins, from 1973 to 1998, Australia improved to eighth in the global economic race. Table 3 below demonstrates the comparative trade performance of developed countries. Australia, like all the other developed countries, with the possible exception of Japan, has increased its trade intensity over the last 30 years. However our trade performance has been consistently poor. During the 1970s our net trade performance was about the middle of the field and better than average. However, during the 1980s and 1990s we crashed to almost the bottom of the list and remained there. It is impossible to see how Australia can succeed in the medium term without an improvement in this area. 22 The Dangers of Complacency: The Case for Reforming Fiscal Policy in Australia Table 3 Trade balance as % of GDP, 1970—99 1970-73 1974-79 1980-89 1990-99 Ireland -7.4 -11.3 -2.5 9.9 Norway 0.6 -2.7 4.1 6.3 Netherlands 0.2 1 3 5.1 Finland -1.1 -0.9 0.4 5 Denmark -1.5 -2.8 1 4.8 Sweden 1.4 -0.5 1.5 4.6 Switzerland -1.2 1.4 -0.2 3.6 Belgium 2.3 -0.8 0.3 3.5 Italy -0.1 -0.2 -0.5 2.5 Japan 1.6 0.4 1.9 1.6 New Zealand 0.2 -4 -1 1.6 Canada 1.6 -0.3 1.8 1.3 France 0.1 -0.7 -1.4 1.3 Germany 1.9 2.2 2.6 0.9 Austria 0.6 -0.8 0.2 -0.2 Australia 0.9 -0.5 -2.2 -0.9 United Kingdom -0.1 -0.9 -0.2 -1 United States 0.1 -0.4 -1.8 -1.2 Mean 0 -1.2 0.4 2.7 Source: Rodney Tiffen & Ross Gittins, How Australia Compares: 50 One aspect of our performance to which economists would give great weight in relation to overall current account problems is the relative net saving performance.
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