OECDE productivity data

http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=PDYGTH

Alan Austin,
you appear to have good access to reports. Can you get figures on the monies spent on Government funded projects administered by Government appointed private companies financial control consultants ? Of particular interest to me are projects which have gone way over budget & those which are on hold because of mismanagement & need to be let to new contractors.
How many people have lost their jobs because of the incompetent bureaucrats mishandling it all.

The thing that makes me laugh is that AA, supposedly representing the left and social justice, would even refer to a meaningless statistic that Aust ranked third in openess behind Singapore and Hong Kong.

Take a good look at some of Singapore's poicies, mr morality. and what about the many who live in cages in Hong Kong.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084971/Hong-Kongs-cage-homes-Tens-thousands-living-6ft-2ft-rabbit-hutches.html

Do churches really want to emply such people that are rather selective with their data and dont have a clue about is really happening in Australia.

Just the other day, Wodonga Council became one of first councils to remove itself from public care for the aged, leaving it all to the private sector. Maybe AA could write about that rather than being a cheer leader

Greetings again.

@Individual: Re “figures on monies spent on Government funded projects administered by Government appointed private companies financial control consultants … projects which have gone way over budget & those on hold because of mismanagement …”

This may be available, Indi. Following our discussion on productivity and labour costs, what hourly rates are you paying?

On the general theme of government waste and mismanagement, yes, plenty of information on that for free.

The International Monetary Fund produced a paper in January titled “A Modern History of Fiscal Prudence and Profligacy”.

You don’t have to take my word for it, Indi, because according to Peter Martin, “Australia's most needlessly wasteful spending took place under the John Howard-led Coalition government rather than under the Whitlam, Rudd or Gillard Labor governments”.

The IMF examined 200 years of government financial records in 55 countries.

“It identifies only two periods of Australian "fiscal profligacy" in recent years, both during John Howard's term in office - in 2003 at the start of the mining boom and during his final years in office between 2005 and 2007,” Martin says.

More here: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/hey-big-spender-howard-the-king-of-the-loose-purse-strings-20130110-2cj32.html#ixzz2NNTGaaYu

That is consistent with the question posed here earlier, Indi:

4. There have been two extraordinarily costly blunders by treasurers in Australia’s history. Both well-kept secrets. One was $4.5 billion in Australia’s reserves lost gambling on foreign exchange markets.

The second, selling most of Australia’s gold reserves at near rock bottom prices just before spectacular price rises – giving more billions to speculators overseas.

That hapless treasurer was ..?

And, of course, the answer is (c) Peter Costello.

@Chris: That OECD productivity chart is not really helpful. Only goes up to 2011. The productivity surge following the Gillard Government’s initiatives commenced with the June quarter 2011 and extended for 6 quarters to the September quarter of 2012.

Better chart here, Chris: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/australia/productivity

It is important we look for data in the right places.

Yes, I laugh also, Chris, when people accuse me of being of the left. Usually happens after I write about truth-telling, fact-checking, honesty, transparency and integrity. Hilarious!

Cheers, AA

AA,

I only quoted the world bank report on labor rigidity. The other figures came from various other sources, most dated the end of 2012.

With an annualised growth of about 0.7% for 2012 for Australia your comment: "Australia's extraordinary surge." is bollocks. The US comparative growth was 1.6% and predicted to reach 2% by mid 2013. While the US economy is not fabulous it is at least heading in the right direction. With the fall in commodity prices the Australian economy is in danger of contracting.

Anyone living and working in Australia would know that the non mining sector which employs > 90% is at best flat and in many cases going backwards.

The jump in productivity in 2012 correlates in with the closure of many less efficient businesses due to competition issues (from the high dollar and carbon tax) and the change in the new job market towards mostly casual jobs (exactly the opposite trend compared to when work choices was in force)

The reason that Juliar and her 40 theives are in so much trouble is precisely because Labor keeps telling us that everything is great, while the reality is very different.

Apologies,

The growth was not annualised. Aus growth in 2012 was 3.1% compared to 6.5% for the US.

P.S. the IMF report on fiscal profligacy was widely discredited as political BS. Especially since the government was running a surplus.