Ross Gittins
Ross Gittins is the economics editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and a long-running economic columnist who concentrates on explaining economic policy and the broader economy in plain language. Over decades he builds a reputation for making complex economic ideas accessible and relevant to everyday life. His regular columns for The Age extend that commentary across multiple mastheads.
Explaining economic policy in plain language
His columns describe developments in the economy and changes in economic policy in language designed for non-specialist readers. He sets policy measures in their political context and spells out the economic theories and empirical evidence behind them. This approach underpins his standing as a leading practitioner of explanatory journalism, demystifying technical topics while retaining nuance. Accounts of his work highlight his independence, use of wit, and close scrutiny of data, traits that shape the tone of his analysis. He routinely connects abstract macroeconomic debates to concrete household outcomes, helping readers judge whether they agree with particular policies.
Tax, public finance and the role of government
Public finance and economic policy are recurring themes in his coverage. He writes about government budgets and how fiscal decisions distribute costs and benefits across the community. In pieces on tax he uses a conversational style, framing his relationship with the tax system and explaining why particular changes prompt a different response from him than usual. Across these topics he questions whether economic frameworks give sufficient weight to fairness and ethics, not just efficiency. His columns emphasise how policy instruments shape incentives and long-term outcomes, moving beyond the sound and fury of political debate.
Economic cycles, inflation and living costs
Recent work examines the state of the economy and tests whether public complaints align with official indicators, concluding that headline measures show conditions in good shape, with important qualifications. He analyses inflation by comparing consumer price index figures with alternative living cost indexes for different household types. He uses these comparisons to show that price rises do not affect all households equally.
These pieces demonstrate his habit of using official statistics and technical concepts to question simple narratives about economic hardship or prosperity.
Long-running commentary and influence
Ross Gittins has been writing economic commentary for The Sydney Morning Herald since the 1970s and has held the role of economics editor since 1978.
He continues to file multiple columns a week, making him the longest-serving continuous columnist in the masthead’s history. His work has received journalism and academic honours that recognise his contribution to public understanding of economics.
Beyond his newspaper columns he writes books and appears in public forums, reinforcing his role as a public explainer of economic policy. His commentary also runs in other mastheads, including The Age and platforms focused on public policy debate, broadening the reach of his analysis. Descriptions of his career emphasise that he simplifies without oversimplifying and that he often foregrounds behavioural insights and human wellbeing alongside traditional economic measures.
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