In this report Jim Stanford digs beneath vague claims about economic competence and friendliness to business, and considers more concrete indicators of economic progress. The paper asks: is there any correlation between the policy outlook of those respective governments, and in particular its “business credentials,” and Australia’s real economic progress?

This paper identifies a dozen standard indicators of economic performance: covering work, production, incomes, and debt. Consistent historical data is gathered for the twelve indicators, going back to the 1950s. Then the actual historical record is compared between the various postwar Prime Ministers (any who served in office for at least a full year). This analysis should assist voters to consider more concretely what the economy actually means to them, and evaluate the economic promises of competing parties accordingly.