Economic Update March 2013

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Running Time: 6:58

Date: 01/03/2013

The early election call's a good thing: it removes some uncertainty. But the real campaign action will come only in the last few weeks.

The unexpected early calling of the Federal Election at least provides some certainty for business, says economist Professor Neville Norman of Melbourne University, and that's a good thing. But he expects the real political action to fire up only after the May Budget and the start of the campaign proper in the spring. He expects the Reserve Bank to feel able to move on interest rates before Election Day, despite an old convention to the contrary, and urges the politicians to make sure their policy statements are unambiguous, targetted to their audience, and contain spending timelines.

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Professor Neville Norman, Melbourne University