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Tim Colebatch

Tim Colebatch (1949–2024) was a frequent contributor to Inside Story between 2014 and 2023. He joined the Melbourne Age in 1971 and was successively environment writer, investigative reporter, editorial writer and columnist before becoming the paper’s Washington correspondent, economics writer, and ultimately economics editor and columnist.

Tim’s widely praised book, Dick Hamer: The Liberal Liberal, was reviewed for Inside Story by Judith Brett. His articles for Inside Story during 2016 received the Keith Dunstan Award for Commentary at the Melbourne Press Club’s Quill Awards.

Peter Martin recalls Tim’s career.

National affairs Tim Colebatch 7 July 2016 Tim Colebatch on the state of the count, the cost to Labor of the CFA dispute, and a tantalising glimpse of the Tasmanian Senate count
National affairs Tim Colebatch 6 July 2016 Tim Colebatch updates our coverage of the Election Commission figures and looks at what the election means for the Greens National affairs Tim Colebatch 5 July 2016 The count goes on, and history is already being written and rewritten. Tim Colebatch looks at three more myths National affairs Tim Colebatch 3 July 2016 What do we know so far about the likely post-election scene? Tim Colebatch has been crunching the latest numbers National affairs Tim Colebatch 1 July 2016 With the campaign almost over, Tim Colebatch surveys the latest polls and the likely distribution of Senate places
National affairs Tim Colebatch 30 June 2016 Europe offers lessons for Australian parties uneasy at the prospect of having to talk to each other, says Tim Colebatch
National affairs Tim Colebatch 25 June 2016 The impact of the Reagan administration’s decision to abolish negative gearing shows how misconceived Australia’s debate has been, writes Tim Colebatch National affairs Tim Colebatch 17 June 2016 A Coalition win is widely seen as inevitable, writes Tim Colebatch. So how to explain the niggling doubts? National affairs Tim Colebatch 14 June 2016 Now that early voting is under way, the likely impact of the parties’ preference allocations is clearer, writes Tim Colebatch National affairs Tim Colebatch 10 June 2016 Budget issues took control of the coverage this week, says Tim Colebatch. And there were casualties on both sides
National affairs Tim Colebatch 4 June 2016 The Coalition has a problem at the core of its campaign, says Tim Colebatch. And it reflects a hackneyed view of voters
National affairs Tim Colebatch 28 May 2016 With the major parties level-pegging, a defeat for the Coalition isn’t out of the question, writes Tim Colebatch. So what would a Labor government look like? National affairs Tim Colebatch 20 May 2016 The second week on the hustings revealed false conflicts and unspoken truths, says Tim Colebatch National affairs Tim Colebatch 13 May 2016 We might not like talking about it, but the ratings agencies have noticed Australia’s debt, writes Tim Colebatch. And so has Labor National affairs Tim Colebatch 4 May 2016 Superannuation and business taxes were at the centre of the budget, writes Tim Colebatch, but these and the government’s other decisions aren’t risk-free
National affairs Tim Colebatch 27 April 2016 Transport is where the action is in this week’s Victorian budget, writes Tim Colebatch, but the spending isn’t quite as generous as it looks
National affairs Tim Colebatch 23 April 2016 This election campaign will take place amid enormous economic uncertainty, writes Tim Colebatch. How are the major parties dealing with this inconvenient truth? National affairs Tim Colebatch 15 April 2016 The International Monetary Fund wants governments to broaden their attack on sluggish growth and inequality, writes Tim Colebatch. The alternative could be another recession National affairs Tim Colebatch 5 April 2016 Governments are in denial about population growth and its impact on Australia’s major cities, writes Tim Colebatch. It’s time to take up the challenge National affairs Tim Colebatch 31 March 2016 Abolished in 1942, revived but never implemented in the 1970s, this might have been the tax reform whose time had come, writes Tim Colebatch. But Malcolm Turnbull’s…
National affairs Tim Colebatch 25 February 2016 It’s not too late for Malcolm Turnbull to regain some of the ground he’s lost on tax, says Tim Colebatch. Labor’s plan shows why he can’t afford…
National affairs Tim Colebatch 19 February 2016 Infrastructure Australia’s latest report got lost in the tax debate this week, writes Tim Colebatch. It deserves a closer look National affairs Tim Colebatch 5 February 2016 A small tax package can only deliver small benefits, writes Tim Colebatch National affairs Tim Colebatch 16 December 2015 Yesterday’s budget update reveals the size of the problem, writes Tim Colebatch. And it isn’t just about spending International Tim Colebatch 8 December 2015 The National Front’s surge could deliver the French presidency to Marine Le Pen in 2017, writes Tim Colebatch. But the electoral arithmetic might change after…
National affairs Tim Colebatch 2 December 2015 We may not be doing better than most other countries, as treasurer Scott Morrison claims, but the growth figures are better than we might have feared, writes Tim Colebatch
National affairs Tim Colebatch 13 November 2015 The government faces a paradox, writes Tim Colebatch. It needs to stop the tax debate from running out of control but that means making unpopular decisions National affairs Tim Colebatch 20 October 2015 Unreported data confirms that state governments are passing up the opportunity to invest in the future, writes Tim Colebatch. There’s never been a better time to… National affairs Tim Colebatch 7 October 2015 An outsider view offers important proposals to help Australia navigate stormy economic weather, writes Tim Colebatch National affairs Tim Colebatch 29 September 2015 Everyone is talking about the what of tax reform, writes Tim Colebatch. The government needs to start dealing with the how and when as well