Why I Call Alan Kohler the King of Common Sense

A personal introduction to the quality I admire: making economic arguments understandable without pretending the consequences are abstract.

The paired portraits and credits appear on the series home. This is Martin’s independent commentary on Kohler’s published work. Alan Kohler has not reviewed or endorsed it.

Kohler’s documented work

What he has argued

Across decades of financial reporting, Kohler has returned to a practical question: what does this economic change mean for households, workers, savers and people trying to make decisions? His work moves between markets and daily life. That habit of explanation is more useful than treating finance as a private language for specialists. It gives readers a way to examine the mechanism behind a headline and ask who carries the cost.

Martin’s response

Where I agree, and where I go further

I call him the King of Common Sense because that is how his work has landed with me. The phrase is my tribute, not a formal title and not a claim that we agree on every policy. I have read The Weekend Australian for decades, and I have followed his reporting through newspapers, the ABC and his current work. What I value is the discipline of explaining the moving parts before asking people to accept a conclusion.

Open question

What I still want to understand

Can clear economic journalism help people see where a policy choice ends and a supposedly inevitable market outcome begins? That is the standard I want this series to test, including when I disagree or ask what his account leaves open.

Research trail

Sources

Published 18 October 2026 · Commentary by Martin Davies-Roundhill · Contact End Up Here