By The Australia Institute
Economics and politics explained in plain English
In Denmark, the bicycle has been recognised as a fast, efficient, and sustainable mode of transportation for decades, and the key to more liveable cities and happy, healthy people – supported by a network of safe cycling infrastructure and a...
Australia has all the ingredients for a green industrial revolution; abundant rare minerals, plentiful wind and sun, manufacturing capabilities, while Sweden is a global leader in green industry practices and production. But how can First Nations communities participate in the clean...
Iceland’s outstanding levels of gender equality have been achieved through policies such as extensive paid parental leave, including an emphasis on fathers using paid parental leave. This emphasis on paternity leave is one important reason that Iceland is frequently ranked as...
The Voice to Parliament Handbook by Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo and acclaimed journalist Kerry O’Brien is a clear, concise and simple guide for the millions of Australians who have expressed support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, but who...
Australians have been experiencing a dramatic rise in the cost of living thanks to inflation. While the business sector was quick to blame wages for rising inflation, the Australia Institute and the Center for Future Work took a look at...
From Narendra Modi's recent visit, to the cancelled Quad summit meeting, to new developments in the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement, it's been a busy few weeks in international relations news for Australia. This was recorded on Wednesday 25th May 2023 and...
The Australian government spends a billion dollars or more each year on consulting firms to complete necessary work, often involving confidential information. But a recent scandal at PricewaterhouseCooper has racked the consulting industry, undermining public trust in the system. This was...
The Albanese Government has handed down its 2023-24 Federal Budget, and it contains positive measures like a 15% pay rise for aged care workers, the minimal increases to welfare, and deferral of any change to the Stage 3 tax cuts,...
Despite fossil fuel usage contributing to the destruction of our climate, the Australian government still hands out billions every year in fossil fuel subsidies. But where is the money going, and how much is being spent exactly? This was recorded on...
Australia’s housing crisis is only getting worse, and our social housing shortfall has ballooned to 500,000 and rent is skyrocketing. So how did we get here, and what can be done? This episode is a live recording from the Australia Institute's...
The PRRT, or Petroleum Resource Rent Tax, is a tax on profits of petroleum products, including crude oil and petroleum gas. But through accounting tricks and loopholes, gas corporations are avoiding paying their fair share of tax. Research mentioned: https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/reforming-the-petroleum-resource-rent-tax/ This was...
No, it's not just inflation. Since the GFC, there has been a radical reversal in who benefits from economic growth. Back in the 1950s, the bottom 90% of income earners enjoyed around 90% of the benefits of the economic growth, but not...
The recent by-election in Aston was historic, with Labor candidate Mary Doyle claiming victory. But what can we learn from these results? Political analyst Kos Samaras joins the podcast to explain. This was recorded on Tuesday 4th March 2023 and things...
On Monday, Greens leader Adam Bandt announced that a deal had been reached with the government to pass Safeguard Mechanism with some key amendments. Richard Denniss is just back from Parliament House to help explain the deal and what it means...
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, just released a report with a a very clear message; there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all. One of the key messages...
The Federal Government's recent announcement that the AUKUS deal will cost an eye-watering $368 billion sent the media into a spin, with former PM Paul Keating calling it 'the worst deal in all history." The deal to acquire nuclear submarines...
Superannuation is supposed to help us save for our retirement, and tax concessions on super are meant to reduce the burden on the government to fund our retirement through the age pension. But what are these concessions, and are they...
Australians are doing it tough at the moment, with cost of living soaring, real wages falling at a record pace, and the RBA’s nine back-to-back interest rate rises only making things harder, all in the name of reducing inflation. Some...
The Climate Integrity Summit 2023 brought together leading experts to discuss and address integrity risks that could jeopardise Australia's emissions reduction policies. The Australia Institute's Polly Hemming unpacked what climate integrity really is, and why it is the antidote to the...
The RBA recently raised interest rates again for the ninth time in a row, in an effort to reduce inflation. But is the pain the interest rate rises causing worth it? And could they do anything else instead? This was recorded...
The new 'Build Your Own Budget' tool released by the Parliamentary Budget Office reveals that despite how all-or-nothing the debate about the Stage 3 tax cuts has become, the $300bn cost of the tax cuts over 9 years provides an...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. Last year, the Greens introduced a bill to establish a ‘climate trigger’ in Australia’s environment laws which would force the government to take into account...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. Australian governments have committed to tackling the twin climate and biodiversity crises but continue to subsidise and approve fossil fuels and habitat destruction. While simple...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. Andrew Quilty was one of a handful of Western journalists who stayed in Kabul as the city fell. His new book August in Kabul his first-hand...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. Pacific Island nations are on the front line of climate change, and as Australia celebrates the passage of the 43% climate bill, Pacific leaders want...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation to the Australian people to walk with First Nations people to create a better future. It...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. The Federal Election earlier this year was considered by many to be the Integrity Election, with many including the Teal independents campaigning on integrity issues,...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. A prime minister in the making, and a nation on the move. In Lone Wolf, Katharine Murphy offers a new portrait of Anthony Albanese. She...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. Earlier in the year the Australia Institute hosted Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz for a speaking tour of Australia. In this episode he, Richard, and...
It goes without saying, but 2022 was a hell of a year, from war in Europe, to a federal election, two state elections, two budgets, and the death of Queen Elizbeth. To refresh your memories, Ebony is taking a look...
A report from the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program represents the largest and most comprehensive domestic study of the practice of cronyism in relation to appointments to a government agency ever conducted in Australia. This was recorded on Wednesday 12th...
New research shows Australian workers are on average working 6 weeks unpaid overtime per year, costing over $92 billion dollars in unpaid wages across the economy. 2022 marks the fourteenth annual Go Home on Time Day (GHOTD), an initiative of the...
To combat persistently low wages growth, the Government has put forward its Secure Jobs Better Pay Bill, currently before the Senate. The most contentious reform within the Bill is ‘multi-employer bargaining'. We’ve heard employer groups call it a ‘seismic shift that...
Climate is dominating headlines worldwide as COP27 – the United Nations annual climate conference — begins in Egypt. We've just released our benchmark Climate of the Nation report, giving an insight into what Australians are thinking and feeling about climate change,...
The October Budget delivers on a range of welcome bread & butter commitments, but has deferred solving Australia’s meat and potatoes revenue problems. So who are the winners and losers, and what are the missed opportunities? This was recorded on Thursday...
Gas companies in Australia made up to $40 billion in windfall profits in the last year due to the war in Ukraine, and global price spikes. There are growing calls for a windfall profits tax to claw back some of...
As pressure builds for the Albanese government to scrap the promised Stage Three tax cuts, discussion has shifted around who would lose out. The Australian said it would mean “2.5 million middle income Australians will pay thousands of dollars in...
Pacific Island nations are on the front line of climate change, and as Australia celebrates the passage of the 43% climate bill, Pacific leaders want to know that the new Australian Government’s improved rhetoric on climate is matched by policy...
The Federal Government recently tabled legislation to establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), a long overdue measure to help restore trust in politics and democracy. The bill is not without criticism however, there are concerns that the threshold for holding...
The $240 billion Stage 3 Tax Cuts, originally legislated by the Coalition government, have been described by the Labor government as an election promise they won't break. But calls are growing for the cuts to be scrapped, having been labelled...
Labor’s climate bill cleared the Senate last week. It’s a pretty modest bill, and doesn’t include any measures to actually reduce emissions in the private sector. That’s where the Safeguard Mechanism comes in – which is a voluntary scheme that...
This week on Follow the Money Ebony is sitting down with Greg Jericho to discuss the Jobs Summit: what happened, why was it needed, and are we going to get any jobs out of it? This was recorded on Tuesday 6th...
In this episode we're unpacking something a little different, something a bit outside our usual discussion about the economy. As Defence Minister Richard Marles lifts Peter Dutton’s ban on some charity and diversity events in Defence, we dive into the...
Just who is winning and who is getting left behind in the current Australian economy?
New research by the Australia Institute shows that $5.9 billion in fuel costs would have been saved and emissions equivalent to a...
Join First Nations leaders Pat Anderson AO and Professor Megan Davis for a conversation about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and...
We are nearly at the end of the first sitting fortnight of the 47th Parliament, and it has been a packed agenda. This week we're...
Why is everything so expensive? And will a wage increase just make it worse? New research shows that only a trivial portion of...
For this special live episode of Follow the Money, the panel will be discussing: A New Agenda for a New Parliament: Climate Action,...
Join Nobel Laureate, former World Bank Chief Economist, and best-selling author Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz, in conversation with...