Australia’s unemployment rate is at 4.2% - the lowest in more than a decade. And it’s not too far off slipping below 4%, something that hasn’t happened for half a century.

But who deserves the credit? Economic management during pandemic by the Prime Minister and Reserve Bank governor? Or to quote ACTU Secretary Sally McManus in her tweet, that “the reason why unemployment rates are low is because the borders are closed.”

Senior associates Alex Ballantyne and Will Mackey fact check these assertions on the podcast, using rigorous data evaluation. Hosted by Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications.

Read the article: https://grattan.edu.au/news/shutting-down-migration-did-not-kickstart-the-economy/

Listen to CEO Danielle Wood, with renowned writer Benjamin Law, as they discuss Grattan's top six thought-provoking, compelling, and relevant books from 2021. It was an extraordinary year, and these are extraordinary reads – not only for the Prime Minister, but for all Australians interested in public policy.

With introduction by Angharad Wynne-Jones from State Library Victoria, this podcast features discussions with four of the authors, Kate Holden, Rick Morton, Paige Clark, and Brendan James Murray.

The full list includes:

The Winter Road: A Killing at Croppa Creek, by Kate Holden

The School: The Ups and Downs of One Year in the Classroom, by Brendan James Murray

Truth-Telling: History, Sovereignty, and the Uluru Statement, by Henry Reynolds

On Money, by Rick Morton

System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot, by Rob Reich, Mehran Sahami, and Jeremy M. Weinstein

She Is Haunted, by Paige Clark

For more information visit: https://grattan.edu.au/news/announcing-grattan-institutes-2021-prime-ministers-summer-reading-list/

For many parents, the pandemic has brought into sharp focus the role of teachers, and just how much work they do. Not only are teachers expected to teach their core subjects, but supervise lunchtimes and after-school activities, support students’ mental health, and complete a large amount of administration work – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

For our latest report, Making time for great teaching, our staff surveyed more than 5000 Australian teachers and school leaders, about the impact of these responsibilities on teachers’ time.

The results are dramatic – and here to dig into what they mean for education in Australia, are the authors of the report: Program Director Jordana Hunter, Deputy Program Director Julie Sonnemann, and Associate Rebecca Joiner. Hosted by Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications.

Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/making-time-for-great-teaching-how-better-government-policy-can-help

In May 2021, the Federal Government announced a $18 billion package in response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Eighty thousand additional home care packages were announced to help reduce the significant waiting lists. But has this been enough to help provide care to some of our most vulnerable community members?

Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, and Stephen Duckett, Health and Aged Care Program Director, discuss his new report on how to further improve home care.

The John Button Oration provides the opportunity for a prominent Australian to give a talk on policy in honour of the legacy of John Button. This year the oration was given by Grattan CEO, Danielle Wood, on the topic of The Next Generation’s Australia. We are grateful to the University of Melbourne and the Melbourne School of Government for hosting this event, and Professor John Howe for his introduction.

To read the full text of Danielle's speech, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/news/john-button-oration-the-next-generations-australia/

After years where inflation has been low and stable, suddenly there’s lots of talk about inflation. But how worried should we be? And what does it mean for the Australian economy, for interest rates and for Australian workers’ wages?

Join Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, Alex Ballantyne, Senior Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, as they tackle whether or not we should be worried about inflation.

At COP26, 197 countries signed the Glasgow climate pact, which aims to phase down unabated coal power throughout the world. Find out what happened at COP26 and the impact these decisions will have on Australian climate policy, in a conversation with Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and James Ha, Associate.

Read the Towards Net Zero report series: https://grattan.edu.au/towards-net-zero/

Last week, the Federal Government released their plan to meet Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. It’s a major breakthrough in Australia’s climate war, but is it enough?

Just in time for the Glasgow climate conference COP26, Grattan’s climate change and energy team have released the last report in their report series, Towards net zero: A practical plan for Australia's governments.

On this podcast are Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and James Ha, Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discussing where Australia’s governments should start in the quest for net zero.

To read the report series visit: https://grattan.edu.au/towards-net-zero/

Australians have a passionate love affair with cars. We use them to travel this vast and wide country, to visit friends and family, and carry our tools. Not to mention, do burnouts.

But cars and their by-products also have a detrimental effect on our environment, health and wellbeing. And reducing our emissions from cars is just one of the puzzle pieces in reaching net zero by 2050.

So, what policies can government put in place to make sure Australians can continue to enjoy cars, while reducing the negative social and environmental effects?

To hear about their new report, The Grattan car plan: practical policies for cleaner transport and better cities, join Ingrid Burfurd, Senior Associate, and Lachlan Fox, Graduate Associate, with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, on the Grattan podcast.

Earlier this month, The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, or APRA for short, wrote to home loan lenders across the country to recommend strengthening mortgage lending assessments.

The reason for this? The explosive and rapid increase in housing prices due to extended lockdowns and low-interest rates, and a rapid growth in bank lending to buy them. Households are borrowing more money than ever to reach the extraordinary prices needed to secure a home.

But is this the right move? Who does it help and who does it hurt? And will it be enough to restrain a market that doesn’t show signs of slowing down any time soon. Or are there more changes yet to come?

Join Kat Clay, Grattan's Head of Digital Communications, in conversation with Brendan Coates, on how to rein in property prices in Australia, and whether we should.