RadioMMT

We review the Australian Federal Government's 2026 annual budget, and focussed on:The Good: the reversal of neoliberal tax policies that have been driving up property prices since 1999.The Bad: the austerity shown by the government buckling under pressure from the RBA.The Ugly: the way disabled people have been scapegoated to meet imaginary budget balances. ShownotesPublic Money. Public Good.publicmoneypublicgood.net Theme Music Pleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Additional Audio Too Many Things, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Real Estate Mastermind by Phil & the Tiles

Bonds! So very confusing and so misleading. An instrument deliberately used by orthodox, conservative economists to lead us down a very unnecessary garden path. We pull back the misinformation to explain why they probably do more harm than good. Theme MusicPleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck.  Additional AudioToo Many Things, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. The Poor by Jesse Welles

If we understand the federal government does not tax us in order to get its spending money, then why does it tax us at all? Anne and Kev tackle this question with the help of presentations given by Professors John Quiggin and Bill Mitchell at a Queensland Fabians event. Shownotes Public Money. Public Good. PM Exceeded Cabinet Decision by Paul Malone(The Canberra Times, 4 December 1984) Tax Innovation - Australian Fabians Theme MusicPleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck.  Additional Audio Too Many Things, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Humanity (Love the Way It Should Be)by John Legend & The Roots

Standing in line for hours to get your government-issued potato? Or enjoying a fantastic work-life balance on a 3-day work week? Student of ecological economics, Harry Rosson, joins Anne for a conversation about de-growth. But first we had to strike down some of those hoary old debt-monsters. ShownotesPublic Money. Public Good.publicmoneypublicgood.net How popular is ecosocialist transformation? (article)by Jason HickelTimothée Parrique (ecological economist) Providing decent living with minimum energy: A global scenario (article)Joel Millward-Hopkinsa, Julia K. Steinbergera, Narasimha D. Raoc, Yannick Oswalda"The current work offers a response to the clichéd populist objection that environmentalists are proposing that we return to living in caves. With tongue firmly in cheek, the response roughly goes ‘Yes, perhaps, but these caves have highly-efficient facilities for cooking, storing food and washing clothes; low-energy lighting throughout; 50 L of clean water supplied per day per person, with 15 L heated to a comfortable bathing temperature; they maintain an air temperature of around 20 °C throughout the year, irrespective of geography; have a computer with access to global ICT networks; are linked to extensive transport networks providing 5000–15,000 km of mobility per person each year via various modes; and are also served by substantially larger caves where universal healthcare is available and others that provide education for everyone between 5 and 19 years old.’ And at the same time, it is possible that the amount of people’s lives that must be spent working would be substantially reduced." Theme MusicPleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Additional Audio Too Many Things, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Dominic Frisby: It's All True - A Song About Conspiracy TheoriesMore, More, More by Bananarama Australia’s Debt Hits $1Trillion — Could This Trigger the Next Financial Crisis? (Prepare Now), Feb 18, 2026Scott Kuru Channel 7: National debt set to surpass $1 trillion‘Spent more than we earned’: Australia’s debt to hit $1 trillionSky News Australia, host Danica De Giorgiowith Eminence Advisory's Dimitri Burshtein Sep 3, 2025 Funny Retro Gaming Music Beatby Alexander BluThe song is permitted for non-commercial use under license “Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)”Dutton, Marles discuss national debt, wage stagnation | 2022 Federal Election | 9 News Australia

Kevin & Katy re-examine banking and credit. What happens when we remove banking from our economic system? Can our economy survive without bank credit? They discuss the lunacy that is monetary policy. The government's bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has decided to steal from the poor and give to the rich, in order to curb inflation by increasing interest rates. This of course, leads into a brief discussion on inflation and why the world as we know it is about to end.   Shownotes Theme MusicPleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck.  Additional Audio Too Many Things, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Germfree Adolescents by X Ray Specs

We have an economy that uses a monetary system to co-ordinate how we make and acquire stuff. And if you have a monetary system, you need banks. Kev and Kent talk about this role banks have, and how their potential to create an economy that works for everyone is so distorted by the profit motive that it sabotages our collective wellbeing.  Shownotes Theme MusicPleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck.  Additional AudioToo Many Things, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. America is Waiting by Brian Eno & David Byrne

We wrap up Kevin's interview with Prof Bill Mitchell, who surmises that capitalism's profit driven agenda is incapable of solving the problems it has created. Capitalism, and its "market-based solutions", cannot provide the urgently needed climate change repair and sustainability.In discussion with Kev, Anne realises that MMT is turning her into a socialist. Anne then hooks into the Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM) over its cognitive dissonance. Show Notes Public Money. Public Good. Workshop. Syd '26 Degrowth, Deep adaptation and MMT (blog)More from Bill Mitchell about degrowth. This is a real problem: Australia’s $1trn debt office in chaosJohn Kehoe (Economics editor)Financial Review, Feb 11, 2026 Review of the Australian Office of Financial Management Theme Music Pleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Additional Audio Rich by Yard Act Too Many Things, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck.

We continue our conversation with Professor Bill Mitchell, and explore where money comes from, and the fiscal capacity (ability to spend) of a currency issuing government.Unusual circumstances often require ideology be laid aside to reveal the real functioning of an economy. To this end we discuss the origins of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in the USA, and when this crisis reached Australia, the response of the Australian government under Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd and his Treasurer, Wayne Swan.From here we start a journey into the needed response to the polycrisis faced by all nations.Theme Music Pleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Additional Audio Too Many Things, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Jubilee Street by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Despite the hysteria of mainstream economists, Japan's economy seems to be doing okay. So why does Professor Bill Mitchell (co-founder of Modern Monetary Theory) want to shock the Japanese economy? Bill talks about his ongoing work at Kyoto University, where he is involved with a team of academics who advise the current Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. We discuss the currency-issuing capacity of government, the nature of deficits, and the unusual occurrences of surpluses.  Show Notes Video – Japan at a Crossroads: Fiscal Policy, China, and the GrowthMore about Bill Mitchell's work in Japan, from his blog. Theme Music Pleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Additional Audio Too Many Things, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Funky Kingston by Toots & the Maytals

We all use money. We have some sort of understanding of how to use it and how to lose it. It defines so much of what we can and can't do. But what is it and where does it come from? It turns out that we actually don't have a very good understanding of what money is.Katy and Kev start the conversation and try to figure what money is, and how it's been captured by corporate interests. Show NotesKaty Swain is a student of Modern Money Lab's graduate course in the economics of sustainability. Katy blogs here. Theme Music Pleading Ignorance, by Ed Kuepper, from the album Starstruck. Additional Audio Too Many Things, by Ed Kuepper , from the album Starstruck. Holiday by Confidence Man