As the dust settles on this year’s federal budget, the Fifth Estate turns its eye to matters economic with Ross Gittins, economics editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, and public policy experts Miriam Lyons and Ian McAuley.

While the Federal Government expects to spend more in 2015 than at the height of the global financial crisis, it appears that well-funded health and higher education are inching further out of reach – not to mention an economy that addresses climate change or the growing divide between rich and poor.

Must the ‘path back to surplus’ entail a leaner, meaner government? Doesn’t public sector involvement make sound economics? What is the role of government in Australia today?

Join Sally Warhaft and guests as they illuminate the complexities and contradictions of the modern economy – and its effects on our daily lives.

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