The COVID recession will leave Australia permanently poorer and its population smaller than it otherwise would have been. But are there choices we can make that will help us catch up? Plus a catch-up on the recent economic numbers after our break and the AICD's latest Director Sentiment Index.

The budget heralds a new fiscal era, according to Mark. We look at the record debt and deficit numbers, the 'heroic' forecasts and the policies the government is betting on to restore growth.

What is a K-shaped recovery and are we in one? Plus we preview the budget that Prime Minister Morrison is calling the most important since World War II.

On our 50th episode, we ask whether October's budget or even lower interest rates can supercharge the recovery, which the RBA is describing as a 'slow grind'. Plus disappointing payroll jobs numbers, falling retail sales and Paul Keating gives the RBA a spray.

Surprise good news on the jobs front with unemployment falling below 7 per cent for the first time since the pandemic started. So where are the jobs coming from? Plus house prices, the US fed commits to not lifting interest rates for the long haul, New Zealand goes into recession and the effect unemployment on sleep.

With new data out on the Australian corporate footprint overseas, we ask what's the future of the foreign outpost in a post-pandemic world. Plus a speed round on this week's economic data.

The US Federal Reserve has changed the way it makes monetary policy decisions for the world's largest economy. Its former chair Janet Yellen said that the changes would appear subtle to most "normal human beings". So why is it such a big deal for economists? Plus the latest quarterly GDP numbers put Australia officially in its first recession in three decades.

This episode was recorded on 3 September.

The Federal government looks to curb China's influence in the states, plus the Victorian situation continues to take its toll on jobs and investment.

We look at the latest GDP data from Scandinavia and ask whether Sweden has gotten the benefit of a more lenient approach to lockdowns. Plus RBA Governor Philip Lowe responds to his critics.

The Victorian second wave seems to have passed its peak but the lockdown continues to weigh down confidence, the RBA's new set of downbeat forecasts and wages growth slows to record lows. Apologies for the *dismal* audio quality on this one. We had some home technical problems in the home studios this week.