The latest economic figures suggest we're not in a recession. But new ABS data shows our overall life satisfaction is in decline. So which numbers should we trust?

For decades, governments have spent billions in hidden tax concessions that largely favour the ultra-wealthy. How did they get there?

Would cutting tobacco tax weaken a dangerous black market - or reverse decades of progress in reducing smoking deaths?

This week Labor touched the third rail of Australian politics: wealth and tax. Can it survive the backlash?

What does the federal budget really do for Australia’s housing crisis? Peter Martin from The Economy, Stupid joins Anthony Burke from By Design to examine whether changes to tax settings will make it any easier to buy a home.

Peter Martin is an economist and the host of The Economy, Stupid, a weekly guide to the world of business, economics and finance. Listen to The Economy, Stupid here.

When RBA governor Michele Bullock announced the third consecutive interest rate rise this week, she acknowledged the real-world suffering that would result.

But just how much pain is too much? And is there a better way?

Inflation has surged to its highest level in years, driven by soaring fuel prices, higher energy costs and global instability.

For households already squeezed by rate rises, the pressure is mounting. Is this a short‑term shock the Reserve Bank can look through or the start of another prolonged inflation fight?

What happens next for interest rates, wages, jobs, and the economy as a whole just one week before the Budget?

Guests:Diana Mousina, Deputy Chief Economist, AMPDavid Bassanese, Chief Economist, BetaShares

Show links:

See how the price of everything has changed, ABC News StoryLab, March 30, 2026

Consumer Price Index, Australian Bureau of Statistics, March 29, 2026

Why the official inflation rate feels wrong, The Economy Stupid, October 30, 2025

Stagflation is about to push unemployment higher: here's what to expect, The Economy Stupid, March 26, 2026

Australians might expect to benefit from the global rush on our natural gas resources. But will we?

Petrol prices are up, car use is down, public transport and electric cars are booming, yet Australians are buying petrol more often than ever. Bank data shows panic topping‑up, driven by fear, not need. In this episode of The Economy, Stupid, we explain why fuel demand barely shifts with price and what it will take to finally break our dependence on petrol and diesel.

Guests:

Adam Triggs, Economist at consultancy Mandala; Researcher at the Australian National University and the Brookings Institution.

Paul Burke, Energy specialist and long‑time researcher at the Australian National University.

You know what they say about a crisis, suddenly, all sorts of things become possible. During the COVID crisis, the government doubled Newstart, paid wage bills, and allowed access to super - things that had almost no chance of happening. Right now, with the budget just weeks away in the midst of a crisis almost anything is on the table. What may that include?

Guests:

Tom Crowley, ABC economics reporter. 

Bob Breunig, tax expert.