Modi, the Quad, and the latest on AUKUS

featuring Ebony Bennett and Allan Behm

From Narendra Modi’s recent visit, to the cancelled Quad summit meeting, to new developments in the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement, it’s been a busy few weeks in international relations for Australia. This was recorded on Wednesday 25th May 2023 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Guest: Allan Behm, Director,

PwC Scandal Reveals Problem with Consulting Firms

featuring Ebony Bennett and Bill Browne

The Australian government spends a billion dollars or more each year on consulting firms to complete necessary work, often involving confidential information. But a recent scandal at PricewaterhouseCooper has racked the consulting industry, undermining public trust in the system. This was recorded on Tuesday 16th May 2023 and things may have changed since recording. The

Bread and Surpluses: What you need to know about the Budget

The Albanese Government has handed down its 2023-24 Federal Budget, and it contains positive measures like a 15% pay rise for aged care workers, the minimal increases to welfare, and deferral of any change to the Stage 3 tax cuts, confirm that change is going to be incremental and slow. This was recorded on Wednesday

Funding our own Destruction

Despite fossil fuel usage contributing to the destruction of our climate, the Australian government still hands out billions every year in fossil fuel subsidies. But where is the money going, and how much is being spent exactly? This was recorded on Tuesday 2nd May 2023 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute

April 2023

The Great Gas Rip-off

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

The PRRT, or Petroleum Resource Rent Tax, is a tax on profits of petroleum products, including crude oil and petroleum gas. But through accounting tricks and loopholes, gas corporations are avoiding paying their fair share of tax. Research mentioned: https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/reforming-the-petroleum-resource-rent-tax/ This was recorded on Monday 19th April 2023 and things may have changed since recording.

The economy’s still growing, so why does it feel like you’re falling behind?

featuring Ebony Bennett and Matt Grudnoff

No, it’s not just inflation. Since the GFC, there has been a radical reversal in who benefits from economic growth. Back in the 1950s, the bottom 90% of income earners enjoyed around 90% of the benefits of the economic growth, but not anymore. So what has happened? This was recorded on Tuesday 11th April 2023 and things may

Aston By-election Explained

featuring Ebony Bennett

The recent by-election in Aston was historic, with Labor candidate Mary Doyle claiming victory. But what can we learn from these results? Political analyst Kos Samaras joins the podcast to explain. This was recorded on Tuesday 4th March 2023 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Guest: Kos Samaras, Political

March 2023

Safeguard Mechanism: Everything You Need to Know

On Monday, Greens leader Adam Bandt announced that a deal had been reached with the government to pass Safeguard Mechanism with some key amendments. Richard Denniss is just back from Parliament House to help explain the deal and what it means for Australia’s emissions. This was recorded on Monday 27th March 2023 and things may

Interest Rates are Sky-High, Who’s to Blame?

featuring Greg Jericho and Ebony Bennett

Australians are doing it tough at the moment, with cost of living soaring, real wages falling at a record pace, and the RBA’s nine back-to-back interest rate rises only making things harder, all in the name of reducing inflation. Some commentators are warning of a ‘wage price spiral’. But what is really driving inflation? This

February 2023

What is Climate Integrity?

featuring Polly Hemming

The Climate Integrity Summit 2023 brought together leading experts to discuss and address integrity risks that could jeopardise Australia’s emissions reduction policies. The Australia Institute’s Polly Hemming unpacked what climate integrity really is, and why it is the antidote to the Australian government’s state-sponsored greenwash. This was recorded on Wednesday 15th February 2023 and things

How to Not Waste $300 Billion

featuring Ebony Bennett and Greg Jericho

The new ‘Build Your Own Budget’ tool released by the Parliamentary Budget Office reveals that despite how all-or-nothing the debate about the Stage 3 tax cuts has become, the $300bn cost of the tax cuts over 9 years provides an opportunity for the Albanese government to amend the tax cuts and also increase support for

January 2023

Summer Series – Offsetting Us Up To Fail: The myths of ‘nature markets’ explained [Webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett, Richard Denniss and Polly Hemming

Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. Australian governments have committed to tackling the twin climate and biodiversity crises but continue to subsidise and approve fossil fuels and habitat destruction. While simple policy solutions exist, governments are instead relying on over-complicated market-based solutions to conceal the

Summer Series – Pulling the Climate trigger: Environment Laws Fit for a Crisis [Webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richie Merzian

Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. Last year, the Greens introduced a bill to establish a ‘climate trigger’ in Australia’s environment laws which would force the government to take into account the climate impacts of fossil fuel projects. This was recorded on Wednesday 21st September

Summer Series – Regional Climate Diplomacy Forum 2022 [Webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richie Merzian

Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. Pacific Island nations are on the front line of climate change, and as Australia celebrates the passage of the 43% climate bill, Pacific leaders want to know that the new Australian Government’s improved rhetoric on climate is matched by

Summer Series – The Integrity Election [Webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett, Ben Oquist and Bill Browne

Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. The Federal Election earlier this year was considered by many to be the Integrity Election, with many including the Teal independents campaigning on integrity issues, including a federal anti-corruption commission. In retrospect, these issues won many new seats, and

December 2022

Summer Series – Joseph Stiglitz: The Role of Government in the Modern Economy [Webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. Earlier in the year the Australia Institute hosted Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz for a speaking tour of Australia. In this episode he, Richard, and Ebony discussed the need to expand the role of governments, unions, and civil society.

Summer Series – Lone Wolf: Albanese and the New Politics with Katharine Murphy [Webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett

Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars in 2022. A prime minister in the making, and a nation on the move. In Lone Wolf, Katharine Murphy offers a new portrait of Anthony Albanese. She reveals a leaderwho has always had to think three steps ahead, who was an insurgent for

End of Year Wrap-Up! 2022

featuring Ebony Bennett

It goes without saying, but 2022 was a hell of a year, from war in Europe, to a federal election, two state elections, two budgets, and the death of Queen Elizbeth. To refresh your memories, Ebony is taking a look back at the year, and all the chaos and progress it brought. This was recorded

Minority Report

featuring Mark Dean

This week*, Duncan and Mark review 2002’s Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise along with Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow (a regular on this podcast) and Neal McDonough. This is a film loosely based on Isaac Asimov’s short story The Minority Report. Seriously, by loosely we mean that the

Shining a Light on Cronyism

featuring Ebony Bennett, Bill Browne and Deb Wilkinson

A report from the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program represents the largest and most comprehensive domestic study of the practice of cronyism in relation to appointments to a government agency ever conducted in Australia. This was recorded on Wednesday 12th October 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute

November 2022

Wall-E

featuring Mark Dean

What happens when your pet dog has a disagreement with your laptop? You can’t publish this week’s episode last week like you were supposed to! Despite the delay (we’re very sorry, comrades), it’s Wall-E time! And what perfect timing given recent events – Wall-E depicts an idiotic future that only someone like Elon Musk could

Three’s Company: What is multi-employer bargaining?

featuring Fiona Macdonald and Lily Raynes

To combat persistently low wages growth, the Government has put forward its Secure Jobs Better Pay Bill, currently before the Senate. The most contentious reform within the Bill is ‘multi-employer bargaining’. We’ve heard employer groups call it a ‘seismic shift that will increase strikes’. On the other hand, unions are calling the reforms moderate. What