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

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

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.

November 2022

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

October 2022

Where’s the middle (income)?

featuring Ebony Bennett, Eliza Littleton and Matt Grudnoff

As pressure builds for the Albanese government to scrap the promised Stage Three tax cuts, discussion has shifted around who would lose out. The Australian said it would mean “2.5 million middle income Australians will pay thousands of dollars in additional tax,” but describes middle income Australians as individuals earning between $120,000 and $160,000 a

September 2022

Safeguarding the ability to increase emissions

featuring Ebony Bennett and Polly Hemming

Labor’s climate bill cleared the Senate last week. It’s a pretty modest bill, and doesn’t include any measures to actually reduce emissions in the private sector. That’s where the Safeguard Mechanism comes in – which is a voluntary scheme that affects the nation’s biggest industrial emitters, and is the Government’s main policy it will use

August 2022

Uluru Statement from the Heart: Sydney Peace Prize winner [webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett

Join First Nations leaders Pat Anderson AO and Professor Megan Davis for a conversation about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its three objectives: a Voice to Parliament, Treaty, and Truth. A webinar in partnership with the Sydney Peace Foundation. This was recorded on Wednesday 3rd August 2022 and things may have changed since

The First Fortnight of the 47th Parliament

featuring Ebony Bennett and Bill Browne

We are nearly at the end of the first sitting fortnight of the 47th Parliament, and it has been a packed agenda. This week we’re unpacking quick recap of how much things have changed in this new Parliament, and what changes are likely on the horizon. This was recorded live on Wednesday 3rd August 2022

July 2022

Follow the Money LIVE!

For this special live episode of Follow the Money, the panel will be discussing: A New Agenda for a New Parliament: Climate Action, International Affairs & Integrity – Yes Please! bringing together diverse knowledge on all fronts of climate & energy, international & security affairs, and integrity issues. This was recorded on Wednesday 13th July

Joseph E. Stiglitz: The Role of Government in the Modern Economy [Webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

Join Nobel Laureate, former World Bank Chief Economist, and best-selling author Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz, in conversation with Australia Institute chief economist Dr Richard Denniss, about the need to expand the role of governments, unions, and civil society. Professor Stiglitz is visiting Australia as a guest of the Australia Institute. This was recorded on 11th

June 2022

Introducing ‘Civility’

featuring Peter Lewis

This week’s Burning Platforms will introduce ‘Civility’ – a new collaborative platform designed to create better public engagement. Recorded live 10th June 2022. With our regular panelists: Peter Lewis, Director of The Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology Lizzie O’Shea, Chair of Digital Rights Watch and new panelist: David Swan, Technology Editor at The Australian Special guest:

Phasing out Fossil Fuels with Adam Bandt [webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richie Merzian

Australia cannot solve the climate crisis while we keep opening new gas fields and coal mines. In this episode we’re listening back to our webinar with Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP for a discussion about how Australia can rapidly transition to a clean energy economy and move beyond fossil fuels. This was recorded on Thursday

May 2022

How do Nordic countries make housing affordable?

featuring Ebony Bennett and Andrew Scott

Australia’s housing affordability crisis results from over- reliance on just two options – private home ownership and private renting. To tackle it, a wider repertoire of policies is required. Nordic nations’ widespread provision of public housing and housing co-operatives, priority for homes to live in rather than invest in, and effective reduction of homelessness, show

April 2022

Deus Ex Machina

featuring Peter Lewis

Humans embrace technology with a child-like optimism, but what are the threats Artificial Intelligence poses our society if its impacts are not thought through? Burning Platforms dives deep into the amorality of AI with a special discussion with Professor Toby Walsh, author of the new book ‘Machines Behaving Badly’. Recorded live 29th April 2022. Regular

Are we addicted to tech?

featuring Peter Lewis

On this week’s burning Platforms we dive deep into digital addiction: are we being played? And what can we do to get ourselves off the bad stuff? Recorded live 14th April 2022 Regular panelists: Peter Lewis, Director of The Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology Lizzie O’Shea, Chair of Digital Rights Watch Dan Stinton, Managing

Unpacking the 2022 Federal Budget

This week on Follow the Money we’re unpacking the 2022 Federal Budget. Who are the winners and losers, and what does it all mean with an election looming? Recorded live on 31st March 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett

Pandemic tech

featuring Peter Lewis

After turning to new technology in a public health crisis we now face critical questions in what a new surveillance normal looks like. Special guest Dhakshayini Sooriyakumaran from Reset joins the panel to ask whether we are ready to learn the lessons of 9/11 before a new tech paradigm takes hold. Recorded live 1st April 2022.