Follow the Money // Law, Society & Culture

The Australia Institute’s Follow the Money podcast explains Australia’s big economic issues in plain English. We bust myths, dissect politics, interpret econobabble and help you sound really smart at your next dinner party, with host Ebony Bennett.

March 2021

What women want

featuring Ebony Bennett and Eliza Littleton

When it comes to addressing the systemic issues which are impacting Australian women’s everyday lives, it often feels like the problems are big and impossible to tackle. In today’s episode, Australia Institute research economist Eliza Littleton outlines 8 practical things that Prime Minister Scott Morrison could do right now to remove barriers to women’s equality

The crisis in aged care and why we need to talk about revenue

featuring Ebony Bennett and Matt Grudnoff

The findings of the Aged Care Royal Commission are shocking but not surprising. Among the recommendations is the call for an effective 1% increase in the Medicare levy, or a new Medicare-style Aged Care levy which could be applied progressively based on income, to create the revenue required to fund an aged care system with

February 2021

The Facebook News Blackout and the News Media Bargaining Code

featuring Ebony Bennett and Peter Lewis

When Facebook banned Australian news and information from its platform — as well as the pages of many charities, community groups and government departments — in an attempt to avoid regulation, it may have been the first time many Australians had heard of the news media bargaining code. So in this week’s episode we unpack what the code is, what it does, why it’s necessary and what happens next.

Google and the use and abuse of economic modelling

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

In its efforts to avoid regulation, Google commissioned economic modelling showing that Google providing tens of billions of dollars in benefits to Australia – but the figures quickly fell apart on closer inspection from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology. In this episode, chief economist Richard Denniss talks us through some of the assumptions

January 2021

Summer special: How Childcare Reforms Could Help Power the Economic Recovery with Jay Weatherill and Kate Carnell

featuring Ebony Bennett

In our summer special series, we bring you some of our favourite guests from the Australia Institute’s webinar series in 2020. In this episode, host Ebony Bennett talks to Jay Weatherill, Kate Carnell and Richard Denniss about how an affordable, accessible early learning system could help power Australia’s economic recovery. The full webinar is available

December 2020

An unprecedented year: reflecting on 2020 with Richard Denniss

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

Let’s face it, 2020 has been a bit of a nightmare. This week, in our final episode of the year, Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss revisit some of the Australia Institute’s predictions back in March 2020 and reflect on the way Australia’s economy and politics have changed this year in response to the pandemic. Mild

Digital Giants, Market Power and Media Diversity

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

Australia’s news media is one of the most highly concentrated in the world. Since 2019, more than 157 newsrooms have closed in Australia and many local, community and rural newspapers have ceased printing or gone digital only. It was in this climate that in 2018 the federal government tasked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

August 2020

How Neoliberalism is Spreading Covid-19

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

In this episode we talk to Dr Richard Denniss about the role of neoliberalism in spreading Covid-19 and how decades of privatisations, outsourcing and cuts to government spending have left Australia vulnerable during this pandemic.The Australia Institute // @theAUSInstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests: Richard Dennis, chief economist at the Australia

The View From ICU

featuring Ebony Bennett

One of the main goals of public health around the world has been to prevent the number of severe cases from overwhelming the hospitals and the health system. We know that severe cases of Covid require intensive care and respirators, but as a novel virus with no vaccine or treatments, clinicians are learning on the

Why TAFE is critical to economic recovery

featuring Ebony Bennett and Alison Pennington

The Morrison government has said it will increase investment in skills and training if the states and territories sign up to an overhaul of the Vocational Education and Training sector. ACTU President Michele O’Neil, Correna Haythorpe, federal president of the AEU and Alison Pennington, senior economist at the Centre for Future Work at the Australia

Julia Gillard on the pandemic, mental health and beyond

featuring Ebony Bennett and Ben Oquist

Julia Gillard, chair of Beyond Blue and the former Prime Minister of Australia talks about mental health, women in leadership, the importance of government and she looks back on the legacy of the carbon price implemented by her government ten years ago. Recorded live on 5 August as part of the Australia Institute’s Economics of

July 2020

Let it rip

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

Some economists have renewed calls to lift restrictions and simply ‘let it rip’, that is to let Covid-19 rip through the population in order to protect the economy. But are economist the right people to ask about this? In this episode we explore the limits of economics with chief economist at the Australia Institute Richard

Unpacking the Mini-Budget: What you need to know

featuring Ebony Bennett, Richard Denniss and Matt Grudnoff

In this episode, Richard Denniss and Matt Grudnoff, chief and senior economists at the Australia Institute unpack what you need to know about the Mini-Budget delivered by the Treasurer and answer your questions. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Host: Ebony Bennett, deputy director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Guests: Richard Denniss, chief economist at

June 2020

The success of the Aboriginal-led health response to the pandemic

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are amongst the most vulnerable to the threat of Covid-19, but the Aboriginal-led community controlled health response has been a huge public health success. How did they do it? Host: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Guests: Lesley Nelson, CEO of South West Aboriginal Medical Service Professor

The Reconstruction – building back better with Richard Denniss

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

The Australia Institute’s chief economist Richard Denniss launched The Reconstruction Memorandum, to step back and look at the big picture on how Australia can put people first and create an economic reconstruction that delivers lasting benefits as we recover from the Covid-19 recession.Visit tai.org.au for our latest pandemic economic research and analysis // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of

Protecting workers as the Economy Re-Opens with Sally McManus

featuring Ebony Bennett and Jim Stanford

The pandemic exposed a lot of the problems with our labour market, including the risks of the rise of precarious and insecure work. Today we’re bringing you another guest from our ‘Economics of a Pandemic’ webinar series: Sally McManus, Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions in conversation with Jim Stanford, economist and director

May 2020

Black holes and Keynesians

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

The government has been talking as if it understood Keynesian economics, but its reaction to the $60 billion JobKeeper black hole shows they clearly do not think or act like Keynesians. Richard Denniss unpacks the spectacular failure of policy and accountability, as well as explaining what Keynesians economics actually means.Visit tai.org.au for our latest pandemic

The Australian Government response to the pandemic with Greg Hunt

featuring Ebony Bennett

Health Minister Greg Hunt in conversation with our chief economist Richard Denniss, as part of the Australia Institute’s Economics of a Pandemic webinar series. This was recorded live on Tuesday 19th May 2020 and things may have changed since recording.Note: Due to some technical difficulties, the Minister joined the webinar a few minutes late, so

The International Pandemic Response with Helen Clark

featuring Allan Behm and Ebony Bennett

Australia and New Zealand have had a lot of success in managing this pandemic, but that has not been the case internationally and we’ve seen a range of responses from international governments. This episode is from one of our ‘Economics of a pandemic’ webinar series, featuring Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand

The public health response with Professor Peter Doherty

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

In this episode we’re privileged to bring you some special guests from our ‘Economics of a Pandemic webinar series: immunologist and Nobel Prize Laureate Professor Peter Doherty and our chief economist Richard Denniss talking about the public health response to Covid-19.Professor Peter Doherty was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with Rolf

Working From Home: tracky dacks and keystroke surveillance

featuring Ebony Bennett and Alison Pennington

Working from home has great potential to cushion the economic blow of the pandemic: allowing many to keep working and earning an income. But there are also many challenges and risks associated with this major shift in work patterns. So to unpack the implications of everything from Orwellian surveillance programs to the joys of working

April 2020

Inequality in a Pandemic with Professor Joseph Stiglitz Nobel Laureate economist

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

To discuss Inequality in a Pandemic, The Australia Institute is privileged to bring you some very special guests from our ‘Economics of a Pandemic webinar series: Nobel Prize laureate economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz, ALP National President Wayne Swan and our chief economist Dr Richard Denniss.Part of the Australia Institute’s ‘Economics of a Pandemic’ webinar series.

After the Crisis with Jim Chalmers

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richard Denniss

It’s not too early to start thinking about how we rebuild the economy after the crisis. Hear Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers discuss why ‘snapback’ just won’t cut it, as part of the Australia Institute’s ‘Economics of a Pandemic’ webinar series. Recorded live on Wednesday 29 April 2020.Jim Chalmers’ Guardian article is here.Language warning – an