Follow the Money
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.
Does the government understand its own hate laws?
The government passed new gun control and hate speech legislation in a special parliamentary sitting, but what impact will they have on Australian democracy?
Parliament returning early to debate new anti-hate & gun laws
Richard Denniss discusses the government’s response to the Bondi terrorist attacks, the chaos of the Trump administration and how to protect Australia’s democracy.
What can be done to fix the PALM scheme? | PALMed Off, Episode 4
What would it take to make the PALM scheme a genuine win-win for Australia and its neighbours?
Is Australia failing its duty of care? | PALMed Off, Episode 3
PALM visas holders do not get Medicare (outside of a trial limited to 200 people), so what happens when they are injured, get sick or fall pregnant?
Workers are people, not commodities | PALMed Off, Episode 2
Where do the thousands of people who have left the PALM scheme, but stayed in Australia, go? How do they survive without a valid visa and, more importantly, what does the future hold for them?
Modern slavery in Australia? | PALMed Off, Episode 1
In this summer mini-series, we examine the Australian guestworker program that could be putting people from Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste at risk of modern slavery.
December 2025
Will Canada follow Australia’s disastrous path on gas?
Traditional custodians are fighting back against climate-destroying gas developments being rammed through by Canadian governments.
Highway to hell? Reversing the decline of Australian music
These days, Aussie music is falling out of the charts, leaving local acts wondering if they’ll ever see your face again.
November 2025
What have the scientists ever done for us?
Australian scientific discoveries have improved people’s lives and made the economy more productive – so why is the CSIRO being forced to shed workers again?
Mike Rann: how Albanese can leave a brave climate legacy
With brave climate leadership, says former South Australian Premier Mike Rann, Anthony Albanese could leave a lasting legacy similar to Bob Hawke with Medicare, Paul Keating with compulsory superannuation and Kevin Rudd with the apology to the Stolen Generations.
Defending nature with Bob Brown
Protecting Australia’s incredible natural environment from bad policy, spurred on corporate interests and a hostile media, can sometimes feel like an impossible task. But sometimes, people power wins out.
A broken university system is letting Australia down
Poor governance, poor policy and decades of neoliberalism have broken Australia’s university sector, with devastating consequences for students and the country.
October 2025
Mates’ rates and why Australia can’t have nice things
Australia’s natural environment is in crisis and its wealth is disappearing into the hands of a few powerful fossil fuel companies – but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Albanese visits Trump as US democracy circles a golden drain
Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Donald Trump was relatively drama-free, but the devil is in the detail when it comes to the president’s ‘commitments’ on AUKUS and critical minerals.
Fixing Australia’s “arse-backwards” environment laws
Environment laws that don’t stop new gas and coal are like putting screen doors on a submarine.
Australia is a rich country that taxes like a poor one
If Australia just collected the OECD average in tax, the government would have an extra $130 billion a year to spend on essential services like health and education.
Will Australia step up on the global stage?
With the international order changing rapidly, there’s never been a more important time for effective Australian diplomacy.
September 2025
Government still ignoring climate reality
One and a half million Australians could be at risk from rising sea levels, yet the Government continues to approve new climate destroying fossil fuel projects.
AUKUS and Australian sovereignty with Doug Cameron
Former Senator Doug Cameron calls on the federal government to reject “warmongering” and abandon the AUKUS deal.
No right to know?
The government’s proposed changes to freedom of information laws represent a “serious attack” on Australia’s democracy, according to former Senator Rex Patrick.
Will AI kill traditional media?
With large language models threatening to swamp Australia’s traditional media, a little bit of government funding could go a long way to protect public interest journalism.
August 2025
Big Gas’ greed is killing Australian manufacturers
The colossal price rises on the east coast, brought on by excessive gas exports, have been a disaster for Australian manufacturers and households.
Tax the wealthiest to make Australia more productive
The Prime Minister hosed down expectations ahead of the economic roundtable, but a serious reform package must include changes to tax policy.
How political pragmatism is killing us with Richard Denniss
The search for the “sensible centre” in Australia politics is pointless and flies in the face of evidence, says Richard Denniss.
Australians march for Palestine as Trump shoots the messenger
On this special crossover episode of Follow the Money and After America, Dr Emma Shortis joins Glenn Connley to discuss the Australian protests calling for more action to protect Palestinians, the momentum against the troubled AUKUS submarine pact, and Trump’s decision to fire his chief of labour statistics after job growth slowed. This discussion was
July 2025
Australia’s gun laws aren’t as strong as you think
Nearly three decades after the Port Arthur massacre, there are more guns than ever before in Australia and there is still no national firearms register.
Australians aren’t afraid of power-sharing parliaments
Tasmanians have returned another power-sharing parliament – it’s now up to the major parties to make it work.
“Out of patience”: it’s time to fix the housing crisis
Amy Remeikis and Matt Grudnoff preview the first parliamentary sitting week.
Their fair share: the tax debate we need to have
By limiting generous tax concessions for the wealthy and collecting revenue from Australia’s natural resources, the Government could fund health and education systems that work properly.
A matter of preference
Labor won big and the Coalition got “smashed”, but the major parties have never been more reliant on preferences.
General Enquiries
Emily Bird Office Manager
mail@australiainstitute.org.au
Media Enquiries
Glenn Connley Senior Media Advisor
