Grattan Institute

School principals can make a big impact. A highly effective principal can raise student achievement by up to seven months a year for a typical student, and even more for a disadvantaged student. But running a school well is a difficult job-just ask any principal. Schools are complex organisations. The average secondary school principal manages a budget of more than $15 million, which is more than the turnover of 98 per cent of Australian businesses. And Australia expects each one of its schools to provide an excellent education for every child. But governments have radically underestimated how hard this is for schools to achieve. The result is that schools often feel poorly supported in their work. Our latest education report, Spreading success: Why Australia should trial multi-school organisations, delves into the question of how we best support schools to improve. This podcast discusses the new report with authors Jordana Hunter, Amy Haywood, and Nick Parkinson. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/spreading-success-why-australia-should-trial-multi-school-organisations/

17 Mar 202421min

The release of Australian gender pay gap data by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has highlighted the big discrepancies in women's salaries, the absence of women in traditionally male dominated industries, and the lack of women in senior management of many major businesses. But while the release of this data has sparked a national discussion on why women are often paid less, there's more nuance to this story than what first appears. Equity expert Natasha Bradshaw breaks down what the gender pay gap data shows, and what we can expect next in light of these revelations. Hosted by Kat Clay. Helpful links WGEA Data Explorer https://t.co/IKTGpk7mEE WGEA Gender Pay Gaps Snapshot https://buff.ly/3TkuYEQ WGEA interactive: https://buff.ly/49YnWuW The publication of the gender pay gap is coming. Here's what you need to know - Article by Natasha Bradshaw https://buff.ly/49ZFDKT

4 Mar 202426min

Rents keep going up and up, and it doesn't seem like a reprieve is coming any time soon. The Reserve Bank has indicated that rent inflation is likely to remain high over the year ahead, before easing gradually. But with a federal election looming on the horizon, the government will be looking for answers, and fast. Listen to housing experts, Joey Moloney and Esther Suckling, discuss why 2024 might just be the year of the renter with host Kat Clay. Correction: Esther Suckling comments that Victoria, the ACT, South Australia, and Queensland have banned no grounds evictions after the first fixed contract lease. To clarify, SA and the ACT have banned no grounds evictions comprehensively; Victoria has banned them after the first fixed-term lease, and Queensland allows them after every fixed-term lease. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/ Read the article: https://grattan.edu.au/news/2024-year-of-the-renter/

26 Feb 202430min

Australia has a reading problem. A third of children can't read proficiently. In the typical Australian school classroom of 24 students, eight can't read well. This has huge flow on effects for their success in life and costs Australia billions of dollars. And the worst thing is, it's preventable. In this podcast, report authors Jordana Hunter and Anika Stobart discuss The Reading Guarantee: How to give every child the best chance for success, and offer a new plan of how to reform reading education in Australia. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/reading-guarantee/ Transcript available on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/news/why-australia-needs-a-reading-guarantee/

12 Feb 202423min

Each year Grattan selects its best books of the past 12 months as recommended reading for the Prime Minister and all Australians over the summer holidays. In this summer series, we discuss some of the works on the list with the people who wrote them. In this special podcast, Hannah Orban and Alastair McEwin discuss the Quarterly Essay, Lifeboat: Disability, Humanity, and the NDIS, with author Micheline Lee. The essay explains what it's like to live with disability in Australia, the big improvements that the National Disability Insurance Scheme has brought about, and the challenges that remain in accessing and using the NDIS. Read the essay: https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/lifeboat Read the Prime Minister's Summer Reading List: https://grattan.edu.au/news/prime-ministers-summer-reading-list-2023/

4 Feb 202428min

In addition to Grattan Institute’s annual Prime Minister’s Summer Reading List, our Wonks’ List highlights some of the year’s best technical policy reads, for anyone who wants to take a deeper dive. In this special podcast, Senior Associate Natasha Bradshaw discusses the Wonks' List with Associate Elizabeth Baldwin and Health Program Director Peter Breadon. Show notes and references The Wonks' List and our rationale: https://grattan.edu.au/news/wonks-list-2023/ Men. Male-biased sex ratios and masculinity norms: evidence from Australia’s colonial past: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10887-023-09223-x Zero-Sum Thinking and the Roots of U.S. Political Divides: https://www.nber.org/papers/w31688 The rise and fall of peer review: https://www.experimental-history.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-peer-review Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes and Perinatal Health: A Quasi-Experimental Study: https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(23)00158-7/fulltext Swallow This: Childhood and Adolescent Exposure to Fast Food Restaurants, BMI, and Cognitive Ability: https://www.nber.org/papers/w31226 Social Media and Mental Health: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20211218 Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate

21 Jan 202422min

Each year Grattan selects its best books of the past 12 months as recommended reading for the Prime Minister and all Australians over the summer holidays. In this summer series, we discuss some of the works on the list with the people who wrote them. In this special podcast, award-winning Mununjali author, Ellen Van Neerven, discusses their book Personal Score with Grattan associates Esther Suckling and Dominic Jones. The book is an expansive examination of race, gender and sexuality, told through the lens of playing sport. Read the full Prime Minister’s Summer Reading List: https://grattan.edu.au/news/prime-ministers-summer-reading-list-2023/ Read Personal Score: https://www.uqp.com.au/books/personal-score-sport-culture-identity

14 Jan 202423min

Each year Grattan selects its best books of the past 12 months as recommended reading for the Prime Minister and all Australians over the summer holidays. In this special summer series, we discuss some of the works on the list with the people who wrote them. In this special podcast, renowned Australian author Anna Funder discusses her literary non-fiction masterpiece, Wifedom. Hosted by Anika Stobart, Senior Associate, and Amy Haywood, Education Deputy Program Director. Read the full Prime Minister's Summer Reading List: https://grattan.edu.au/news/prime-ministers-summer-reading-list-2023/ Purchase Wifedom by Anna Funder: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/wifedom-9780143787112

7 Jan 202432min