Regional patterns of Australia’s economy and population

In the past year, Australians have been navigating the rising cost of living, including increased electricity and gas bills. One tool which gives us an insight into electricity prices for the next financial year is the default market offer (DMO), a draft of which has recently been released by the Australian Energy Regulator. The DMO suggests electricity prices will rise by an average of 20 per cent in the coming year. In this podcast, Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Program Director, and Alison Reeve, Energy and Climate Deputy Program Director, discuss what the DMO means for electricity prices and consumers, in a conversation facilitated by Esther Suckling, Associate.

19 Mars 202321min

The Albanese government has declared that they will increase the earnings tax rate on super accounts with a balance of over $3 million, much to the chagrin of the wealthy. While this has made prime fodder for comedians to mock the rich, there’s a more serious issue at play here. Super tax breaks need reform, and the budget deficits need to be repaired. Watch Economic Policy Program Director Brendan Coates, Senior Associate Joey Moloney, and host Kat Clay, discuss whether the government should be cutting tax breaks on multi-million dollar super balances. Read the Money in Retirement report https://grattan.edu.au/report/money-in-retirement/

3 Mars 202314min

With tight housing supply in Australia, it’s a landlord’s market, and renters are queuing out the door in a fight to get a lease. But what’s driving this rental nightmare? Is it inflation? Housing availability? The Phillip Lowe effect? This rental nightmare raises even bigger questions for Australia: whether we can fix housing. Because the impacts aren’t just on buildings – there are very real effects on tenants, especially women, seniors, and low-income earners. Listen to host Kat Clay, in conversation with Trent Wiltshire, Deputy Program Director and Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, about what's causing Australia's nightmare rental market, and whether we can fix it.

26 Feb 202326min

If you step into a newly built school these days, chances are they look very different to your childhood classroom. Instead of a standard classroom with four walls, you’re likely find a large room that contains two or three classes, with no wall to separate them, and ample room for teachers and students to move between the ‘classroom’ spaces. Listen to host Kat Clay in conversation with Senior Associate Anika Stobart, and Education Researcher Brigitte Garbin, about how open-plan classrooms might be harming our children's learning. Read the article discussed: https://grattan.edu.au/news/faddish-classroom-design-may-be-harming-our-children/

19 Feb 202312min

It’s a long way to the top if you want to reform the Australian health system. Prime Minister Albanese has promised an Australian Centre for Disease Control, and it’s the subject of our new report ACDC: Highway to health. While the call for an ACDC comes out of the wake of the pandemic, you’d be forgiven for thinking its role is to deal with infection control. But Grattan's report focusses on the ACDC’s role to prevent chronic diseases. Report authors Peter Breadon, Program Director, and Lachie Fox, Associate, discuss the broader role of the ACDC with host Kat Clay. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/acdc-highway-to-health/

12 Feb 202322min

Fuel tax – you might not know much about it, but winding back the 8 billion a year in fuel tax credits given to businesses could reduce the budget deficit by 4 billion dollars. Listen as host Kat Clay, interviews Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, and Natasha Bradshaw, Associate, on their latest report, Fuelling budget repair: How to reform fuel taxes for business. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/fuelling-budget-repair/

5 Feb 202317min

A small crack in children’s foundational learning can be exacerbated as the years go on. Unless it’s addressed quickly, children get stuck in a vicious cycle, falling further and further behind their counterparts. Which is where small-group tuition comes in. Featuring host Kat Clay, with Julie Sonnemann, Principal Advisor, and Anika Stobart, Senior Associate. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/tackling-under-achievement/

29 Jan 202319min

Listen to Grattan CEO Danielle Wood in conversation with renowned journalist Eleanor Hall, as they discuss Grattan's top six thought-provoking, compelling, and relevant books from 2022. It’s been an extraordinary year, and these are extraordinary reads – not only for the Prime Minister, but for all Australians interested in public policy. Danielle and Eleanor were introduced by the CEO of State Library Victoria, Paul Duldig, and joined by the authors of three of these wonderful books, Debra Dank, Sam Vincent, and Jessica Au. The Grattan Institute 2022 Summer Reading List for the Prime Minister is: Career & Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey toward Equity – Claudia Goldin We Come With This Place – Debra Dank My Father and Other Animals – Sam Vincent Cold Enough for Snow – Jessica Au Buried Treasure – Jo Chandler (in the Griffith Review) Healing: Our path from mental illness to mental health – Thomas Insel Read more about the books: https://grattan.edu.au/news/announcing-grattan-institutes-2022-prime-ministers-summer-reading-list/ Purchase the books from Readings: https://www.readings.com.au/collections/grattan-institute-prime-ministers-summer-reading-list-2022#

12 Dec 20221h 27min