Grattan Institute

Vaccines save lives. Yet the likelihood an older Australian is vaccinated varies hugely by GP. For some GPs, 90 per cent of older patients are vaccinated for flu. For others, only 40 per cent are vaccinated. For COVID, shingles and pneumococcal, the gap is even bigger. In this podcast, Peter Breadon, Health Program Director, and Anika Stobart, the Senior Associate, discuss their new report, Patchy protection: How to boost GPs' patient vaccination rates. Hosted by Kat Clay. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/patchy-protection/ Read the 2023 report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/a-fair-shot-ensuring-all-australians-can-get-the-vaccines-they-need/

This week, the NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey handed down his second budget since Labor took office. At the same time, the NSW government is facing rising inflation and cost of living, increased public sector wage expenditure, and the worst of Australia’s housing crisis. Find out whether the 2024 NSW Budget tackled these key issues - and more - in this podcast with Grattan CEO Aruna Sathanapally and Deputy Program Director Kate Griffiths.

The federal government's 2030 emissions reduction target is under serious threat. Under the International Paris Agreement, Australia has committed to reduce its emissions to 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. But the government is not currently on track to meet these levels. It's led some members of the Opposition to call for Australia to abandon the Paris Agreement. But even if Australia can't meet these ambitious targets it has set, should it abandon the agreement? In this podcast, Kat Clay and energy expert Tony Wood discuss why Australia is not on track to meet their emissions reduction targets, whether we should abandon the Paris Agreement, and the policies that can help close this emissions gap in the coming years. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

Skilled migrants contribute greatly to Australia's prosperity, shaping our diverse society, making us more productive, and boosting Australians' earnings and government's budgets. Points-tested visas account for almost two thirds of all permanent skilled visas issued by Australia over the past decade.  These visas allocate points to potential migrants based on characteristics such as  their age, proficiency in English, education and work experience.  Following current trends, 800, 000 people will be granted permanent residency through points-tested visas over the next decade.  But points-tested visas aren't working as well as they should. In this podcast, Brendan Coates, Trent Wiltshire, and Natasha Bradshaw discuss their new report, It all adds up: Reforming points-tested visas. They explain how reforming the points test and abolishing state and regional points-tested visa programs could yield big economic benefits for Australia.

What's Grattan's verdict on Budget 2024? CEO Aruna Sathanapally and a panel of Grattan experts, including Dr. Sam Bennett, Alison Reeve, and Brendan Coates, critically assess Australia's 2024 federal Budget. Has the government got the balance right in supporting people who are doing it tough, without exacerbating inflation? Does the Budget do enough to help fix the broken housing market and tackle Australia’s structural budget deficit? And will the government’s ‘Future Made in Australia’ investments help or hinder our transition to net-zero emissions? Find out what the Budget means for you and the nation in this special podcast.

Australia: it's time for a sugary drinks tax. Sugary drinks are the biggest single source of sugar in our diets, and they increase people’s risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes. While Australian health experts have been calling for a tax on sugary drinks for many years, our new report Sickly sweet: It's time for a sugary drinks tax, outlines why now and why Australia is lagging behind our international peers. In this podcast, report authors Peter Breadon and Jessica Geraghty discuss how a sugary drinks tax can improve Australians’ health, with host Kat Clay. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/sickly-sweet/ Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

Most Australians don't spend much time thinking about the electricity system, as long as the lights turn on. But the National Energy Market (NEM) is going through big changes as it moves away from coal generation towards renewables. And Australia’s future prosperity depends on governments getting this transformation right. On this podcast, Grattan energy experts Tony Wood, Alison Reeve, and Richard Yan, discuss their latest report, Keeping the lights on: How Australia should navigate the era of coal closures and prepare for what comes next. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/keeping-the-lights-on/

The future of the NDIS – Australia’s world-leading scheme to support people with disability – is in doubt because the costs are exploding. Now the federal government is acting. The Getting the NDIS Back on Track Bill proposes a massive overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, in order to rein in costs and provide greater clarity on program delivery. While the bill has been pitched as an improvement to access, program sustainability, and protections from unethical practices, many people with disabilities are concerned about whether their support will be continued, and if they are still eligible for the program. Disability Program experts Sam Bennett and Hannah Orban are joined by host Kat Clay, to discuss how the proposed changes will affect the NDIS. More information on the Bill from the NDIS: https://www.ndis.gov.au/news/9975-getting-ndis-back-track Sam Bennett and Hannah Orban assess the Bill: https://grattan.edu.au/news/battle-to-save-the-ndis-has-begun/ Full transcript of the podcast: https://grattan.edu.au/news/will-this-bill-get-the-ndis-back-on-track/

The Australian Energy Market Operator has published its annual Gas Statement of Opportunities report. The report forecasts difficult times ahead for Australia’s east coast gas market, with a risk of shortfalls on peak demand days in 2025 and seasonal supply gaps from 2026. So, is Australia running out of gas? At the household level, people are concerned about keeping the heater going and the cooktop on. In the bigger picture, governments and industry are grappling with a complex change from fossil fuels to renewable energy. In this new Grattan Podcast, host Kat Clay talks to our energy expert Alison Reeve about whether Australia can expect gas shortfalls in the future, and where the responsibility lies for avoiding – or at least managing – these potential outages. Read the reports mentioned in the podcast: AEMO's Gas Statement of Opportunities report https://buff.ly/4cyw9bB Getting off Gas Grattan report: https://buff.ly/3NdV7RI

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/

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

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/

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/

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/

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

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

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

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Review has published its final report. The report contains 26 recommendations and 139 actions, many of which relate to creating a unified system of support for people with disability. But does the review go far enough? Is it going to deliver better outcomes for people with disability that rely on the NDIS, while creating a plan to manage spiralling costs? Listen to host Kat Clay, in conversation with Sam Bennett, Disability Program Director, and Hannah Orban, Associate, about what the NDIS review means for disability services in Australia. Read the NDIS review: https://www.ndisreview.gov.au/resources/reports/working-together-deliver-ndis Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

Last week, the OECD released the results of the program for international student assessment, better known as PISA. Every three years, hundreds of thousands of 15-year-old students from across the world sit tests in maths, science and reading. But what do the results show for Australia? And are our students doing better, worse, or about the same? Listen to Jordana Hunter, Education Program Director, and Nick Parkinson, Senior Associate, in conversation with host Kat Clay about the test and what the results reveal about Australia's education system.

From cars to homes to industry, hydrogen has been hyped as an all-encompassing solution to meeting Australia’s emissions targets. But is it the golden ticket to a net-zero future? With the National Hydrogen Strategy under review, it’s time to get truly strategic with hydrogen. Listen to energy experts Alison Reeve and Richard Yan discuss their new report, *Hydrogen: hype, hope, or hard work?*. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/hydrogen-hype-hope-or-hard-work/ Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate

Each year, vaccines save thousands of lives. But in the wake of the pandemic, Australians are sick of hearing about vaccination. Amidst the misinformation on the internet and fatigue from government messaging, many of us have become complacent. New Grattan research shows that millions of older Australians at high risk of serious illness are missing out on essential vaccines, and certain groups of people are more likely to miss out than others. Listen to Peter Breadon, Health Program Director, and Ingrid Burfurd, Senior Associate, discuss their new report with host Kat Clay. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/a-fair-shot-ensuring-all-australians-can-get-the-vaccines-they-need/

It's no secret that Australian roads are in a state of disrepair, but it's a lesser known fact that three quarters of our roads are managed by local councils. Many councils are struggling to look after our roads, because they don't have the revenue, the capacity, or the expertise. In this podcast, Natasha Bradshaw, Marion Terrill, and Dominic Jones discuss their latest report, Potholes and Pitfalls, which investigates why local roads are in a state of disrepair and provides a roadmap to fix them. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/potholes-and-pitfalls-how-to-fix-local-roads/ Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

Is tax reform in Australia an impossible dream? Danielle Wood addresses this question in her Freebairn Lecture, given in honour of Professor John Freebairn AO. In this special podcast presentation, she argues that tax reform is essential to rebuild the budget, improve equity, and break down the age segregation in the current tax system. Audio courtesy of the University of Melbourne Faculty of the Business and Economics. Read the full text of the speech: https://grattan.edu.au/news/tax-reform-in-australia-an-impossible-dream/

Salt is sneaking into Australian diets, worsening our health outcomes from salt-related diseases. And while Australia has a target to reduce salt intake by 30 per cent by 2030, our food policies lag behind other countries. But are our diets just a matter of personal responsibility? Or does the government have a greater role to play in reducing salt in our diets? Listen to Peter Breadon, Health Program Director, Lachlan Fox, Associate discuss Grattan’s latest report, Sneaky salt: How Australia can shake its salt habit. Hosted by Kat Clay. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/sneaky-salt/

This month, Claudia Goldin made history for being the third woman to win the Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences. As much as this is an outcome to be celebrated as a milestone for women in economics, as an economist, Goldin has shifted the world’s understanding of women’s labour market outcomes. Her influential research examines the reasons for the gender pay gap, and the educational, medical, and cultural progressions which prevent – or enable – women to work. The recent introduction of paid parental leave changes to the House of Representatives is just one way to increase women’s workforce participation in Australia. But are there more ways for Australia to improve economic outcomes for women? This podcast examines Goldin’s research, and what it means for Australia – and especially, Australian women. Helpful links Announcement of Claudia Goldin's Nobel win https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2023/press-release/ Career and Family by Claudia Goldin: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691201788/career-and-family Greedy jobs, labour market institutions, and the gender pay gap by Kristen Sobeck: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4306651 Children and the Gender Earnings Gap: Evidence for Australia by Elif Bahar, Natasha Bradshaw, Nathan Deutscher and Maxine Montaigne https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/p2023-372004.pdf On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough https://scholar.harvard.edu/nunn/publications/origins-gender-roles-women-and-plough

Australia faces stiff competition to attract the best students to study and stay in Australia. But a growing cohort of international students are being left behind on temporary visas, struggling to pursue their chosen careers. Grattan's latest report, Graduates in limbo: International student visa pathways after graduation, shows how government can fix visa pathways to give talented graduates a chance to shine, without offering false hope to students. Associate Tyler Reysenbach, is joined by Program Director Brendan Coates and Deputy Program Director Trent Wiltshire, to talk about what the federal government can do to reform the graduate visa system. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/graduates-in-limbo/

After four years, 32 public hearings, 8,000 submissions, and almost 10,000 people sharing their experience, the Disability Royal Commission has handed its final report to the federal government. Throughout the investigation, the commission heard horror stories of abuse, neglect, coercion, unscrupulous NDIS providers, and severe underpayment of workers with disability. With more than 200 recommendations, the government has an enormous task ahead of it to improve the lives of Australians with disability. This podcast pinpoints some of the most important recommendations, and identifies where the government should start. The report release coincides with the launch of Grattan Institute’s Disability Program, supported by the Summer Foundation. Grattan’s podcast host Kat Clay is joined by our Disability Program Director, Sam Bennett, and researcher Hannah Orban.

Our governments know a lot about us. They hold data on how much we earn, how much tax we pay, our health records, business earnings, even whether we have a fishing license. As we saw during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, data on the spread of the virus and the pace of the vaccine rollout was vital for keeping us safe and holding our governments to account. Government data is also essential for informed public policy debates, and it’s invaluable for researchers and others who advocate for better public policy. But a lot of government data in Australia is locked up behind closed doors. And when governments do make data available, it is often published in ways that are difficult to understand and unwieldy for researchers to use. In this special Grattan Podcast, Grattan data specialist Tyler Reysenbach is joined by Adam Sparks, a Senior Research Scientist with Western Australia's Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and Matt Cowgill, Senior Economist at SEEK, to talk about how our governments could get better at data, and how things could be improved in ways that would improve public policy and, ultimately, the lives of all Australians.

Last year, the federal government struck a Housing Accord with the states. Together, they committed to build 1 million new, well-located homes across Australia over the next five years. But sky-rocketing rents have turned up the heat on governments to do much more. Last month, National Cabinet responded. The new target is 1.2 million homes over five years, with the federal government offering financial rewards to whichever states do the most to get us towards the new target. And the Prime Minister and the Premiers also promised a better deal for renters. Will it be enough? In this special Grattan Podcast, our housing experts Brendan Coates and Joey Moloney unpack the National Cabinet package, explain why it’s important, and identify the next challenges for policy-makers as they struggle to make housing more affordable for more Australians.

Grattan Institute CEO Danielle Wood delivered the annual Giblin Lecture in Hobart last week. A partnership between the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian branch of the Economic Society of Australia, the lecture is named for the eminent Australian economist, Lyndhurst Falkiner Giblin. Danielle used the occasion to issue this plea: “Let’s drop the petty generational warfare, and work together to ensure that the Australia we leave to our children is better than the one we inherited.” And she set herself this tough task: “I want to explore the issues that young people tell us are keeping them up at night, and let them know why this has happened but also what we might as a nation do about it.” In this special edition of the Grattan Podcast, we present a recording of Danielle delivering the lecture, complete with slides.

The 2023 NAPLAN school test results released this week show that 1 in 3 Australian students are not on track with their learning. The results also reveal deep inequities in Australian schools, with more than half of disadvantaged students performing below expectations. In this special Grattan Podcast, our NAPLAN specialists Anika Stobart and Nick Parkinson discuss why Australia is performing so poorly, and what governments should do to turn this around so all students have the literacy and numeracy skills they need to have their best chance in life.

Dubbed by some as the “world’s worst electric vehicle policy”, Victoria introduced a per-kilometre charge on electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in 2021. EV drivers were so riled up about the charge that they headed to the High Court to fight it. We’re now awaiting the High Court’s decision, which will determine whether state governments have the constitutional authority to impose the tax. But is it really such a bad policy? And, more broadly, why is Australia so far behind other countries in making the switch from high-polluting petrol and diesel vehicles to EVs? In this latest Grattan Podcast, our transport experts Marion Terrill and Natasha Bradshaw discuss the implications of the High Court case for revenue-raising, electric vehicle take-up, and the future of road-user charging.

Grattan Institute’s work on housing policy keeps coming back to one basic idea: Australia needs more housing in the areas where people want to live and work. So why hasn’t Australia built enough homes to keep prices under control? Because of the land-use planning regulations that dictate what gets built where. Those planning regulations have a status-quo bias. They give too much say to people who oppose development or change – the so-called ‘NIMBYs’, or ‘Not-in-my-backyard’. Enter the ‘YIMBY’ movement: enthusiastic young people who say ‘Yes-in-my-backyard’. In this special Grattan podcast on Australia’s housing crisis, our Senior Associate, Joey Moloney, and guests Jono O’Brien and Melissa Neighbour from the YIMBY movement discuss this grass-roots movement that aims to revolutionise the housing debate and make it easier for young Australians to get a roof over their heads.

Early education and care are hugely important. It’s where children are first exposed to the education system, in a period that’s crucial for their brain development. It's also important for the economy – particularly for supporting women back into the workforce. So why is it so expensive, even with government subsidies? Listen to Grattan CEO Danielle Wood, in conversation with Grattan Fellow Iris Chan, on how to make childcare cheaper.

This year, the NAPLAN report card will look very different. For the first time, parents will be told whether their child has met the new “proficient” benchmark for their level, in reading, writing, numeracy, and grammar. With four proficiency categories, all with new terminology, what does this mean for parents and teachers? Grattan Institute Associates Nick Parkinson and Dominic Jones discuss the new-look NAPLAN.

The federal government has called a 90-day snap review of the Infrastructure Investment Program. The program was originally intended to fund projects of national significance, but has since ‘drifted away’ from those lofty ambitions. But should the federal government be involved in infrastructure funding at all? Grattan Institute research has shown that federal funding of state and local infrastructure projects is often an exercise in pork-barrelling. After all, local road roundabouts and train-station carparks aren’t exactly the Sydney Opera House. In this special Grattan Podcast, our transport and cities experts Marion Terrill and Natasha Bradshaw discuss with host Kat Clay how federal infrastructure money should be best used.

The RBA has held off on raising the cash rate - for now. This comes as a sigh of relief to home owners, who have slogged through 12 rate rises since May 2022. But with warnings of further rate rises, many people are questioning whether they’re the only way to stop inflation. Listen to Trent Wiltshire, Deputy Program Director of Economic Policy, and Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, discuss how to stop inflation with host Kat Clay. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Independent MP and former GP Sophie Scamps has introduced a bill into federal parliament that would restrict junk food advertisements aimed at children. This isn’t the first time a ban on junk food advertising has been floated. But there are more reasons than ever to make it happen. Listen to Peter Breadon, Health Program Director, in conversation with host Kat Clay, to discuss the bill, and what governments should do to decrease childhood obesity. Donate to Grattan: grattan.edu.au/donate

Many Australians use gas for cooking, heating, and hot showers. But Australia won't hit its net zero emissions target by 2050 unless it gets off gas. To do this, we need to move our homes to efficient electric appliances. Listen to the authors of Grattan's latest report, Getting off gas, discuss why, how, and who should pay for this change. Featuring Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and Esther Suckling, Associate. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/getting-off-gas

Australia’s vehicle regulation regime is so far out of step with other countries that vehicle manufacturers freely admit this country is a dumping ground for higher-emitting old models. According to Volkswagen, Australia is an ‘automotive third world’ and a ‘dumping ground for older and less-efficient vehicles’. In Australia, cars, utes, and SUVs contribute about 11% of our annual CO2 emissions. Which is why addressing car emissions is a key part of getting Australia to net-zero by 2050. Encouraging drivers to transition to electric vehicles is an obvious part of the solution, but a patchwork of policies currently regulates car emissions. Listen to Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Natasha Bradshaw, Associate, and host Kat Clay discuss why an emissions ceiling is the best option to reduce vehicle emissions.

The serious problem of migrant worker exploitation shot to prominence in 2015, when a joint Fairfax Media and Four Corners report uncovered widespread underpayment of 7-Eleven employees. Recent governments have taken some steps to reduce exploitation, such as increasing maximum penalties for firms that knowingly underpay their workers and making improvements to the small claims process. But these changes don’t go far enough, and progress has stalled since the pandemic. Our new report, Short-changed: How to stop the exploitation of migrant workers in Australia, provides solutions to stamp out the exploitation of migrant workers. Trent Wiltshire, Deputy Program Director, discusses the report with co-authors Brendan Coates, Program Director, and Tyler Reysenbach, Associate. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/short-changed-how-to-stop-the-exploitation-of-migrant-workers-in-australia/

Housing is in crisis. Rents are surging. Interest rates continue to go up, with fears of another rate rise on the horizon. The 2023 federal Budget went some way to address the rising cost of living. But despite the increase to Rent Assistance, these policies don’t go far enough to address the long-term lack of housing supply. Host Kat Clay is joined by Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, and Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, to discuss why housing was the biggest missed opportunity in the federal Budget. Read Grattan's previous work on the Social Housing Future Fund: https://grattan.edu.au/news/a-place-to-call-home-its-time-for-a-social-housing-future-fund/ Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

This year, the Budget is officially back in black. On Tuesday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced an expected budget surplus, the first in 15 years. The budget included measures to address the cost of living, provide more support to vulnerable Australians, and healthcare reforms. Watch Iris Chan, Fellow, discuss the federal Budget with Grattan's CEO, Danielle Wood. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate Read the Back in Black report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/back-in-black-a-menu-of-measures-to-repair-the-budget/

The federal government recently released their Review of the Migration System. The review has revealed a broken system in dire need of reform. To quote the report, “Australia now has a migration program that fails to attract the most highly skilled migrants and fails to enable business to efficiently access workers.” But how to fix it? Discussing the report and their policy recommendations are Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, Tyler Reysenbach, Associate, with host Kat Clay. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/ Read the Review of the Migration System: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/reports-and-pubs/files/review-migration-system-final-report.pdf

Last week, the federal government released their long awaited National Electric Vehicle Strategy. At the heart of the policy is a fuel efficiency standard, which sets a limit for carbon emissions from vehicles, to incentivise the sale of electric vehicles. Listen to Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Lachie Fox, Associate, and host Kat Clay, discuss this new strategy, and whether it goes far enough. National Electric Vehicle Strategy: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-electric-vehicle-strategy.pdf The Grattan Car Plan: https://grattan.edu.au/report/grattan-car-plan/ The Grattan Truck Plan: https://grattan.edu.au/report/grattan-truck-plan/

The Australian Government is on track for more than 25 years of budget deficits. It’s a record that points to major structural issues with the budget. Tough decisions on spending and tax reform will be needed to avoid pushing the cost of today’s spending onto future generations. Grattan’s latest report offers a ‘menu of options’ to repair the budget. Host Kat Clay discusses these recommendations with report authors Danielle Wood, Kate Griffiths, and Iris Chan. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/back-in-black-a-menu-of-measures-to-repair-the-budget/

Less tax is paid on super savings than other forms of income. But if we want a fair and sustainable superannuation system, reform to super tax breaks is essential. On a recent podcast Grattan addressed the question of super tax breaks for balances with over $3 million. But reforming super is a much broader task, that if successful, will result in a fairer system which could repair the budget by billions. Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, and Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, discuss their new report with host Kat Clay.

Every five years the Productivity Commission releases an inquiry into Australia’s productivity, with their latest five-year report released just last week. In it, they outline the case for advancing prosperity through building an adaptable workforce and creating a more dynamic economy, just to name a few. But Australia is facing a number of productivity challenges in the face of an uncertain world, which may hamper our economic growth in the years to come. Listen to host Kat Clay, in conversation with Grattan’s CEO, Danielle Wood, on why productivity matters. Read the report: https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/productivity/report

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.

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/

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.

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/

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/

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/

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/

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#

It’s hard to believe that Australia’s universal healthcare system, Medicare, is almost forty years old. Over that time, Australians’ health needs have changed significantly. We’ve got an ageing population, and mental illness and chronic disease are on the rise. GPs’ work is more complex – and Medicare hasn’t kept up. Our latest report, A new Medicare: Strengthening general practice, calls on Government to overhaul a system that is reaching a mid-life crisis. Host Kat Clay is joined by the authors of the report, Health Program Director, Peter Breadon, and Visiting Fellow Danielle Romanes, to discuss how to strengthen general practice in Australia.

The Safeguard Mechanism is a key policy in Australia’s fight against climate change, which caps emissions from big industrial facilities and other large polluters. Greenhouse gas emitters, from LNG platforms to mines to airlines, must keep their emissions below a baseline, or pay. Now it faces reform, as the Albanese government has committed to amend the mechanism, to meet the 2030 target of cutting emissions to 43% below 2005 levels. But as ever, the devil is in the detail. Host Kat Clay is joined by Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and Esther Suckling, Associate, to discuss the Safeguard Mechanism design issues facing the government. Read the Safeguard Mechanism reform paper: https://storage.googleapis.com/converlens-au-industry/industry/p/prj2135e8da0cf17d76c70fc/public_assets/Safeguard-Mechanism-consultation-paper.PDF For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

It won’t come as a surprise to the mums listening to this podcast, but there’s a price to pay for being a mother. Whether it’s the countless extra hours of unpaid labour, losing out on a promotion because you’ve got to pick the kids up from school, or even choosing to work part-time, this all has an enormous impact on lifetime earnings for Australian mothers. In this podcast, Kat Clay interviews Natasha Bradshaw, co-author of a Treasury paper on children and the gender earnings gap, alongside Owain Emslie, Grattan senior associate, on his policy recommendations to reduce the motherhood penalty. Read the Treasury paper: https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-10/p2022-325290-children-gender-gap.pdf Read Dad Days: https://grattan.edu.au/report/dad-days/ Read Cheaper Childcare: https://grattan.edu.au/report/cheaper-childcare/ Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

One of the biggest announcements of the October federal Budget was the National Housing Accord, with the goal to build one million new, well-located homes over five years from 2024. Host Kat Clay and Economic Policy Program Director, Brendan Coates, discuss this ambitious goal, and how it could ease the housing crisis. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down his first budget on Tuesday night, amid the usual fanfare of speculation, promises, posturing, and of course, photo ops. In this special Grattan podcast episode, Danielle Wood, CEO, and Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, cut through the fanfare to the heart of this federal budget, and what it means for Australia's economic future.

The Victorian Government’s announcement of the revival of the State Electricity Commission, alongside bold targets for climate change and renewables, is the most dramatic in the last 25 years of Australia’s energy system. Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, and Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, break down this announcement and what it means for Australian policymakers, industry, and consumers. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

For teachers, deciding what to teach and how to teach it can be a big part of their job. Great teaching inside the classroom relies on great planning and preparation outside of the classroom and this takes time. But how do teachers find the time for this kind of curriculum and lesson planning? For our latest report, Ending the lesson lottery: How to improve curriculum planning in schools, our staff surveyed more than 2,000 Australian teachers and school leaders, about curriculum planning practices in their schools and what help they need. Listen to host Kat Clay in conversation with Senior Associate Amy Haywood, and Associate Nick Parkinson, on how to improve curriculum planning in Australian schools. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/ending-the-lesson-lottery-how-to-improve-curriculum-planning-in-schools/

If you’ve been watching TV or reading the paper, chances are you’ve seen an ad spruiking the achievements of federal and state governments, from the next big transport project to how they’re reducing the cost of living. While some of these ads are worthwhile—such as encouraging people to get vaccinated—others masquerade as subtle political ads on the taxpayer dime. So, what can be done to prevent such blatant misuse of taxpayer-funded advertising? Join host Kat Clay, as she discusses the latest report in the New Politics series, with co-authors Kate Griffiths and Anika Stobart. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

The rumours are swirling. The US economy might be headed for a recession. And what happens in the international market significantly impacts Australia. Many commentators are concerned that we too might be headed for a recession. But is this an accurate prediction, or are there ways Australia can weather the storm? Host Kat Clay is joined by Trent Wiltshire, Deputy Program Director, Migration and Labour Markets, to see if the rumours are true.

In this Henry George lecture for Prosper Australia, Grattan’s Brendan Coates shows how expensive housing sits at the heart of some of Australia’s most pressing policy challenges. Read the full speech: https://grattan.edu.au/news/the-great-australian-nightmare/

Last week, MPs, business leaders, unions, and economists met at the national Jobs and Skills Summit to discuss the future of the jobs market in Australia. High on the priority list were the skills shortages felt across Australian workplaces, increasing productivity, and improving the migration system. On this podcast, host Kat Clay interviews Grattan CEO, Danielle Wood, who gave the opening address at the summit. She is joined by Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director. Read Danielle's opening remarks from the conference: https://grattan.edu.au/news/think-big-a-new-mission-statement-for-australia/

Trucks. They deliver essential items – especially in the COVID lockdowns – but most of us want them off our local streets. Whether it’s the pollution or the noise, there are serious side-effects to trucks in urban areas, especially when the ageing fleet isn’t keeping up with the latest technologies. But how to reduce the health and environmental risks of trucks, while maintaining this vital mode of transport? Join Kat Clay as she interviews Marion Terrill, Program Director, and Ingrid Burfurd, Senior Associate, about the latest Grattan Report, The Grattan truck plan: practical policies for cleaner freight. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/grattan-truck-plan/

From sports rorts to regional slush funds, there seems to be no end of pork-barrelling scandals , where governments have been caught using public money to target certain voters for political gain. This week the Grattan podcast discusses the second report in the New Politics series, on what governments can do to stop pork-barrelling. Host Kat Clay is joined by Grattan’s CEO, Danielle Wood, and her co-authors Kate Griffiths and Anika Stobart from Grattan’s Budgets and Government team. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/new-politics-preventing-pork-barrelling/

With massive worker shortages across the country, migration is expected to feature heavily in the upcoming Jobs and Skills Summit, which brings together employers, unions, and governments to discuss the economic challenges facing Australia. Business groups are demanding the permanent migration intake be lifted to at least 200,000 for the next two years. Parts of the union movement have warned against relying too heavily on temporary migration, pointing to repeated cases of exploitation of migrant workers. Watch Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, in conversation with Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, discuss what the migration priorities for the government should be at the summit. To read the report in discussion, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/fixing-temporary-skilled-migration/

Is it worth it? It’s the question that should be asked whenever governments come up with a shiny new infrastructure idea. But too often, major projects are announced as election promises, without evaluating the cost and the value of the project to taxpayers. And while cost-benefit analyses might not seem like the sexiest thing to accompany election promises, there’s a genuine opportunity for the new Prime Minister to reform infrastructure funding in Australia. Host Kat Clay is joined by Marion Terrill, Grattan’s Transport and Cities Program Director. Relevant research: Megabang for megabucks: driving a harder bargain on megaprojects: https://grattan.edu.au/report/megabang-for-megabucks/ Roundabouts, overpasses, and carparks: Hauling the federal government back to its proper role in transport projects https://grattan.edu.au/report/roundabouts-overpasses-carparks-hauling-the-federal-government-back-to-its-proper-role-in-transport-projects/

The hospital system is at risk of breaking under the pressure of rising COVID cases. Hospitals are understaffed due to thousands of workers in isolation. Patients are being treated in corridors. Elective surgery has been cancelled. Emergency departments are overflowing with patients, without enough beds and staff to treat them. Most recently, NSW nurses protested to raise attention of the seriousness of these issues – it’s not just about an exhausted workforce, it seriously impacts patient outcomes. But what to do about it? On the Grattan Podcast, Peter Breadon, Health and Aged Care Program Director, and Owain Emslie, Senior Associate, join host Kat Clay, to discuss how to respond to surging COVID hospitalisations in the Australian health system. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

Jobs for mates – it’s frustrating when it happens in everyday life. Even more so when it happens at the highest levels of politics. A plum job as Trade Commissioner for a former Deputy Premier. A spot on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a former staffer. State and federal governments make hundreds of appointments each year to public boards and tribunals – and many of them go to people with political connections. While it may seem harmless – after all, ‘everyone does it’ – it can have pervasive consequences for Australia’s democracy. Listen to Danielle Wood, CEO, Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Anika Stobart, Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discuss Grattan's latest report New politics: A better process for public appointments. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/new-politics-public-appointments

Earlier in July, Australia’s compulsory superannuation system turned 30 years old. Alongside Medicare – Australia’s universal health insurance scheme - superannuation is held up as one of the key economic and social reforms of the Hawke-Keating Labor governments of the 1980s and early 1990s. Join Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, and special guest, Emily Millane, Senior Fellow the Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne, as they celebrate the 30th birthday of compulsory super. They ask how superannuation first came about, what it’s achieved in the 30 years since the system began, and how to make the system more equitable in the future.

With the new Albanese government committing to cut carbon emissions by 43% by 2030, along with pressure from newly elected independents and Greens MPs, there’s a sense of hope that that environmental policy will progress beyond the years of the climate wars. But how can Australia get through the mire of years of climate inaction and confusion, to meet net-zero targets while maintaining employment in industry and our mining reliant economy. Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and Esther Suckling, Graduate Associate, discuss with Kat Clay, how they charted a path in their new report The next industrial revolution. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/next-industrial-revolution

“Stamp duty is the worst tax that any government can have,” says Dominic Perrottet, recently quoted in the ABC. But after talking up stamp duty reform for the past two years, the then NSW Treasurer now Premier Dominic Perrottet’s grand plans ended less with a bang and more with a whimper. The government will allow first home buyers to opt to pay land tax rather than stamp duty. But it falls well short of the kind of reform many were hoping for. In this podcast, Kat Clay and Brendan Coates discuss why stamp duty is such a bad tax and why a land tax would be better, why the NSW government’s efforts to replace one with the other fell short, and what other states should learn from the experience. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate

The RBA has lifted rates by 0.5% to 0.85%, and there are more rises on the way. And nothing like a rate rise brings about the clamour that back in my day, interest rates were 17%. While talk of cutting back on smashed avocado dogs millennials struggling to get into the housing market, two of our experts recently evaluated the question - is life actually harder for millennials? To read the article in discussion visit: https://grattan.edu.au/news/the-housing-game-has-changed-millennials-have-it-harder/ Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate

The new Energy Minister Chris Bowen said that ‘Australian energy markets are facing a perfect storm.’ But why are electricity and gas prices soaring? Join Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, as she discusses the energy pricing crisis with Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, and Esther Suckling, Graduate Associate.

It wasn’t long ago that Australians lined up around the block to receive a COVID vaccination. Yet the vaccination rate for third doses has almost stalled. Given Anthony Albanese campaigned on better pandemic management, giving the vaccination program a shot in the arm will be his first test. Join Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, and Peter Breadon, Health and Aged Care Program Director, as they discuss Australia's vaccination program.

The Federal Election for 2022 is over, and Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia. And while there are still seats remaining to be called, the 2022 election marks a dramatic shift in politics in Australia. This podcast discusses what the election results mean for public policy and what the Federal Government should prioritise going forwards. Danielle Wood, CEO, joins Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, in conversation with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications.

Two years on from the start of the pandemic, Australia’s unemployment rate is now at a near 50-year low of just 4 per cent. The share of under-employed Australians – those in work but who want more hours – is at its lowest level in more than a decade. But what is full employment? Who benefits most when unemployment is low? And what lessons should we learn from our rapid economic recovery from the pandemic? Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discusses the latest Grattan report, No one left behind: why Australia should lock in full employment, with Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, and Alex Ballantyne, Senior Associate. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/no-one-left-behind-why-australia-should-lock-in-full-employment/

There are three words that strike fear into the heart of any homeowner, and those are: interest rate rise. On Tuesday, the RBA raised the official cash rate by 0.25% to 0.35% and signalled there was more to come. This was swiftly passed onto homeowners, with several banks raising their interest rates on the same day. But should you be worried? Well, it depends on who you are. Join Joey Moloney, Alex Ballantyne, in conversation with Kat Clay, on what the interest rate rise means for homeowners. Articles discussed in the podcast: https://grattan.edu.au/news/australia-is-not-having-the-housing-debate-we-have-to-have/ https://grattan.edu.au/news/interest-rates-are-about-to-rise-how-worried-should-you-be/

The federal election is on. Billboards are plastered with party slogans, campaign ads are all around us, and our social media feeds are flaring up with political spin. Political advertising is a major feature of Australian election campaigns. But sometimes it can be difficult to separate facts from scare campaigns, or even to distinguish a government ad from a party ad. Kat Clay is joined by Deputy Program Director Kate Griffiths, and associate Anika Stobart, to discuss political advertising rules in Australia. Further reading: https://grattan.edu.au/news/the-rules-or-lack-thereof-for-political-advertising/

One of the big winners of last Tuesday’s federal budget were motorists, when Josh Frydenberg announced a 22 cent per litre cut in fuel excise. But what really is the fuel excise tax, and what is it used for? Was it the right economic choice to cut back on fuel excise while petrol is expensive? Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discusses fuel excise and what governments could do to bring down petrol prices with Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, and Lachlan Fox, Associate. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

It’s been a big week in federal politics with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg handing down his fourth budget on Tuesday night. Listen to Kate Griffiths, Deputy Director Budgets and Government, as she examines the Budget with Grattan's CEO, Danielle Wood.

Everyone knows a politician loves a hard hat photo. And no more are hard hat photos - and pork-barrelling - seen than in the world of transport projects. The winners are often concentrated in a single electorate, whereas the losers are taxpayers dispersed across the state or country. Listen to Marion Terrill discuss her latest report with Kat Clay, about why there should be stronger guardrails on federal transport spending. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Australia is squandering the potential benefits of temporary skilled migration. Politically unpopular, politicians often restrict visa sponsorship to fewer, low-skill, low-wage jobs. Instead, governments should be evaluating how best to improve the system to attract global talent, boost the budget, and reduce exploitation. Join Henry Sherrell, Deputy Director, Migration, Will Mackey, Senior Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, as they discuss the new Grattan report on how to fix temporary skilled migration. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Australia has an enviable universal healthcare system, but there are still gaps where people miss out. Listen to Anika Stobart, Linda Lin, and Kat Clay in conversation on how to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs in Australia and create a fairer health system for those who need it most. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/not-so-universal-how-to-reduce-out-of-pocket-healthcare-payments

Australia needs bold policy reform to build back better after the COVID recession. Our 2022 Orange Book maps out a policy blueprint to reignite wages growth and boost Australians’ living standards. Listen to our CEO and Program Directors discussing their recommendations for the next federal government - whether Coalition or Labor - from the Orange Book 2022.

Home ownership rates are falling fast, especially among the young and poor. For those without access to the Bank of Mum and Dad, buying a home is now an impossible dream, one which has impacts well into retirement. But what if the government could help level the playing field? Join Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, with Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, to talk about his latest piece of research on why it’s time for a national shared equity scheme.

Australia’s unemployment rate is at 4.2% - the lowest in more than a decade. And it’s not too far off slipping below 4%, something that hasn’t happened for half a century. But who deserves the credit? Economic management during pandemic by the Prime Minister and Reserve Bank governor? Or to quote ACTU Secretary Sally McManus in her tweet, that “the reason why unemployment rates are low is because the borders are closed.” Senior associates Alex Ballantyne and Will Mackey fact check these assertions on the podcast, using rigorous data evaluation. Hosted by Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. Read the article: https://grattan.edu.au/news/shutting-down-migration-did-not-kickstart-the-economy/

Listen to CEO Danielle Wood, with renowned writer Benjamin Law, as they discuss Grattan's top six thought-provoking, compelling, and relevant books from 2021. It was an extraordinary year, and these are extraordinary reads – not only for the Prime Minister, but for all Australians interested in public policy. With introduction by Angharad Wynne-Jones from State Library Victoria, this podcast features discussions with four of the authors, Kate Holden, Rick Morton, Paige Clark, and Brendan James Murray. The full list includes: The Winter Road: A Killing at Croppa Creek, by Kate Holden The School: The Ups and Downs of One Year in the Classroom, by Brendan James Murray Truth-Telling: History, Sovereignty, and the Uluru Statement, by Henry Reynolds On Money, by Rick Morton System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot, by Rob Reich, Mehran Sahami, and Jeremy M. Weinstein She Is Haunted, by Paige Clark For more information visit: https://grattan.edu.au/news/announcing-grattan-institutes-2021-prime-ministers-summer-reading-list/

For many parents, the pandemic has brought into sharp focus the role of teachers, and just how much work they do. Not only are teachers expected to teach their core subjects, but supervise lunchtimes and after-school activities, support students’ mental health, and complete a large amount of administration work – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For our latest report, Making time for great teaching, our staff surveyed more than 5000 Australian teachers and school leaders, about the impact of these responsibilities on teachers’ time. The results are dramatic – and here to dig into what they mean for education in Australia, are the authors of the report: Program Director Jordana Hunter, Deputy Program Director Julie Sonnemann, and Associate Rebecca Joiner. Hosted by Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/making-time-for-great-teaching-how-better-government-policy-can-help

In May 2021, the Federal Government announced a $18 billion package in response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Eighty thousand additional home care packages were announced to help reduce the significant waiting lists. But has this been enough to help provide care to some of our most vulnerable community members? Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, and Stephen Duckett, Health and Aged Care Program Director, discuss his new report on how to further improve home care.

The John Button Oration provides the opportunity for a prominent Australian to give a talk on policy in honour of the legacy of John Button. This year the oration was given by Grattan CEO, Danielle Wood, on the topic of The Next Generation’s Australia. We are grateful to the University of Melbourne and the Melbourne School of Government for hosting this event, and Professor John Howe for his introduction. To read the full text of Danielle's speech, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/news/john-button-oration-the-next-generations-australia/

After years where inflation has been low and stable, suddenly there’s lots of talk about inflation. But how worried should we be? And what does it mean for the Australian economy, for interest rates and for Australian workers’ wages? Join Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, Alex Ballantyne, Senior Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, as they tackle whether or not we should be worried about inflation.

At COP26, 197 countries signed the Glasgow climate pact, which aims to phase down unabated coal power throughout the world. Find out what happened at COP26 and the impact these decisions will have on Australian climate policy, in a conversation with Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and James Ha, Associate. Read the Towards Net Zero report series: https://grattan.edu.au/towards-net-zero/

Last week, the Federal Government released their plan to meet Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. It’s a major breakthrough in Australia’s climate war, but is it enough? Just in time for the Glasgow climate conference COP26, Grattan’s climate change and energy team have released the last report in their report series, Towards net zero: A practical plan for Australia's governments. On this podcast are Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and James Ha, Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discussing where Australia’s governments should start in the quest for net zero. To read the report series visit: https://grattan.edu.au/towards-net-zero/

Australians have a passionate love affair with cars. We use them to travel this vast and wide country, to visit friends and family, and carry our tools. Not to mention, do burnouts. But cars and their by-products also have a detrimental effect on our environment, health and wellbeing. And reducing our emissions from cars is just one of the puzzle pieces in reaching net zero by 2050. So, what policies can government put in place to make sure Australians can continue to enjoy cars, while reducing the negative social and environmental effects? To hear about their new report, The Grattan car plan: practical policies for cleaner transport and better cities, join Ingrid Burfurd, Senior Associate, and Lachlan Fox, Graduate Associate, with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, on the Grattan podcast.

Earlier this month, The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, or APRA for short, wrote to home loan lenders across the country to recommend strengthening mortgage lending assessments. The reason for this? The explosive and rapid increase in housing prices due to extended lockdowns and low-interest rates, and a rapid growth in bank lending to buy them. Households are borrowing more money than ever to reach the extraordinary prices needed to secure a home. But is this the right move? Who does it help and who does it hurt? And will it be enough to restrain a market that doesn’t show signs of slowing down any time soon. Or are there more changes yet to come? Join Kat Clay, Grattan's Head of Digital Communications, in conversation with Brendan Coates, on how to rein in property prices in Australia, and whether we should.

Net zero emissions. It’s the target everyone is talking about, from the Federal Government, to foreign governments, and from boardrooms to broadsheets. Although achieving net zero emissions globally is essential for limiting climate change, the target and how we get there are not very well understood. And one of the most contentious issues is offsetting: can we really pay others to reduce their emissions, or pay to suck carbon out of the atmosphere, to balance out our own emissions? Join Tony Wood, the Director of Grattan’s Energy and Climate Change Program, and Alison Reeve, Deputy Director, as they discuss their latest net zero report with co-author, James Ha, Associate.

In 2019, the agriculture sector was responsible for 15% of Australia's carbon emissions. But how do you take action in a sector where most emissions come from animals like cows and sheep? It's also a sector which is vulnerable to climate change. Changes in rainfall patterns, threats of heatwaves and bushfires, all threaten the livelihoods of farmers. Join Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discussing the third report in Grattan's series on how Australia can reach net zero, with Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, and James Ha, Associate. To read the report in discussion visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/towards-net-zero-practical-policies-to-reduce-agricultural-emissions/

Most Australians wouldn’t have given too much thought to the Reserve Bank of Australia. Apart from when it changes official interest rates following its monthly meetings, the role and importance of the RBA, and its governor Phil Lowe, is little understood or even acknowledged. But the Reserve Bank is now facing rare criticisms by leading economists for not having met its core targets for nearly a decade. And this week, international think tank the OECD has called for a review of the RBA. A call since endorsed by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who said he’d consider a review after the next election. And with the Federal ALP previously calling for an independent review of the Reserve Bank in April, it’s increasingly likely the RBA will next year face its first independent review in 40 years. Watch Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, discuss the role of the RBA and whether it should be reviewed with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communication. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Children aged 12 and over will be eligible for vaccination from September 13. While this is great news for parents with children over 12, it’s left many parents of young children concerned. After all, what happens to unvaccinated kids when we open up? And when they go back to school and childcare, is there a plan for managing the inevitable outbreaks? Jordana Hunter, Education Program Director, and Anika Stobart, Associate with Grattan’s health program, answer some of the most common questions about children and COVID in the latest podcast with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

On Sunday, Dads across Australia were celebrated by their families for Father’s Day – whether in-person or virtually. But for new dads, Australia has one of the least generous parental leave schemes in the developed world. And Australian fathers have been reluctant to access what little leave is available to them. To coincide with Father’s Day, the Grattan team has released a new report – Dad Days: how more gender-equal parental leave would improve the lives of Australian families. Discussing their report is Danielle Wood, CEO, and Owain Emslie, Senior Associate, with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications.

With NSW and Victoria in lockdown, cases rising every day, protesters clashing in the streets, and Delta reaching our most vulnerable remote communities, you might be feeling that the only light at the end of the tunnel is the successful vaccination rollout to Australia. But even the modelling around vaccinations is fraught with differing opinions. At what point should Australia open up? 70% vaccination rate? 80%? Should we even come out of lockdowns if we reach these targets? Listen to Stephen Duckett, Health and Aged Care Program Director in conversation with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, about what’s going on with Australia’s vaccine rollout. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Australia faces the great challenge of climate change. If we keep going the way we are going, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned the earth is likely to see a 1.5C increase in temperature by 2030, resulting in increased catastrophic weather events such as drought, fire and flood. These warnings call for urgent change. In 2020, the industrial sector was responsible for 31% of Australia's emissions. And our emissions in the sector have only increased over the past fifteen years. But how can we reduce carbon emissions in the industrial sector while maintaining jobs and the economy? Listen to Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications in conversation about their new report, Towards Net Zero: Practical policies to reduce industrial emissions. Read the report online: http://grattan.edu.au/

Compared to the rest of the world, Australia has fared incredibly well throughout the global COVID pandemic. We have had fewer cases and deaths than most countries, fewer days in lockdown, and one of the shortest recessions. But that’s not to say maintaining this suppression strategy hasn’t been easy. Sydney is experiencing a large Delta outbreak yet; Victoria just came out of its fifth lockdown. With only 14 per cent of Australians fully vaccinated, and vaccine supplies still constrained, it feels like there is no end in sight. Other countries like the UK and US are beginning to reopen and go back to life as normal, yet Australia is still shut off from the rest of the world. But the good news is, vaccines give us a way out. The wonder of vaccines is that they can carry us out of this mess to a world where lockdowns are no longer needed, and COVID is not a major public health threat. Join Tom Crowley, Will Mackey, Anika Stobart, and Brendan Coates, as they discuss their latest report Race to 80: our best shot at living with COVID, and how Australia can end lockdowns and start to reopen its border once 80 per cent of the population is vaccinated. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/race-to-80/

Australia’s governance is going backwards. Without change, there is little prospect for many substantial policy reforms that would increase Australian prosperity. Should we pine for the golden years of Australian policy reform, or is there a way forward from here? Listen to Grattan’s founding CEO, John Daley, in conversation with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, on his last Grattan report, Gridlock: removing barriers to policy reform. Read the report on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/

Australia’s state and territory governments have all committed to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 - or earlier. And the Federal Government has indicated they’d like to meet that goal too. But to get there, Australia needs to dramatically cut its emissions across each sector of the economy. Some sectors, such as transport, have had lower emissions since the COVID-19 pandemic, but those emissions are set to rebound to pre-pandemic levels. Australia is not on track for net zero, and urgently needs good policies to push its emissions down. Join Alison Reeve, Energy and Climate Change Fellow, and James Ha, Associate, as they discuss their new report series Towards Net Zero with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications.

The federal government’s Your Future, Your Super Bill, which passed Parliament in June, is the latest in a long line of reforms aimed at reining in Australia’s woefully high superannuation costs. But how many of us really understand whether our super fund is performing well – or not? Join Brendan Coates, Grattan's Economic Policy Program Director, Xavier O’Halloran, Director of Super Consumers Australia, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, as they break down the complexities of superannuation reform. Your Super comparison tool: https://www.ato.gov.au/YourSuper-Comparison-Tool/

In June 2020, Grattan Institute published a report called COVID catch-up: helping disadvantaged students close the equity gap. What we didn’t know was the impact this report would go on to have across Australia. One year later, half-a-billion dollars of funding has been dedicated to tutoring programs from both NSW and Victorian governments, and students are now getting the very real support they need. It’s proof of the power of good policy research to change Australia for the better. Join Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, Jordana Hunter, Education Program Director, and Julie Sonnemann, Education Fellow, as they chart the course of this impactful report – and where education policy can go from here. Take the education survey: http://ow.ly/xR0D50Fex6Q Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate

Australia’s vaccine rollout has been a train-wreck. Missed deadlines. A lack of transparency. Not to mention, expensive. And data published by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald suggest that a third of Australians are hesitant about getting vaccinated. A lack of information and confusing messages about who can get vaccinated, where, and when, have left everyday Australians reluctant to get the jab. Join Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, in discussion with Stephen Duckett, Health and Aged Care Program Director, on how to fix Australia's COVID vaccine rollout. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate

With Australia's borders closed because of the pandemic, it's no wonder that migration is at an all-time low. Yet the COVID crisis provides a unique opportunity to reset Australia's skilled migration program. Listen to Economic Policy Program Director Brendan Coates, and Senior Associate Will Mackey, in conversation with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications about their new report: Rethinking permanent skilled migration after the pandemic. Read the report online: https://grattan.edu.au/report/rethinking-permanent-skilled-migration-after-the-pandemic/

Taxpayers end up paying too much for major road and rail projects in Australia because governments don’t drive a hard bargain on contracts with the big construction firms. But what can governments do to make sure they get the best bang for the taxpayer's buck? Join Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Owain Emslie, Senior Associate, and Lachlan Fox, as they discuss infrastructure spending, contracts, and competition.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – for wonks that is. The Federal Government will soon release their May budget. But with economic recovery high on the agenda in the wake of COVID-19, you might be wondering where the government will be spending big – or slashing costs. Listen to Danielle Wood, Grattan CEO, in conversation with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, on what the upcoming budget might mean for you.

Australia has a new Minister for Women’s Economic Security in Jane Hume. But with an enormous gender gap in lifetime earnings between men and women, the significant job losses for women during the pandemic, and some women facing poverty in retirement, it’s hard to know which issue to start with. Listen to Rebecca Joiner, Tom Crowley and Kat Clay discuss how to fix the lifetime earnings gap.

All of us at some point in our lives have reaped the benefits of Medicare – whether that’s bulk billing a doctor’s appointment or receiving a more serious hospital procedure for free. When Medicare was introduced in the early 80s, the Minister for Health Dr Neal Blewett described it as ‘a simple, fair, affordable insurance system that provides basic health cover to all Australians’. But what about ‘a simple, fair, affordable aged care system that provides basic cover to all older Australians’. We have medicare, so why not a universally funded aged care system? Join Kat Clay and Anika Stobart, Associate, in conversation tackling this big question of why Australia should have a universal aged care system. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Achieving net-zero emissions sometimes sounds like an unachievable dream. With the political football of climate policy, and the current reliance on gas and coal-fired electricity sources, you’d be forgiven for becoming despondent about Australia ever getting to net-zero. But, at least in the electricity sector, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Join Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, with Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, and James Ha, associate, in conversation about their new report, Go for Net Zero: A practical plan for reliable, affordable, low-emissions electricity.

Chances are, if you’re on the market for a new property, or are trying to sell, you might have noticed how bonkers the Australian property market is right now. Queues of thirty people at open inspections isn’t unheard of in metropolitan areas, and prices are skyrocketing due to demand. It’s an unexpected outcome - the start of the COVID pandemic saw predictions that house prices would fall 10-to-20 per cent. One year on and Australian house prices are now surging at their fastest rate since 2003. After all the talk of crashing house prices a year ago, it’s enough to give would-be homebuyers whiplash. Listen to Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, and Brendan Coates, Household Finances Program Director, tackle the very real problem of housing affordability.

At the start of March, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety released its final report into aged care and laid out an extensive plan to overhaul the aged-care system. There’s no doubt that aged care must be reformed. But with an overwhelming number of recommendations, where do we even begin? Listen to this informed discussion with Anika Stobart, Associate with the Grattan Health Program, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications.

COVID has compounded the effects of career breaks for women. Just six months out of work can add another $100,000 to the average $2 million lifetime earnings gap between men and women with children in Australia. This International Women’s Day, listen to Danielle Wood, CEO, Kate Griffiths, Fellow, and Tom Crowley, Associate, on how the COVID recession has affected women, now and into the future, and what we can do to ‘build back better’. Read our full report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/womens-work

It’s no exaggeration to say that COVID-19 has changed how we travel forever. Now that offices are reopening, many people are driving to work in order to avoid public transport. But do any of us want to go back to the office after discovering the flexibility of working from home? Or maybe, you’ve just decided to join the lycra clad brigade of MAMILS on their bikes. However we commute, it’s almost certainly going to look different to pre-pandemic transport. Listen to Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, in conversation with Owain Emslie, Senior Associate.

Australia’s border closure was one of the Morrison Government’s best decisions in responding to the pandemic. It was a big decision, but the right one. Tight border controls have given Australia the best of both worlds: little community transmission and a domestic economy largely unencumbered by COVID. Now, Victoria has just emerged from a five day lockdown caused by a breach in hotel quarantine. That follows similar breaches in Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth over the summer months. At the same time there have been fresh calls each week for more people to arrive in Australia from overseas. Citizens unable to return home. Universities desperate for international students to return. Workers from the Pacific to pick the harvest, otherwise left to rot in the fields. So, how can we fix hotel quarantine? And what do the current arrangements mean for migration in the coming months? Listen to Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, in conversation with Brendan Coates, Household Finances Program Director, and Henry Sherrell, Migration Fellow, about how to fix the hotel quarantine system. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Are you worried the age pension won’t exist in Australia by the time you retire? Turns out you’re not alone – more than half of Australians are worried about the pension disappearing. Watch Brendan Coates, Household Finances Program Director, in discussion with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, and why you might not need to be worried about the pension disappearing.

With the recent release of data from the Australian Electoral Commission, political parties in Australia collectively received $168 million in income for the last financial year. Yet more than half of the funding for the major parties remains secret. In this week's podcast, Institutional Reform experts Kate Griffiths and Tom Crowley discuss where the money is going, what it does, and how to reform the political donations system.

Climate change policy is in for a rocky ride in 2021. And sometimes it’s hard to make sense of where Australia stands on climate change. How are emissions going? And what do our politicians need to do to get to net-zero emissions by 2050? Listen to Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, discuss the year ahead for climate policy in Australia, and his latest piece in the Griffith Review, titled Remaking the Balance: Accords and antagonisms: Making progress in the combat for climate policy. Hosted by Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications.

Listen to CEO Danielle Wood, in discussion with renowned journalist and broadcaster Geraldine Doogue, as we reveal our top six thought-provoking, diverse, and relevant books and articles from 2020. 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. Featuring an introduction by CEO of State Library Victoria, Kate Torney, and interviews with four of the featured authors, Alex Miller, Clare Wright, Evelyn Araluen, and Marian Wilkinson. Grattan’s 2020 list is: The Carbon Club, Marian Wilkinson, Allen & Unwin Fire Front: First Nations poetry and power today, edited by Alison Whittaker, UQP Good Economics for Hard Times, Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo, Public Affairs How the dark gets in, Clare Wright, Meanjin Max, Alex Miller, Allen & Unwin Men at Work: Australia’s Parenthood Trap, Annabel Crabb, Black Inc. You can read more about our list here: https://grattan.edu.au/news/announcing-grattan-institutes-annual-summer-recommended-reading-list-for-the-prime-minister/

2020 was an enormous year for Australia, but it's also been a big year for the Grattan Institute. We've seen bushfires, the coronavirus crisis, and the huge fiscal and societal effects of the pandemic. In a special podcast, Grattan Institute CEO, Danielle Wood, reflects on the year that was, the enormous impacts that Grattan has had on public policy, and the future of our research for 2021. To donate to Grattan, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/donate

Australia is getting hotter, and Australians’ health is being harmed. Our health sector must do more to adapt to the reality of climate change. This podcast discusses Grattan's last report for the year, Climate change and health: preparing for the next disaster, with Will Mackey, Senior Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/climate-change-and-health-preparing-for-the-next-disaster/

In 2020, the out of sight, out of mind attitude to older Australians had deadly consequences. By the end of Australia’s second wave in October 2020, there had been about 2,000 COVID-19 cases and 680 deaths in residential aged care – mostly in Victoria – accounting for about 75 per cent of Australia’s COVID-19 death toll. This rate of deaths in residential care is much higher than many comparable countries. Back in October of this year, Anika Stobart, Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communication, discussed the rights of older Australians on the podcast, and our proposed rights-based framework for reforming the aged care system. This time, they discuss Grattan's newest report: Reforming aged care: a practical plan for a rights-based system.

Last week the Victorian Government announced a $5.4 billion dollar Big Housing Build, billed as a ‘landmark investment in social housing.’ The plan will build more than 12, 000 new homes in Victoria, including more than 9300 new social housing properties, and upgrades to existing public housing facilities. Likewise Western Australia, Tasmania, and NSW have all announced social housing building projects as part of their economic recovery strategies. But why is building social housing both an economic and societal win? Listen to Brendan Coates, Household Finances Program Director, in conversation with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, on why social housing is good stimulus.

Far from fuelling the recovery from the COVID recession, natural gas will inevitably decline as an energy source for industry and homes in Australia. Listen to Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, and Guy Dundas, Energy Fellow, bust the three biggest myths around a gas-led recovery in their latest report: Flame out: the future of natural gas in Australia. Hosted by Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. You can read the report in discussion here: https://grattan.edu.au/report/flame-out-the-future-of-natural-gas

Australian governments are currently fast-tracking transport projects, hoping for an infrastructure-led recovery from the COVID-19 recession. But our infrastructure pipeline is already bulging with several megaprojects underway across the country. And the history of such projects in terms of cost is not great. Governments have often ended up spending millions - and even billions - more on these projects than they first told the public they would. Listen to Senior Associates Owain Emslie and Greg Moran, in conversation with Paul Austin, about their latest report: The Rise of Megaprojects: Counting the cost.

This week Victoria reached 0 COVID cases and 0 deaths – in what has affectionately been dubbed ‘Donut Day’. It’s been a hard-won road with the dramatic shutdown of the entire state for 112 days. Hospitality, retail and the arts have been hard hit, not to mention the tragic deaths and illnesses due to the virus itself. But in reaching zero, Victoria has achieved a world first. No other place in the world has tamed a second wave this large. Listen to Kat Clay in conversation with Tom Crowley, Grattan associate, about how Victoria's response compares to other countries around the world. Read the article in discussion on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/news/at-zero-new-cases-victoria-is-on-top-of-the-world/

With this week’s release of the historic 2020 Federal Budget, economic stimulus seems to be all about high-vis and hard hats. But what about the hardest hit? In this podcast, three Grattan Institute experts give their extended take on what can only be described as one of the most significant budgets of our generation. Listen to Danielle Wood, Grattan's CEO, Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, and Stephen Duckett, Health Program Director, as they evaluate the 2020 Federal Budget.

By September this year, there have been about 2000 COVID cases and 500 deaths in residential aged care, which accounts for 70% of Australia's COVID death toll. At the same time, we are faced with the horror stories of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, that include a lack of dignity, neglect, abuse, and the inappropriate use of chemical and physical restraints. And yet, there have been a multitude of reports and proposed reforms into aged care through the years that have gone ignored. Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discusses the latest Grattan Report, Rethinking aged care: emphasising the rights of older Australians, with Anika Stobart, Associate in Grattan's health program.

In early September, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the reform of the energy system to aid Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19. Much of this announcement focussed on gas as they key to stimulating manufacturing and investment in Australia. But is this really the case, and could Australia be missing an opportunity to move to more renewable energy sources? Two of Grattan's energy experts, Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, and Guy Dundas, Energy Fellow, shed light on these recent announcements in our latest podcast. Donate to Grattan Institute https://grattan.edu.au/donate

Faced with the hard task of economic recovery from COVID-19, governments need to prioritise policy changes that makes a difference, while minimising the political cost. But Australian policy has stagnated under the lack of prioritisation. The failure to prioritise has been labelled as one reason for the failings of the Rudd Government, the Abbott Government, and the Shorten Opposition. In today’s special prioritisation podcast, Senior Fellow John Daley discusses his latest report, Prioritising a Government’s Agenda, with Fellow Kate Griffiths. You can read the report in discussion here: https://grattan.edu.au/report/prioritising-a-governments-agenda/

A big part of the Morrison Government’s response to COVID-19 has been allowing people early access to their superannuation. At the same time, compulsory super contributions are legislated to climb from 9.5 per cent of wages to 12 per cent over the next five years. We’ve all been told we need to put more money into super, so letting people have access to their superannuation early sounds like a bad idea. But is it? And does it justify higher compulsory contributions? On today's Grattan podcast, Household Finances Program Director Brendan Coates discusses the early super release scheme, and whether or not super should rise to 12 per cent.

COVID-19 is the biggest issue of our age, and one of the biggest questions is how can we best fight coronavirus? Can we realistically get to zero active cases in Australia? Or should we just let it rip? On today's podcast, Stephen Duckett discusses his new report "Go for zero: how Australia can get to zero COVID-19 cases", the Victorian roadmap to COVID Normal, and how other states can do the same, with Paul Austin. You can read the report in discussion free online: https://grattan.edu.au/report/how-australia-can-get-to-zero-covid-19-cases/

One of the biggest challenges facing our largest cities before the pandemic, and one we will eventually have to face again, is congestion on our roads. With so many people either out of work or working from home, now might seem like a strange time to be thinking about tackling congestion in our cities. But, there are many reasons why it might also be the best time. Kat Clay is joined by Senior Associate Greg Moran, to talk about why congestion charging is back on the agenda and why that’s a good thing. You can read our report on congestion charging in Sydney and Melbourne here: https://grattan.edu.au/report/right-time-right-place-right-price/

Increasing female workforce participation is one of the biggest long-term economic opportunities for governments. Australia’s female workforce participation rate is above the OECD average, but Australian women are much more likely to work part-time than their overseas counterparts. Before COVID-19, a typical Australian woman with pre-teenage children worked 2.5 days per week. Is this what women want? Why do the work patterns of mothers look so different from those of fathers? Why is part-time work so common for Australian women compared to women in other developed countries? How has COVID-19 changed the equation? And what can governments do to reduce the barriers for women who want to do more paid work? Our expert panel discussed these issues and more at this State Library Victoria and Grattan Institute Policy Pitch event. Speakers: Miranda Stewart - Professor and Director of Tax at Melbourne University Law School Emma Walsh - CEO, Parents At Work Danielle Wood - CEO, Grattan Institute Moderator Paul Austin - Editor, Grattan Institute To read the report in discussion, please visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/cheaper-childcare/ For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Childcare should be made cheaper to enable more women to do more paid work, and to help lift the economy out of the COVID recession. Find out how Australian governments can enable mothers to do more paid work (and how to manage being a CEO with a toddler at home) on this week’s Grattan podcast with CEO Danielle Wood, Fellow Kate Griffiths, and Senior Associate Owain Emslie. Read the report in discussion on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/report/cheaper-childcare/

Should Australia dump the decades-old dream of building a bullet train from Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney and Canberra? The east-coast bullet train advocated by the federal ALP could be an expensive folly: Australia’s small population and vast distances present major economic and environmental risks. How realistic is the notion that upgrades to regional rail would ease population pressures on our major capitals and boost struggling regional cities and towns? What’s the best way for governments to help commuters get to work in the booming outer suburbs of the capital cities? The alternative of renovating rail lines to boost train speeds from capital cities to surrounding regions is less expensive and might be worth doing – but these renovations are unlikely to fulfil all the wishful thinking of their proponents. Watch Marion Terrill, Grattan's Transport and Cities Program Director, Gabriel Metcalf, CEO of the Committee for Sydney, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, in a lively discussion on all things trains. To read the report in discussion visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/fast-train-fever/

The second part of our two-part special podcast on Grattan's past and future. This week John Daley, our CEO of eleven years, interviews our new CEO, Danielle Wood, on the future of Grattan, the importance of public trust in institutions, and her optimism in the potential for policy change in Australia.

As we farewell Grattan's CEO of eleven years, John Daley, and welcome our new CEO, Danielle Wood, we present the first part of a special two-part podcast series, looking at where Grattan has come from, and where Grattan will go. This week, Danielle Wood interviews John Daley on his achievements and the origins of the Grattan Institute. Next week, John will interview Danielle on where she sees the future of the Grattan Institute and policy in Australia.

Australia continues to debate whether achieving very low or net zero emissions will cost jobs or open a new era for the country as an energy superpower. In this Grattan Institute/State Library of Queensland Webinar, a panel of experts explored the opportunities and barriers Australia will face in a low-emissions world. Speakers: - Anna Skarbek, CEO of ClimateWorks Australia - Professor Ross Garnaut, Professorial Research Fellow in Economics at The University of Melbourne - Guy Dundas, Energy Fellow, Grattan Institute - Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Grattan Institute

COVID-19 is the biggest social and economic shock since World War II. Within two months, policies and systems for welfare, employment, childcare, health, and education have been turned on their head after decades of (at most) incremental reform. Recovering from such a shock is a big task that will stretch government resources. Other less urgent (but important) reforms will have to wait until there are time and resources to do them properly. In this special Grattan Institute/State Library Victoria Webinar, a panel of policy experts from the Grattan Institute discussed our latest publication, The Recovery Book, which identifies the extensive policy agenda Australia’s federal, state, and territory governments should deal with over the next six months. To read the report in question, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/recovery-book/ Speakers Danielle Wood – CEO of the Grattan Institute Stephen Duckett – Director of Grattan’s Health Program Brendan Coates – Director of Grattan’s Household Finances Program Marion Terrill – Director of Grattan’s Transport & Cities Program Moderator Paul Austin – Editor at Grattan Institute

Teachers and students responded quickly and well to remote learning when the COVID-19 crisis forced the closure of schools. But new research suggests most students learnt less at home than they would have in the classroom – and that disadvantaged students fell further behind. In this special Webinar, experts from the UK, the US, and Australia discussed their latest findings and identified the extent of the ‘equity gap’. And as schools reopen and students return to the classroom, the panel suggested ways to help our most vulnerable students to catch-up, answered questions on school education in the age of COVID-19. Speakers: - Anthony Mackay AM - President & CEO of the Washington DC based National Centre on Education and the Economy - Dr. V. Darleen Opfer - Vice President of RAND Education and Labor and the Distinguished Chair in Education Policy at the RAND Corporation - Robert Coe - Director of Research and Development at Evidence Based Education and Senior Associate at the Education Endowment Foundation - Julie Sonnemann - School Education Fellow at Grattan Institute A special event by Grattan Institute/Education Endowment Foundation/National Centre Education and Economy/RAND Corporation. We would like to thank the Origin Energy Foundation for their generous and timely support of this project.

After COVID-19, Australia’s health system looks nothing like the health system of six months ago. All aspects of the system – primary care, mental health, and alcohol and other drug services – have embraced new ways of working because of spatial distancing. Health professionals took on new roles, services pivoted from waiting for people to make appointments to reaching out to patients, and many face-to-face consultations were replaced with phone or video consultations. Read our latest health report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/coming-out-of-covid/

Australia should launch a $1 billion, six-month tutoring blitz to help 1 million disadvantaged school students recover learning lost during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Governments should send a battalion of 100,000 tutors into schools between now and Christmas to conduct intensive small-group sessions on reading and maths. Many disadvantaged students – those from the poorest 25 per cent of families and rural areas – will have fallen further behind their classmates during the COVID-19 school closures. Listen to Julie Sonnemann, School Education Fellow, in discussion with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, about how to help disadvantaged students recover lost learning. For more information or to read the report in discussion, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/covid-catch-up/

Australia should dump the decades-old dream of building a bullet train from Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney and Canberra, and we should be wary of expensive promises to upgrade regional rail to ease population pressures on our major capitals and boost struggling regional cities and towns. Listen to Greg Moran, Senior Associate, and Tom Crowley, Associate, discuss the latest Grattan Report, Fast train fever: Why renovated rail might work but bullet trains won’t. Hosted by Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. You can read the report in discussion here: https://grattan.edu.au/report/fast-train-fever/

There's no doubt that COVID-19 has changed our lives forever. After two months of hibernation in Australia, states are slowly beginning to loosen restrictions. We've heard the term the 'new normal' over and over again. But what does the new normal look like? In this Grattan Institute podcast, Dr Hal Swerissen, Visiting Fellow, discusses what life looks like after lockdown with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. You can read the articles mentioned in the podcast here: The New Normal: How we'll live with COVID-19: https://grattan.edu.au/news/the-new-normal-how-well-live-with-covid-19/ New data shows Australians embrace physical distancing: https://grattan.edu.au/news/new-data-shows-australians-embrace-physical-distancing/

Investing in ‘green’ steel could create 25,000 local manufacturing jobs, a multi-billion-dollar industry and cut emissions in Australia. It’s a win-win-win. Listen to Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Guy Dundas, Fellow, and Paul Austin, Editor, discuss Grattan Institute’s latest report, Start with steel: A practical plan to support carbon workers and cut emissions. To read the report in discussion on the podcast, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/start-with-steel/

Australia has done better than most countries in limiting the spread of COVID-19. The health crisis is not over, but attention is now turning to the ‘road out’ of the economic shutdown. There are lots of uncertainties. What are the costs of relaxing too late – or too early? Should schools be reopened, and under what conditions? What parts of the economy should be taken out of lockdown, in what order, and with what changes? How much should we prioritise restoring social activities? Well before governments imposed restrictions, many people started spatial distancing. Irrespective of what governments permit, recovery depends on whether individuals choose to go back to work and to resume social activities. As with the COVIDsafe app, much depends on whether governments can win back public trust. In this Grattan Webinar recording, a panel of policy experts provided perspective on these questions, and nominate Australia’s best strategy from here. Featuring John Daley, Marion Terrill, Stephen Duckett, Brendan Coates and Paul Austin.

Between 14 and 26 per cent of Australian workers could be out of work as a direct result of the coronavirus shutdown, and the crisis will have an enduring impact on jobs and the economy for years to come. Listen to Brendan Coates, Grattan's Household Finances Program Director, in discussion with Matt Cowgill, Senior Associate, and Paul Austin, Editor, about the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown and what policies could help support Australians through the crisis. You can read the working paper in discussion on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/report/shutdown-estimating-the-covid-19-employment-shock/

The COVID-19 crisis is having an impact on every aspect of our lives: our health and wellbeing, our jobs and recreations, our personal finances and relationships, our children’s education and prospects. Governments have rarely been under such stress as they seek to balance protecting public health with ensuring economic survival. How can we recover from the loss of lives, livelihoods, and our very way of life? What sort of society will we be left with when the crisis is over? In this Grattan Webinar, a panel of policy experts provided their perspectives on the health, social, and economic impacts of COVID-19. Speakers: John Daley Danielle Wood Brendan Coates Stephen Duckett Moderator Paul Austin

Will our children be able to cope during this stressful time? Will they be able to learn if they are forced to do online schooling for weeks, months, or even the rest of the year? Listen to informed analysis and advice from our Education Fellow, Julie Sonnemann. With host Paul Austin. To read the article discussed in the podcast, visit our website: https://grattan.edu.au/news/disadvantaged-students-will-be-hit-hardest-by-the-enforced-move-to-online-schooling/

Coronavirus is the biggest crisis of our generation. Australians are fearful. The elderly are vulnerable. People are dying. Recession is almost certain. Businesses and borders are closing. Governments must balance protecting public health with ensuring economic survival. How can they minimise the impacts of COVID-19 on Australia? And how do we protect the most vulnerable in our community? In this webinar, a panel of policy experts from the Grattan Institute provided measured, informed, evidence-based perspective on the economic, budgetary and health impacts of COVID-19. Grattan Institute Speakers John Daley, CEO Danielle Wood, Program Director, Budget Policy and Institutional Reform Stephen Duckett, Program Director, Health Brendan Coates, Program Director, Household Finances Paul Austin, Editor

Australia’s 1950s-style, GP-centric primary care model is not fit to respond to the increased prevalence of chronic disease — and now we know it’s not fit to respond to an infectious disease pandemic either. Stephen Duckett, Health Program Director, discusses how the coronavirus crisis is highlighting the cracks in the healthcare system, and what we can learn from the NHS response to the pandemic. Hosted by Paul Austin. The article discussed in this week's podcast is available on our website here: https://grattan.edu.au/news/coronavirus-crisis-exposes-fundamental-flaws-in-our-healthcare-system/

Plenty of people think congestion is a real problem in Melbourne, and they are right. Up until now, state governments’ main efforts to reduce congestion have been to build new roads and add new public transport services. But decades of new roads and new public transport have left us with the level of congestion we see today. At this Grattan Institute/State Library of Victoria Policy Pitch event, a panel of experts discussed the proposal to charge drivers a fee to drive on the busiest roads at the busiest times. Featuring: Ashleigh Cormack - Head of Cities Policy, Australia and New Zealand at Uber. Lauren Walker - Principal Consultant (Transport Advisory) and Project Manager at Veitch Lister Consulting Marion Terrill - Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute Paul Austin - Editor, Grattan Institute

The retirement incomes system works well for most, but fails too many poorer Australians, especially low-income women and retirees who rent. Listen to Brendan Coates, Household Finances Program Director, Jonathan Nolan, Associate, and Paul Austin, Editor, unpack the complexities of retirement incomes policy. You can read the submission in discussion here: https://grattan.edu.au/submissions/balancing-act/

From trade to higher education, the Australian economy is feeling the effects of coronavirus. This week on the Grattan podcast, we look at what the virus has already meant for Australia, and what it may mean for Australia's future if it is not controlled, and hopefully, eliminated. Discussing this health emergency is John Daley, Grattan Institute CEO, William Mackey, Associate, and host Paul Austin. You can read the article in discussion on the website here: https://grattan.edu.au/news/coronavirus-could-have-a-devastating-impact-on-australias-universities/

Big money matters in Australian elections. Amidst a busy week in politics, with the increasing threat of coronavirus, the annual release of the federal political donations data might have slipped under your radar. Yet this data points to a very concerning underlying question: can you buy an election? Listen to Kate Griffiths, fellow for the Budget Policy and Institutional Reform program, in discussion with host Kat Clay, around how to reform Australia's political donations system. To see the charts in discussion in this podcast, visit: https://blog.grattan.edu.au/2020/02/three-things-the-new-donations-data-tell-us-about-the-2019-federal-election/

A new career path for expert teachers could transform Australian schools and boost student learning by 18 months by the time they turn 15. Listen to Peter Goss, School Education Program Director, and Julie Sonnemann, School Education Fellow, discuss their new report, Top teachers: sharing expertise to improve teaching. Hosted by Paul Austin. You can read the report on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/report/top-teachers/

It’s a common assumption that compulsory superannuation comes out of workers’ wages. But is it true? With compulsory super set to rise from 9.5 percent to 12 percent by July 2025, it’s timely to ask who is going to foot the bill. Employers or employees? And what does this mean for your future salary? Listen to Brendan Coates, Household Finances Program Director, and Matt Cowgill, Senior Associate discuss their latest working paper No Free Lunch: Higher superannuation means lower wages. You can read the working paper in discussion on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/report/no-free-lunch/

Dozens of lives have been lost and homes destroyed due to the Australian bushfires. In the midst of the tragedy, a big question arises. Might the summer of 2020 be a turning point in climate politics and policy in Australia? Grattan Institute CEO John Daley and Senior Associate Emily Millane discuss how major crises can lead to dramatic policy changes, and the economic cost of inaction on climate change. Hosted by Paul Austin, Grattan Institute editor. You can read the article in discussion on the Grattan Institute website: https://grattan.edu.au/news/might-the-bushfire-crisis-be-the-turning-point-on-climate-politics-australian-needs/

Hydrogen is now surging to the top of the global decarbonisation agenda. Australia’s competitive advantages, including local expertise and infrastructure, proximity to Asian markets, and abundance of renewable energy, could mean we become a globally significant player through hydrogen exports, with important domestic spill-over benefits. The dual objectives of the strategy are to build a clean, innovative and competitive hydrogen industry, and to position Australia’s hydrogen industry as a major global player by 2030. Listen to Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel AO discuss the hydrogen strategy at the Energy Futures forum, co-hosted by the Grattan Institute and the Melbourne Energy Institute (MEI). Dr Finkel's presentation is followed by a panel discussion with Grattan Institute’s Energy Program Director Tony Wood and MEI’s Hydrogen and Clean Fuels Program Leader Prof. Paul Webley, moderated by Prof. Sandra Kentish, Head of the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at The University of Melbourne.

Private health insurance has changed dramatically over the past few decades, and young and healthy people are dropping out (or not joining). Something has to change. Can we cut private hospital costs? Can we stem the flow of surprise bills from greedy doctors? Will that be enough to save private health insurance? Listen to Stephen Duckett, Grattan Institute Health Program Director, and Jo Root, Policy Director of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia, discuss whether private health insurance can be saved from the jaws of death. To read the reports in discussion: Saving Private Health 1: https://grattan.edu.au/report/saving-private-health-1/ Saving Private Health 2: https://grattan.edu.au/report/saving-private-health-2/

Every year Grattan Institute selects six thought-provoking works for the Prime Minister's Summer Reading List. Our 2019 recommendations tackle wide-ranging topics, from secret ballots to cities, Tories to the Testaments. Each selection provides inspiration and warning for how to shape Australia’s future. Listen to Grattan Institute CEO John Daley in discussion with Program Director Danielle Wood about the six works at this Policy Pitch event, held in partnership with State Library Victoria. You can read the full list on our website here: https://grattan.edu.au/report/pm-summer-reading-list-2019/

The only way that private hospital insurance can survive as Australia’s population ages is to make insurance cheaper for younger, healthier people. Younger consumers are spending more on private hospital insurance but getting less value for their money. The industry faces a demographic death spiral as costs for older people rise and younger people leave. Listen to Grattan Institute's Health Program Director Stephen Duckett discuss with Kat Clay how to stop this death spiral and reform private health insurance. Read the report in discussion here: https://grattan.edu.au/report/saving-private-health-2/

Private health insurance premiums could be cut by up to 10 per cent if private hospitals were made more efficient and stopped over-servicing. A handful of ‘greedy’ doctors charge their patients more than twice the official Medicare Benefits Schedule fee. Only about 7 per cent of all in-hospital medical services are billed at this rate, yet these bills account for almost 90 per cent of all out-of-pocket costs for private hospital patients – and patients are often not told of these costs in advance. Listen to Grattan Institute Health Program Director Stephen Duckett discuss his latest report with Paul Austin, Editor.

Since the Hazelwood power station closed in 2017 Victoria’s power prices have been up and reliability has been down. How will Victoria’s ageing brown coal power stations cope with an influx of new renewable generation? When will the Yallourn power station close, and what will be the effect on our power supply? This Policy Pitch event looked at the challenges facing the National Electricity Market, and Victoria in particular, as it transitions away from coal and towards renewables. Featuring speakers Guy Dundas, Grattan Institute Energy Fellow, Audrey Zibelman, CEO, Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), and Ross Edwards, Executive, Markets, EnergyAustralia. This event was held in partnership with State Library Victoria.

Bright young Australians are interested in becoming teachers, but are put off by low pay and poor career progression. That’s the finding of Australia’s first survey of young high achievers on their attitudes to teaching as a career choice. In this Grattan Institute State of Affairs event, Julie Sonnemann, Graham Moloney, Isobel Dagg and Paul Kennard discussed what changes can be made to position a teaching career as an attractive option for young Australians. This event was held in partnership with the State Library of Queensland. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Drivers should be charged $5 to enter the Sydney and Melbourne CBDs in the morning peak and another $5 to exit in the afternoon peak, as part of a package of reforms to make our biggest cities work better. The scheme would reduce the number of cars entering the CBDs each morning by about 40 per cent. The money raised should be spent on upgrading CBD streets to make them safer and less congested for pedestrians. Listen to two of Grattan's transport experts, Senior Associate Greg Moran and Associate James Ha talk about why it's time for congestion charging in Australia.

London. Singapore. Stockholm. What do these cities have in common? Congestion charging. Australia’s capital cities should join them by charging drivers who use the busiest roads at the busiest times. Listen to two of Grattan's transport experts, Senior Associate Greg Moran and Associate James Ha talk about why it's time for congestion charging in Australia. You can read the report discussed in this podcast on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/report/why-its-time-for-congestion-charging/

Chaotic approaches to energy policy have pushed up electricity prices and scared off investors. Governments feel compelled to respond when electricity supply is lost and when prices are too high, but ad hoc and uncoordinated actions by federal and state governments have made things worse. Listen to Grattan Institute's Energy Program Director Tony Wood and Fellow Guy Dundas discuss solutions for Australia's electricity market with Paul Austin.

Australia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement means cutting carbon emissions to near zero over the next 30 years. Doing this at reasonable cost while maintaining reliability will require reforms and investment unprecedented in scale and complexity. Yet, recent history raises concerns that we need new foundations to underpin the policy reform agenda. This is an event recording of a public forum in the Energy Future series, hosted by Melbourne Energy Institute and Grattan Institute. Speakers Chloe Munro, Professorial Fellow, Monash University Richard Bolt, Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Grattan Institute Moderator Madeleine Morris, Reporter, 7.30 at Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement means cutting carbon emissions to near zero over the next 30 years. This must be done at the lowest cost, while ensuring energy supplies remain reliable. This historic task is a challenge and an opportunity. The reforms and investments required will be unprecedented in their scale and complexity. But Australia has the energy and other resources to flourish in this low-carbon future. Listen to Grattan Institute's Energy Program Director Tony Wood and Fellow Guy Dundas tackle the future of energy in Australia with podcast host, Paul Austin.

University leaders are calling for the re-instatement of demand driven funding, which let them enrol unlimited numbers of bachelor-degree students. At the same time, there are widespread calls for the vocational education system to be strengthened to attract more young people, especially into the trades. Are these goals in tension? What advice should we give people thinking about their post-school options? Listen to Professor Linda Kristjanson AO, Professor Peter Noonan, Frances Coppolillo, and Higher Education Program Director Andrew Norton discuss the choice between vocational and higher education in this event held in partnership with State Library Victoria.

Australia’s top teachers should be able to earn $80,000 a year more, and top school-leavers should get $10,000-a-year scholarships if they take up teaching, as part of a $1.6 billion blueprint to boost teacher quality and student performance. The reform package could double the number of high achievers who choose to become teachers, and increase the average ATAR of teaching graduates to 85, within the next decade. Listen to Grattan Institute's School Education Program Director Peter Goss, School Education Fellow Julie Sonnemann and Associate Jonathan Nolan discuss the new report, 'Attracting high achievers to teaching'.

Today’s young Australians are in danger of being the first generation in memory to have lower living standards than their parents’ generation. Older Australians today spend more and have higher incomes and greater wealth than older Australians three decades ago. But living standards have improved far less for younger Australians. The wealth of households headed by someone under 35 has barely moved since 2004. Listen to Grattan Institute's Budget Policy Program Director Danielle Wood, Senior Associate Kate Griffiths, and Associate Owain Emslie discuss this topic with Paul Austin.

Some university students with low school results would be better off doing vocational education instead. Listen to Grattan Institute's Higher Education Program Director Andrew Norton discuss with Paul Austin when TAFE is a good alternative to university.

All Australians are spending more of their incomes on housing, but worsening affordability is hurting low-income earners the most. Almost half of low-income Australians in the private rental market suffer rental stress. It’s probably no coincidence that homelessness is rising. There is a powerful case for additional government support to help Australia’s most disadvantaged cope with high housing costs. Housing First policies have halved homelessness in countries like Finland. But not all policies are equally effective. So what should the Queensland State government and the Federal Government do to tackle these challenges? How should they target programs: should they focus just on social housing for those right at the bottom, or should they fund affordable housing for “key workers” in the inner city? How should additional support be delivered: as government funded development; as subsidies for developers; by imposing planning conditions for new developments; or as rent assistance directly into the bank accounts of renters on low incomes? And what is the role of planning and the private housing market? In this State of Affairs event at the State Library of Queensland, Executive Director of National Shelter, Adrian Pisarski, and Grattan Institute CEO John Daley discuss what’s the best way to help low-income earners deal with rising housing costs and to reduce the number of Queenslanders who are homeless.

Australia needs to decarbonise its energy supply to meet its international commitments on greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity from wind and solar can help – but how do we reduce emissions from the gas we use to warm our homes, heat water and cook dinner? The COAG Energy Council has set up a taskforce to examine the role of hydrogen in Australia’s energy system. Hydrogen can be produced from zero-emissions sources, and can be mixed in with natural gas in pipelines today. Over time, the gas network could switch to 100 per cent hydrogen, potentially delivering abundant emissions-free energy to households and businesses. In this Forward Thinking event Alison Reeve from the COAG Hydrogen Taskforce, Peter Harcus from Jemena Gas Networks and Craig Memery from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre joined Grattan’s Tony Wood to discuss whether hydrogen will become a key part of Australia’s energy supply.

Event podcast: In this Policy Pitch event at the State Library of Victoria, Council of Homeless Persons CEO Jenny Smith, Residential Tenancies in Victoria inaugural Commissioner Dr Heather Holst and Grattan Institute Fellow Brendan Coates discussed the best way to help low-income earners deal with rising housing costs and reduce the number of Australians who are homelessness.

Event podcast: In this Forward Thinking event, Grattan Institute’s Brendan Coates and The Australian Financial Review’s Joanna Mather discussed what the winner of the May 18 federal election should do to fix superannuation, and the retirement incomes system more broadly.

A conversation with Grattan CEO, John Daley. Many have interpreted the Coalition’s surprise victory in the 2019 federal election as signalling the end of substantial policy reform in Australia. But in this podcast conversation, Grattan's CEO shows that policy inaction is not a viable option, and he identifies priority areas where Prime Minister Scott Morrison might – and should – pursue reform.

Event podcast: The 2019 election has been branded the ‘generational election’. Beyond the hyperbole about an ‘age war’, there are serious questions about the economic future of today’s young Australians. In this Policy Pitch event the panel debated the contentious issue of intergenerational inequality, and identified what if anything we should do about it.

Event podcast: In this Policy Pitch event at State Library Victoria, Grattan Institute’s tax, energy, health, housing, retirement incomes, and transport & cities experts considered the issues in their field and nominate the choices that would really make a difference to Australia’s future. The discussion drew on Grattan’s Commonwealth Orange Book 2019, which identifies policy priorities for the next government.

A comprehensive conversation with the contributors to the Grattan Commonwealth Orange Book 2019 breaking down the key policy priorities for the next federal government. Drawing on 10 years of Grattan research and reports, the Orange Book recommends that Australia's next federal government should defy the national mood of reform fatigue and stare down vested interests to pursue a targeted agenda to improve the lives of Australians. Read the report - https://grattan.edu.au/report/commonwealth-orange-book-2019/ A time guide to this podcast: – 1:30 John Daley and Brendan Coates – The Orange Book policy priorities – 16:50 John Daley – Economic Development – 25:40 Brendan Coates – Housing – 32:40 Marion Terrill – Cities and transport – 41:30 Tony Wood – Energy – 55:10 Stephen Duckett – Health  – 1:05:30 Peter Goss – School education – 1:16:20 Andrew Norton – Higher Education – 1:21:00 Danielle Wood – Budget policy – 1:26:50 Danielle Wood – Institutional reform – 1:32:50 John Daley and Brendan Coates – Final thoughts

A conversation with Danielle Wood, Budget Policy Program Director. The 2019 budget was delivered on the cusp of the federal election. So, even more than normal, this budget is a political as well as economic document. Danielle Wood unpacks what the budget might mean for Australia and Australians over the next three years and beyond.

Event podcast: In this Forward Thinking event, the panel discussed: what teaching expertise looks like; how access to expert teachers could help every teacher improve their practice; what support expert teachers themselves need; and the benefits and risks of embedding expertise into teacher career paths.

A conversation with Health Program Director Stephen Duckett and Senior Associate Matt Cowgill. Australia should introduce a Medicare-style universal insurance scheme for dental care, so all Australians can go to the dentist when they need to. It would cost $5.6 billion a year and should be phased in over 10 years.

A conversation with Senior Associate Kate Griffiths and Associate Carmela Chivers. Once a year, the Commonwealth releases information on Australia’s political donations system – who donates to political parties and how much? The data isn’t timely but the information contained in this data dump does give clues as to who is funding Australian democracy and who our political parties are most reliant on.  Read the article in The Conversation on the 2019 data release: https://grattan.edu.au/report/whos-in-the-room/ Read the report Who's in the Room? Access and influence in Australian politics: https://grattan.edu.au/news/tasmanias-gambling-election-shows-australia-needs-tougher-rules-on-money-in-politics/

Event Podcast: In this Forward Thinking event, Grattan Institute’s budget, energy, and transport and cities experts considered the issues in their policy area and nominate the choices that would really make a difference to NSW’s future. The discussion drew on Grattan’s State Orange Book, which identifies policy priorities for state and territory governments across the nation.

Event podcast: Two million Australians delay or miss out on dental care each year because of cost. What should be done? Part of the answer is improving the value of existing public dental services. But part of the answer is that the Commonwealth should expand its role and establish a universal dental scheme paralleling Medicare. This Policy Pitch heard about both of these approaches.

Event podcast: 200,000 Victorian customers lost power on 25 January 2019, begging the question: is this the new normal? To answer this question, Grattan Institute's Guy Dundas was joined at this Policy Pitch event by Paul Austin from the Australian Energy Market Operator, the body that manages the electricity market, and Suzanne Falvi from the Australian Energy Market Commission, the body that sets the energy market rules.

A conversation with Energy Fellow Guy Dundas and Senior Associate Lucy Percival. The idea that electricity supply is less reliable with more renewables is wrong. Almost all outages are caused by problems in transporting electricity, and have nothing to do with how the power was generated. It’s also a dangerous idea, because if politicians panic and intervene in the market, power bills could rise even higher.

Event podcast: At this Capital Ideas event, moderator, ANU Energy Change Institute Director Ken Baldwin and our panel, Grattan Institute’s Tony Wood, Warwick McKibbin from ANU and the BCA’s Jessica Wilson discussed if there is any prospect of credible energy and climate change policy in Australia before the next election.

Event podcast: Every year Grattan Institute releases a summer reading list for the Prime Minister. It recommends books and articles that the Prime Minister, or any Australian interested in public debate, will find both stimulating and cracking good reads. Melbourne-based journalist Madeleine Morris joined Grattan Institute CEO John Daley in Melbourne to discuss how this year’s titles illuminate some of Australia’s most important debates.

A conversation with CEO John Daley and Fellow Brendan Coates. The conventional wisdom that Australians don’t save enough for retirement is wrong. The vast majority of retirees today are financially comfortable, and our modelling shows this is likely to be true for most in future. This has big implications for policy.

Event podcast: Following the release of our State Orange Book 2018, this Policy Pitch event, featuring a number of Grattan Institute Fellows and Program Directors, examined some of the policy recommendations from ten years of Grattan Institute reports and outline what state and territory governments should do to improve Australia

Event podcast: At this Forward Thinking event, Dineli Mather, a Pro Vice-Chancellor at Deakin University, Phil Lewis, an Emeritus Professor at the University of Canberra, and the Grattan Institute’s Ittima Cherastidtham discussed if higher education is still a good option for young people. Which courses are the best insurance against poor employment outcomes?

At this State of Affairs event Marion Terrill from the Grattan Institute, Matt Collins, who’s leading the Queensland Government’s Cities Transformation Taskforce, and moderator Steve Abson, who is Chief Executive of the Infrastructure Association of Queensland explored the state of Queensland’s cities and where to from here.

A conversation with the contributors to the Grattan State Orange Book 2018. State and territory governments can do more to improve the lives of Australians. In many cases, states are different because their governments adopted better policies. Every state should learn from the others and do better.

A conversation with School Education Program Director Peter Goss and Fellow Julie Sonnemann. Our new report card on NAPLAN results reveals big differences between the states on students’ learning progress through school. Governments should investigate why students make more progress in some states, to identify teacher practices and school policies that produce the best results

Event podcast: Marion Terrill from the Grattan Institute, Peter Mares, a journalist and migration expert who’s just published a book on housing policy, and Miriam Slattery, who heads Strategy and Partnerships at the City of Melbourne and is a transport enthusiast, explored the state of Melbourne and where to from here at this Policy Pitch event.

Event Podcast: In the last two years we’ve seen actions by Governments and others to improve the security and reliability of our power system. Grattan Institute, in partnership with the State Library of South Australia, hosted a public policy forum to discuss what we’ve learned and how things look for the coming summer where AEMO’s Audrey Zibelman, ElectraNet’s Steve Masters and Grattan’s Tony Wood shed light on how the system is shaping up.

A conversation with Transport Fellow, Hugh Batrouney. Australia’s urban commuters have little to fear from population growth, if recent experience is any guide. The average commute distances and times barely increased over the five years to 2016, even as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane’s populations grew strongly.

A conversation with Program Director Danielle Wood, Senior Associate Kate Griffiths and Associate Carmela Chivers. Powerful and well-resourced business groups, unions and not-for-profits are influencing policy to serve their interests, sometimes at the expense of the public interest. Stronger checks and balances on lobbying, donations and access would make our politics cleaner and fairer.

A conversation with Higher Education Program Director Andrew Norton and Fellow Ittima Cherastidtham. The graduate gender pay gap in Australia is narrowing, with more women in paid work than ever. Women’s earnings generally outpaced men’s over the past decade. But the pay gap remains large – and the labour market remains tough for young graduates.

Energy policy has played a central role in the removal of another Australian Prime Minister, highlighting our inability to integrate energy and environmental policy. What policies and market structure do we need in this new world and how will they balance energy prices, reliability and emissions? Our panel of experts, including Chloe Munro, Ross Garnaut and Michael Brear, threw light on these questions in the final Future Energy Series of public policy forums for 2018.

Event podcast: this Policy Pitch event looked at the different ways special interest groups – including business, unions and not-for-profits – seek influence over policy. Do political donations buy access? Which groups lobby the most? And who spends the most on public campaigns?

Event podcast: This Forward Thinking event looked at the different ways special interest groups – including business, unions and not-for-profits – seek influence over policy. Do political donations buy access? Which groups lobby the most? And who spends the most on public campaigns?

A conversation with School Education Program Director, Peter Goss on school funding. Do state schools get a fair go? How much should governments give to non-government schools? And how can we assess ‘fairness’ amid all these competing demands and all this heated politics?

A conversation with Health Program Director, Stephen Duckett. A new Code of Conduct for doctors has been drafted by the Medical Board of Australia. Entitled Good Medical Practice it covers issues for the medical profession in Australia such as the fees they charge, the way they deal with patients, and the ethics they practice. But have they got it right?

A conversation with Stephen Duckett on his latest report. Australia could save $1.5 billion a year on health spending by improving the safety of patient care. Safer hospital care doesn’t just reduce harm to patients, it saves money for taxpayers and frees up beds so other patients can be treated.

A conversation with Senior Associate, Greg Moran. Understanding the size of the costs of complications is important because it can help show that investing in patient safety can actually improve the bottom line. We discuss Grattan’s recent work estimating the costs of hospital complications and some of the challenges involved in this analysis.

Event podcast: At this Policy Pitch event, Dr Amanda Kenny, the Violet Marshman Professor of Rural Health at La Trobe University and Dr Hal Swerissen, Fellow, Grattan Institute discussed the state of play for primary care in Australia and options and recommendations for the future.

A conversation with Hal Swerissen and Stephen Duckett on their latest report. Primary care policy needs an overhaul to ensure all Australians, especially the poor and the elderly, get the best possible health care. Many poorer Australians can't afford to go to a GP when they need to or a dentist when they should, and people in rural and remote areas find it too hard to get to a pharmacist or medical specialist.

Event podcast: At this Energy Futures event ACCC Chair Rod Sims, Grattan Institute’s Tony Wood and Dr Leslie Martin from The University of Melbourne's Department of Economics and the Centre for Market Design, discussed the ACCC report, its recommendations to governments on solutions and the expectations we should have for real improvements in the short to medium term.

A conversation with Transport Fellow, Hugh Batrouney. Australia is growing – and most of the growth is happening in the capital cities. So are we building enough infrastructure to cope? Are we building the right infrastructure? And are we making the best use of the infrastructure we already have?

Event podcast: At this State of Affairs event, Stephen Duckett, Health Program Director at Grattan Institute presented data on the costs of complication rates and potential new strategies to reduce adverse events based on a forthcoming report on hospital safety.

Event Podcast: At this Policy Pitch event, School Education Fellow, Julie Sonnemann and a panel of experts discussed the difficulties of achieving evidence-based teaching at scale and how to implement critical reforms, such as tailored teaching and new specialist teacher career pathways.

A conversation with Energy Program Director, Tony Wood and Associate Lucy Percival. Wholesale electricity prices rose by 130 per cent between 2015 and 2017. But governments can’t fix the problem, because most of the price rises are caused by issues beyond their control. Politicians should tell Australians the harsh truth: high electricity prices are the new normal.

Event podcast: At this Capital Ideas event, Grattan Institute’s CEO John Daley and the CEO of the Financial Services Council, Sally Loane discussed the possible futures for Australia’s super system.

A conversation with Higher Education Fellow, Ittima Cherastidtham. What factors may make it more likely that you will drop out of uni? What things can you do to increase your chances of successfully completing uni? And is ATAR still a relevant guide to student performance?

Event podcast: At this Policy Pitch event, the panel discussed the reasons students leave university without completing, and what universities are doing or can do to ensure students get the best outcome from their higher education experience.

A conversation with Energy Program Director, Tony Wood. Energy has become one of the great barbecue-stoppers of Australia. Electricity and gas bills are soaring, energy supplies seem to be less reliable than they used to be, and if you really want to start an argument around the barbeque, say you’re in favour of coal-fired power, or that you want nothing but renewables such as wind and solar.

A conversation with Budget Policy and Institutional Reform Program Director, Danielle Wood and Fellow, Brendan Coates discussing this years budget announcements. Also featuring Transport Program Director, Marion Terrill and Higher Education Program Director, Andrew Norton.

Event Podcast: At this Energy Futures Seminar, ESB Chair, Kerry Schott, Grattan Institute’s Tony Wood and Tim Nelson from AGL as they explained, discussed and debated these issues. The Forum was moderated by Jennifer Hewett from the Australian Financial Review and was hosted by the Melbourne Energy Institute, Grattan Institute and the State Library of New South Wales.

Event podcast: At this Policy Pitch event, the panel looked at how current generations are faring in retirement, and what kind of retirement we can all expect in the future. They discussed the policy levers such as the Super Guarantee, superannuation draw-down rules, retirement ages, and the level and means testing of the Age Pension. And they explored the trade-offs that these involve for spending before retirement and for government budgets.

A conversation with School Education Fellow Julie Sonnemann. Following the release of the recommendations from the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools, we ask what Gonski 2.0 has found, why it has received a cold reception among some in the industry and how the implementation of Gonski’s findings should be managed. Links to research discussed in this podcast: Goss, P., Sonnemann, J., Griffiths, K., and Chivers, C., 2016, Circuit breaker: a new compact for school funding, Grattan Institute: https://grattan.edu.au/report/circuit-breaker/

Event podcast: In this State of Affairs event, Julie Sonnemann, Grattan Institute School Education Fellow, along with a panel of leading policy thinkers explored: What is needed to lift educational outcomes at scale; what are the benefits, challenges and risks of Commonwealth interventions; and, where should the Commonwealth focus its efforts, and why?

A conversation with Higher Education Fellow, Ittima Cherastidtham. More than 50,000 students who started university in Australia this year will drop out. Part-time students are particularly at risk. Policy makers should do more to reduce the number of young people who leave university with nothing but debt and regret. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/dropping-out/

A conversation with Budget Policy and Institutional Reform Program Director, Danielle Wood and Australian Perspectives Fellow, Brendan Coates. The announcement of Labor’s plan to abolish refunds of unused imputation credits for retirees in late March sparked significant confusion in the media, and in turn many Australians, about the economic effects and who would actually pay. Danielle and Brendan cut through this debate and shed some light on exactly what this policy will mean and who it will impact. Links to research discussed in this podcast: Brendan Coates and Danielle Wood, The real story of Labor’s dividend imputation reforms, published by Inside Story, March 2018 https://grattan.edu.au/news/the-real-story-of-labors-dividend-imputation-reforms/ Daley, J., Coates, B., Young, W., and Parsonage, H., Age of entitlement: age-based tax breaks, 2016, Grattan Institute https://grattan.edu.au/report/age-of-entitlement/ Daley, J., Coates, B., Wood, D., and Parsonage, H., 2015, Super tax targeting, Grattan Institute https://grattan.edu.au/report/super-tax-targeting/

Event podcast: In this Policy Pitch event, Stephen Duckett, Health Program Director at Grattan Institute presented data on the costs of complication rates and potential new strategies to reduce adverse events. He was joined by Associate Professor Jill Sewell, chair of the Victorian Clinical Council and Dr Linda Swan, Chief Medical Officer for Medibank to discuss how strategies might work in the public and private sectors.

Event podcast: Electricity network costs continue to be an area of significant focus for consumers, government, regulators and media, as well as network businesses themselves. In some cases, claims have been made that network prices are paying for investments the value of which has since been questioned. Experts from Grattan Institute, Powerlink and the Melbourne Energy Institute debated and explored these challenges in this first of our Energy Future Series for 2018.

A conversation with Australian Perspectives Fellow, Brendan Coates. In early March, economists Ross Kendall and Peter Tulip from the Reserve Bank of Australia released The Effect of Zoning on Housing Prices. In this podcast, Brendan discusses the findings from the paper and the subsequent reactions to it. Links to research discussed in this podcast: Ross Kendall and Peter Tulip, The Effect of Zoning on Housing Prices, March 2018 https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/rdp/2018/pdf/rdp2018-03.pdf John Daley, Brendan Coates and Trent Wiltshire, RBA research shows that zoning restrictions are driving up housing prices, published in The Conversation, 8 March 2018 https://grattan.edu.au/news/rba-research-shows-that-zoning-restrictions-are-driving-up-housing-prices/

A conversation with Grattan Senior Associate, Kate Griffiths. State governments have spent up to $20 billion more than was needed on the electricity grid. Customers are paying up to $400 more for their power each year than they should. They should get a rebate, or governments should write down the value of the assets to reduce electricity bills.

A conversation with Budget Policy and Institutional Reform Program Director, Danielle Wood and Associate Carmela Chivers. Protest politics is on the rise in Australia, and the main cause is collapsing trust in politicians and the major parties. If the major parties and politicians want to rebuild trust with voters, they'll need to change the way they do politics. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/a-crisis-of-trust/

Event Recording: Innovation and Science Australia has just released its plan for Australia’s innovation, science and research system, Australia 2030: Prosperity through Innovation. How big is the opportunity for Australia? Who really benefits from rapid innovation? Should policymakers follow ISA’s recommendations? At this Policy Pitch event, a panel that included the authors of the report used these questions to form the basis for an engaging discussion on innovation policy.

A conversation with Australian Perspectives Fellow, Brendan Coates. Australia’s retirement income system is not working for the poorest Australians, who are disproportionately women. Australia has a persistent gender gap in retirement savings and incomes. This means that women, particularly single women, are at greater risk of poverty, housing stress and homelessness in retirement.

Event podcast: Innovation and Science Australia has just released its plan for Australia’s innovation, science and research system, Australia 2030: Prosperity through Innovation. How big is the opportunity for Australia? Who really benefits from rapid innovation? Should policymakers follow ISA’s recommendations? At this Forward Thinking event, a panel that included the authors of the report used these questions to form the basis for an engaging discussion on innovation policy

A conversation with Grattan CEO, John Daley and Australian Perspectives Fellow Brendan Coates about their latest report. Low interest rates, policy changes and restrictive planning have doubled house prices in 20 years. It's time for governments to open the gate to more housing and stem rising public anxiety about housing affordability.

Event podcast: in this Policy Pitch event, a panel of transport and infrastructure experts explored: How bad congestion is across Melbourne; at what point we should consider new strategies to manage congestion, including congestion pricing; and, if a government were to introduce congestion charging, what principles should guide the scheme.

Event podcast: In this Capital Ideas event, Dr Peter Goss, Grattan Institute School Education Program Director, hosted a panel of leading policy thinkers to explore what is needed to lift educational outcomes at scale, what are the benefits, challenges and risks of Commonwealth interventions and where should the Commonwealth focus its efforts, and why?

Event podcast: In this Forward Thinking event, a panel of experts will discussed if the demand driven system be restored. Its supporters argue that it increased access to higher education, fixed skills shortages caused by too few graduates, and encouraged innovation in teaching. Its detractors argue that admission standards fell, that we now have too many graduates, and that it cost taxpayers far too much.

A conversation with School Education Fellow, Julie Sonnemann. The Commonwealth should not use the extra money it is spending on schools as an excuse to intervene in school education. The danger is that the 'Gonski 2.0 Review' could be used as a platform for Commonwealth interventions that sound good, but don't actually help on the ground.

A conversation with School Education Program Director Pete Goss. The "gap" between Indigenous and other school students is even bigger than official figures show. Grattan research reveals that Year 9 Indigenous students in very remote areas are five years behind in numeracy, six years behind in reading, and seven-to-eight years behind in writing. Even in the cities and regions - where most Indigenous students live - the gap is three to four years by Year 9.

A conversation with Health Program Director, Stephen Duckett. One in nine patients who go into hospital suffers a complication, and the risk varies dramatically depending on the hospital. An extra 250,000 patients would leave hospital complication-free each year if all hospitals lifted their performance to match the best 10 per cent of hospitals. A Grattan Institute Report Podcast.

A conversation with Health Program Director Stephen Duckett and Fellow Hal Swerissen. February 1, 2018 marks the 34th anniversary of the beginning of Medicare. How did it begin, how has it been used politically and what challenges will it continue to face?

A conversation with Energy Fellow, David Blowers. Australia’s electricity sector is in crisis, or something close to it. But electricity shortages are just one part of the story - for most Australians a more visible and perhaps crucial part of this crisis is our ever-increasing electricity bills and everyone wants to blame someone else for the problem. Is there a single factor responsible for our electricity pricing woes? Or is the story more complex than that? Discussed on the podcast this week: David Blowers, A high price for policy failure: the ten-year story of spiralling electricity bills, January 2018 https://grattan.edu.au/news/a-high-price-for-policy-failure-the-ten-year-story-of-spiralling-electricity-bills/ Wood, T., Blowers, D., and Moran, G. Price shock: is the retail electricity market failing consumers?, 2017 https://grattan.edu.au/report/price-shock/

A conversation with Australian Perspectives fellow, Brendan Coates and Associate Trent Wiltshire. Unsurprisingly, housing affordability continues to remain in focus for media, politicians and researchers. In recent weeks, two papers have been released discussing regional housing supply and demand in Australia and housing accessibility for first home buyers. Here are the papers discussed on the podcast this week: Gianni La Cava, Hannah Leal and Andrew Zurawski, Housing Accessibility for First Home Buyers, RBA Bulletin December Quarter 2017 http://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2017/dec/pdf/bu-1217-3-housing-accessibility-for-first-home-buyers.pdf Ben Phillips and Cukkoo Joseph, Regional Housing Supply and Demand in Australia Regional Housing Supply and Demand in Australia, 2017 http://csrm.cass.anu.edu.au/research/publications/regional-housing-supply-and-demand-australia Also discussed in the podcast this week: Ong, Dalton, Gurran, Phelps, Rowley, Wood, Housing supply responsiveness in Australia: distribution, drivers and institutional settings, May 2017 https://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/13242/AHURI-Final-Report-281-Housing-supply-responsiveness-in-Australia-distribution-drivers-and-institutional-settings.pdf Brendan Coates, Presentation to National Housing Conference: Tax reform alone won’t solve the housing affordability crisis, 30 November 2017 https://grattan.edu.au/news/tax-reform-alone-wont-solve-the-housing-affordability-crisis/

Event podcast: at this Policy Pitch event, Grattan Institute launched our annual Summer Reading List for the Prime Minister at the State Library Victoria. Melbourne broadcaster Sally Warhaft joined Grattan Institute CEO John Daley in Melbourne to discuss how this year's titles illuminate some of Australia’s most important debates.

A conversation with Grattan Program Director Jim Minifie, Senior Associate Cameron Chisholm and Associate Lucy Percival. The widely held belief that powerful firms control the Australian economy is a myth. But where a few firms dominate markets, such as in the supermarket and banking sectors, they earn higher profits.

Event podcast: This Forward Thinking event explored the widening economic and social divide between Australia’s cities and regions. What are the economic forces at play? What are the effects on the social fabric of the nation? And what if anything should governments do to bridge the divide?

A conversation with School Education Program Director, Pete Goss. Australia’s school education system is not fit for purpose, and we need to rethink the way we teach students, support teachers and run schools. To halt the decline, we should make the system more adaptive.

Event podcast: Energy policy in 2017 has been constantly in the media headlines, driven by the reality of the impact of high prices and security uncertainty and the ongoing, intense politicisation of energy and climate change policy. The chair of the Energy Security Board, Kerry Schott, and the chair of the ACCC, Rod Sims, came together for our last Energy Futures forum for 2017 to reflect on 2017 and what we need in 2018.

A conversation with Program Director Danielle Wood and Associate Carmela Chivers. Last week saw Australians overwhelmingly vote yes for same-sex marriage. What were the patterns of voting in this plebiscite? What trends did we see and what are the political implications? Read the op-ed published at The Conversation: https://grattan.edu.au/news/same-sex-marriage-results-crush-the-idea-that-australian-voters-crave-conservatism/

Event Podcast: This Policy Pitch event detailed Grattan analysis about the real shifts in Australia’s economy, culture and institutions, and which of them are plausibly linked to shifts in voting. It then considered what policy reforms would do most to re-engage people in the institutions that are vital to good government.

A conversation with Health Program Director, Stephen Duckett. Australia needs to reform the way we collect and use information about patient safety, to reduce the risk of more tragedies in our hospitals. The system is awash with data, but the information is poorly collated, not shared with patients, and often not given to doctors.

Event podcast: In this Forward Thinking event, an expert panel considered: if we can manage Sydney congestion by working our existing approaches harder or has the city reached a tipping point, where a new approach is needed and if Sydney adopted a different approach, what could it do to keep the city moving?

In part 2 of this two-episode podcast, with the help of Australian Perspectives Fellow Brendan Coates and Productivity Growth Director Jim Minifie we follow up on our discussion into the evidence that economic growth may be slower in the future and what might explain it with an in-depth chat about what policymakers could do in response. One of the big policy debates in Australia and around the world right now is whether economic growth will be slower in the future than in the past. Nearly a decade after the Global Financial Crisis and economic growth remains weak in many rich nations. Australia has been an exception to the malaise, but growth has slowed as the mining boom winds down. A growing number of voices are wondering whether we’ve entered a “new normal” of slower economic growth, which would have big implications for Australians’ future living standards, our public policy choices and the state of our politics. Further readings To help listeners navigate the debate, below are a few references cited in the podcast discussion. John Daley et al, Gamechangers: economic reform priorities for Australia, 2012. If Australian governments want to increase rates of economic growth they must reform the tax mix, and increase the workforce participation rates of women and older people. Together these game-changing reforms could contribute more than $70 billion to the Australian economy. Governments should concentrate their limited resources for economic reform where they can have the greatest impact on Australian prosperity https://grattan.edu.au/report/game-changers-economic-reform-priorities-for-australia/ John Daley et al, Balancing Budgets: tough choices we need, 2013. This report examines all realistic reforms that would contribute $2 billion a year or more to government budgets. It favours reforms that are big enough to make a difference, do not produce unacceptable economic and social effects, and spread the burden of reform across the community. Sharing the pain is not only fair, it makes change easier to sell to the public. https://grattan.edu.au/report/balancing-budgets-tough-choices-we-need/ John Daley et al, Orange Book 2016: Priorities for the next Commonwealth Government, 2016. This report surveys policy recommendations from seven years of Grattan Institute reports and outlines what the incoming Commonwealth Government should do to improve Australia. https://grattan.edu.au/report/orange-book-2016-priorities-for-the-next-commonwealth-government/ Jim Minifie et al, Stagnation nation, Grattan Institute, 2017. Is Australia at risk of economic stagnation as the mining investment boom fades? While the decline in business investment is no cause for panic, policymakers must do more to ensure we remain a dynamic, growing economy. https://grattan.edu.au/report/stagnation-nation/

Event podcast: In this Policy Pitch event, an expert panel discussed the role of competition and competition policy in the Australian economy including, how valid concerns are about competition and market power in Australia; where competition is working less well than it could, and what are its limits as a policy tool; and what else policymakers should do to ensure competition benefits the community?

A conversation with Senior Associate Hugh Batrouney. Road congestion charges should be introduced in Sydney and Melbourne. An examination of 3.5 million Google Maps trip-time estimates across more than 350 routes suggests both cities could face traffic gridlock in future unless decisive action is taken to manage congestion.

One of the big policy debates in Australia and around the world right now is whether economic growth will be slower in the future than in the past. Nearly a decade after the Global Financial Crisis and economic growth remains weak in many rich nations. Australia has been an exception to the malaise, but growth has slowed as the mining boom winds down. A growing number of voices are wondering whether we’ve entered a “new normal” of slower economic growth, which would have big implications for Australians’ future living standards, our public policy choices and the state of our politics. In part 1 of this two-episode podcast, with the help of Australian Perspectives Fellow Brendan Coates and Productivity Growth Director Jim Minifie, we take a deep dive into the evidence that economic growth may be slower in the future and what might explain it. Stay tuned for part 2 where we will discuss what policymakers could do in response. Further readings To help listeners navigate the debate, below are a few references cited in the podcast discussion. Cardiff Garcia, Productivity and innovation stagnation, past and future, FT Alphachat, 2016 [warning: paywall]. A great overview of all the various explanations of why productivity growth has slowed (with hyperlinks). https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2016/03/11/2155269/productivity-and-innovation-stagnation-past-and-future-an-epic-compendium-of-recent-views Jim Minifie, Stagnation nation, Grattan Institute, 2017. Is Australia at risk of economic stagnation as the mining investment boom fades? While the decline in business investment is no cause for panic, policymakers must do more to ensure we remain a dynamic, growing economy. https://grattan.edu.au/report/stagnation-nation Lukasz Rachel and Thomas D Smith (Bank of England), Secular drivers of the global real interest rate, Bank of England, 2015. Real interest rates, both globally and in Australia, have declined sharply over the past 30 years. Population ageing, rising inequality, slower future global growth and a global glut of savings by emerging market governments (among other factors), have pushed down real interest rates. The authors conclude most of these forces will persist, which could leave real interest rates as low as one per cent for the foreseeable future. http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/research/Documents/workingpapers/2015/swp571.pdf Robert Gordon, The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The US Standard of Living since the Civil War, 2016 Robert Gordon’s weighty tome is the most prominent of the wave of economists warning that economic growth will be slower in future. But rather than reading the 750 pages of Gordon’s book, check out this review by The Economist instead. https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21685437-why-economic-growth-soared-america-early-20th-century-and-why-it-wont-be

Event podcast: this Energy Futures Seminar, a part of the Policy Pitch series, explored the Thwaites Review findings and the Grattan Report ‘Price shock: Is the retail electricity market failing consumers?’ released earlier this year. The expert panel, moderated by Dr Sara Bice and joined by John Thwaites, Tony Wood and Sarah McNamara debated the Review’s recommendations for a regulated Basic Service Offer and related issues.

A conversation with Energy Fellow, David Blowers. Australia’s electricity system is under pressure like never before. Work should start immediately on a new ‘capacity mechanism’ in case it is needed to ensure reliable supplies in future.

Event podcast: Established political parties are struggling across the developed world, while “outsider parties” rise. In this State of Affairs event, Grattan CEO John Daley presented detailed Grattan analysis about the real shifts in Australia’s economy, culture and institutions, and which of them are plausibly linked to shifts in voting.

A conversation with Australian Perspectives Fellow, Dani Wood. The question of whether inequality has been rising or falling in Australia appears to be difficult to answer at first glance - and a different story emerges when looking at income inequality or wealth inequality. So just what is happening to inequality here in Australia? How do we compare to the rest of the world? And what are our politicians suggesting to bridge the gap?

Event Podcast: The health system is awash with data. Nearly all of it tells us that we could improve. Yet our current improvement efforts are surprisingly limited in their scope. In this Policy Pitch event, a panel of experts discussed how to improve the soundness, relevance, accessibility and understanding of health data.

A conversation with Australian Perspectives Fellow, Danielle Wood. The popular idea that the economic divide between Australia’s cities and regions is getting bigger is a misconception. Beneath the oft-told ‘tale of two Australias’ is a more nuanced story.

An interview with Grattan Institute Associate, Kate Griffiths. Following the release of the Finkel review into the security of the National Electricity Market, the COAG Energy Council of state and federal Energy Ministers came together last Friday 14 July to discuss the review's recommendations. What did COAG agree, what’s missing and what are the next steps?

A conversation with Higher Education Fellow, Ittima Cherastidtham. Higher education is a complex sector. There are many types of providers from universities to private providers and TAFEs. And with Higher Education getting a lot of attention during this year’s Budget from the Coalition, there is one issue that has and will continue to remain – that of the tension between private and public funding.

A conversation with Australian Perspectives Fellow Brendan Coates and Associate Lucille Danks featuring a number of Grattan staff discussing the rise of podcasts, why they're listening and what they listen to on policy, politics... and just for fun. Links to some of the podcasts discussed: Global affairs and emerging themes The Ezra Klein Show: https://www.vox.com/ezra-klein-show-podcast The Weeds: https://www.vox.com/the-weeds FT Alphachat: https://ftalphaville.ft.com/series/Alphachat?mhq5j=e3 Conversations with Tyler: https://www.mercatus.org/commentary/conversations-tyler Australian politics and current affairs Politics with Michelle Grattan, The Conversation’s politics podcast: https://theconversation.com/au/podcasts/politics-with-michelle-grattan The Party Room Fran Kelly and Patricia Karvelas, The ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/partyroom/ Conversations with Richard Fidler, The ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/ It All Adds Up, Fairfax Media: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/it-all-adds-up/id1241854479?mt=2 Ideas at the house: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/ideas-at-the-house/id640445035?mt=2 The Fifth Estate: https://www.wheelercentre.com/broadcasts/podcasts/the-fifth-estate

Event podcast: In this Policy Pitch event at the State Library of Victoria, Sally Capp (Victorian Executive Director at the Property Council of Australia), Nicki Hutley (Director & Chief Economist at Urbis) and Brendan Coates (Fellow at Grattan Institute) discussed the problems, and weighed the options for reform.

A conversation with School Education Program Director, Pete Goss. The Coalition’s Education Amendment Bill or Gonski 2.0 as its been coined, has passed through the senate. And while Gonski 2.0 is a step forward in school funding, this is just one aspect of improving Australia’s schools. So what will likely happen now? And what should happen next?

Event Podcast: This Forward Thinking event followed the release of the Final Report of the Finkel Review. Dr Finkel and a panel of experts discussed how Australia can respond to challenges that our electricity system faces

Event podcast: This Capital Ideas event explored the causes of repeated budget projection errors. Katharine Murphy, political editor at the Guardian, and 15-year veteran of the Canberra press gallery, discussed the issues with John Daley, CEO of the Grattan Institute, presenting new research from Grattan Institute’s work on budget policy.

Event Podcast: This Energy Futures Seminar followed the release of the Final Report of the Finkel Review. Dr Finkel and a panel of experts discussed how Australia can respond to challenges that our electricity system faces. Please note the sound quality for this recording is poor due to audio issues on the night.