Dollars & Sense

There’s a war on Iran choking global oil supplies, an artificial intelligence boom, and a US president torpedoing the global trading system, but inflation simply MUST be normal, according to the RBA. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg tells Skye that households will struggle “for not much good” because of the Reserve Bank’s latest interest rate hike. This discuss...

Artificial intelligence dominates the latest Intergenerational Report – but are multi-decade predictions about the rapidly changing technology any more than just a stab in the dark? On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Skye discuss the focus on artificial intelligence in the latest 40-year outlook, the latest data on ‘middle Australia’, and why homeowners have report...

By lifting the rate of Jobseeker, the Australian government could save lives. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss the shocking number of Australians dying on Jobseeker, the government’s immigration policy announcements, and why inequality is a political choice. Then, a bittersweet Dollars & Sense announcement. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 17 Septe...

Early super access proposals would ultimately make people worse off – but the government could do more to help Australians currently in need. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss One Nation’s superannuation proposal, ways the government could provide genuine cost-of-living support, the Reserve Bank’s twisted thinking over inflation and interest rates,...

Australia’s economy is not overheating, so why are experts predicting a rate hike? On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg gets triggered by the growth figures, before he and Elinor discuss how the states and territories have missed out on a lazy quarter-trillion and why access to specialist healthcare is slipping out of reach for many Australians. This discussion was recorded on Thurs...

Profits are surging and living standards are not. Will the AI boom be any different? On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Angus discuss the carve-out for Queensland and Northern Territory data centres that’ll allow them to run off coal and gas, the skyrocketing profits of some of Australia’s biggest companies, and the east coast vs west coast beef over GST revenue. This di...

The latest data show real wages are going backwards, but Reserve Bank keeps seeing ghosts. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss another quarter of no “wage-price spiral”, plus the passage of massive NDIS cuts and gambling legislation through parliament. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 20 August 2026. If this episode raised issues for you, you can ca...

Interest rates are the bluntest, sharpest tool. Is there a better way?   On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss why superannuation could be a better way to control inflation than interest rates, the continued hand-wringing about house prices falling a tiny bit after skyrocketing for years, and why Andrew Bragg has communism on the brain.  This discussion wa...

A new Reserve Bank survey shows most Australians don’t assess the relationship between inflation and interest rates “correctly” – but there’s much more to it. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor go back to the basics of inflation, living costs and interest rates to show that how they interact really isn’t all that basic. This discussion was...

Wealth on Earth is up, apparently. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss the better-than-expected inflation figures, the global oversupply of once-in-a-lifetime crises, and what the ominous-sounding ‘global balance sheet’ tells us about wealth on Earth. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 30 July 2026. Pre-order More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked...

Despite no action on a gas export tax in the government’s May budget, calls are growing louder for a fair return on Australia’s resources from within the Labor Party. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg returns! He and Elinor discuss the ALP National Conference in Adelaide, the economic impact of the ongoing American war on Iran, and the failures of Australia’s privatis...

Introducing The Australia Institute's new podcast series, What's the Point? with Richard Denniss . Subscribe to the show on  YouTube ,  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify  or wherever you get your favourite podcasts. *** On this episode of What’s the Point? , Richard Denniss discusses how global gas industry has pulled off the greatest con in Australia’s history, a...

The tech industry talks about huge investment in Australia. That sounds great, but who’ll actually benefit? On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Matt Grudnoff joins Elinor to discuss Anthony Albanese’s speech on artificial intelligence, lessons for data centre regulation from Australia’s experience with the gas industry, Barnaby Joyce’s vision for the Reserve Bank, and...

An outright ban on gambling advertising would be extremely popular – so why isn’t the government doing it? On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Matt Grudnoff joins Elinor to talk about the federal government’s “piss poor” online gambling reforms and the push to pay super to under 18s. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 9 July 2026. If this episode raised iss...

Some in the media are treating it like the beginning of a housing apocalypse, but a slight drop in house prices shows that the government’s housing investor tax reforms are doing their job. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Matt Grudnoff joins Elinor discuss the positive impact of the government’s changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax, why migration hasn’t caus...

Plus: how the One Nation leader got all tangled up over childcare and paid parental leave. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss Pauline Hanson’s comments on paid parental leave and childcare, the latest inflation data, the passage of the government’s capital gains tax and negative gearing changes, and the new ‘no Gregs’ club. This discussion was...

A new data drop by the Australian Tax Office has A) brought Greg great joy and B) shed new light on Australians’ incomes. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss the latest interest rates decision, Greg and Matt Grudnoff’s field trip to a Senate committee, and why one newspaper is running a front-page story about Pokémon card collectors and capital gains...

Cuts to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding would have a serious, lasting impact on people living with disabilities and their families. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss the latest house price data and the ongoing fearmongering around the changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing. Then, Greg shares the positive impact NDIS funding as had on hi...

With what little economic growth there is being driven by data centres, is it really a net positive for most Australians? On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss the decision to lift minimum and award wages and what the latest GDP figures mean for Australian households. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 4 June 2026. Support the research powerful interests fear. Make...

Coverage of One Nation’s gas policy made it sound like the beginning of some kind of people’s revolution, but without a 25% gas export tax, Australians will get short-changed. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss Pauline Hanson’s gas policy announcement, the failure at the heart of Australia’s employment services system, and what the latest infla...

Australia could raise around $17 billion a year with a 25% gas export tax – enough to put dental in Medicare or fund free childcare – but the government is choosing not to. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Angus discuss why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australia Institute needs to get “fair dinkum” about gas exports, the post-budget meme-wars ov...

The government’s changes to capital gains and negative gearing will begin to undo decades of damage to the housing market caused by Howard-era policies – so will Elinor actually be able to buy a house? On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss the federal budget, the latest wages data, and why the government is making Australian workers wait-o for the WATO. This...

Interest rates won’t affect the global oil price shock brought about by the illegal US war on Iran – so why did the Reserve Bank hike them again? On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss the rationale for the Reserve Bank’s third interest rate hike for 2026 and how changing the way trusts are taxed could reduce inequality. This discussion was recorded on T...

The big jump for the CPI has created some dramatic headlines, but digging just a bit deeper into the data reveals a different story.   On this episode of  Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss the latest inflation figures, which are the first to include the impact of the war in Iran, and why the RBA should take a step back and look at all the data, before they...

With the federal budget looming, a gas export tax would drive down prices and fund vital public services at a time when Australians are feeling the pinch. On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Elinor discuss the case for a 25 per cent gas export tax, why global foreign aid spending has plummeted, and the likelihood of the government announcing reforms to housing investor tax concession...