Follow The Money

Richard Denniss discusses the government’s response to the Bondi terrorist attacks, the chaos of the Trump administration and how to protect Australia’s democracy. On this episode of Follow the Money , Richard Denniss and Ebony Bennett discuss the political and policy response to devasting Bondi terrorist attacks, the cancellation of Adelaide Writers’ Week, Trump and the Australi...

What would it take to make the PALM scheme a genuine win-win for Australia and its neighbours? In the fourth and final episode of PALMed Off , host Morgan Harrington canvases some of the proposed solutions to the problems facing the PALM scheme, including an amnesty for disengaged workers and ensuring that everyone working in Australia has the right to leave their employer. PALMed Off is a special...

PALM visas holders do not get Medicare (outside of a trial limited to 200 people), so what happens when they are injured, get sick or fall pregnant? In episode three of PALMed Off , host Morgan Harrington hears how a lack of affordable medical care can have dire consequences for PALM visa holders and discusses the problems faced by women who fall pregnant whilst working in Australia. PALMed Off is...

Where do the thousands of people who have left the PALM scheme, but stayed in Australia, go? How do they survive without a valid visa and, more importantly, what does the future hold for them? In episode two of PALMed Off , host Morgan Harrington travels to Leeton, New South Wales, a town that’s become a safe haven for some of the estimated 7,000 people who have ‘disengaged’ from...

In this summer mini-series, we examine the Australian guestworker program that could be putting people from Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste at risk of modern slavery. In PALMed Off , a special  Follow the Money mini-series, we explore the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, a program that allows people from nine Pacific Island nations and Timor Leste to work in Australia o...

Rumours about America's role in the dismissal of Gough Whitlam have circulated for decades – but is there any truth to them?  On this special episode of Follow the Money , Dr Emma Shortis explores the state of the Australia-United States relationship under the Whitlam government, the machinations at the time around the renewal of Pine Gap, and the previously untold account of Dr Liz Cha...

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Traditional custodians are fighting back against climate-destroying gas developments being rammed through by Canadian governments. On this episode of Follow the Money , Hereditary Chief Na’Moks of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, Gwii Lok’im Gibuu Jesse Stoeppler of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en Nations, and Kai Nagata from not-for-profit Dogwood tell us about their figh...

These days, Aussie music is falling out of the charts, leaving local acts wondering if they’ll ever see your face again. INXS. Kyle Minogue. Even the Wiggles. Australia has an incredible musical legacy, but with declining streaming numbers and revenues heading abroad, will the Aussie musician just become somebody we used to know? On this episode of Follow the Money , former Spotify Chief Eco...

Australian scientific discoveries have improved people’s lives and made the economy more productive – so why is the CSIRO being forced to shed workers again? On this episode of Follow the Money , Matt Grudnoff and Ebony Bennett discuss the latest job cuts at the CSIRO, why this is a missed opportunity as researchers leave the United States, and why science investment matters for produc...

With brave climate leadership, says former South Australian Premier Mike Rann, Anthony Albanese could leave a lasting legacy similar to Bob Hawke with Medicare, Paul Keating with compulsory superannuation and Kevin Rudd with the apology to the Stolen Generations. On this episode of Follow the Money , Mike Rann addresses the fossil fuel industry’s tobacco-like tactics, South Australia’s...

Protecting Australia’s incredible natural environment from bad policy, spurred on corporate interests and a hostile media, can sometimes feel like an impossible task. But sometimes, people power wins out. On this episode of Follow the Money , former head of the Australian Greens Bob Brown joins Ebony Bennett to discuss the irreplaceable beauty of Australia’s natural environment, the cu...

Poor governance, poor policy and decades of neoliberalism have broken Australia’s university sector, with devastating consequences for students and the country. On this episode of Follow the Money , Richard Denniss and Ebony Bennett discuss the lack of accountability in Australia’s universities, why some institutions’ claims of financial crises aren’t supported by their aud...

Australia’s natural environment is in crisis and its wealth is disappearing into the hands of a few powerful fossil fuel companies – but it doesn’t have to be this way. On this episode of Follow the Money , Rod Campbell and Ebony Bennett discuss the lack of political will to properly protect the natural environment, a proposal for a 25% gas export tax to replace the Petroleum Res...

Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Donald Trump was relatively drama-free, but the devil is in the detail when it comes to the president’s ‘commitments’ on AUKUS and critical minerals. On this crossover episode of Follow the Money and After America , Dr Emma Shortis and Ebony Bennett discuss why Australia is still unlikely to receive any Virginia-class submarines, why the &ldq...

Environment laws that don’t stop new gas and coal are like putting screen doors on a submarine. On this episode of Follow the Money , Leanne Minshull and Ebony Bennett discuss the Federal Government’s efforts to push through changes to Australia’s busted environment laws with the support of the Coalition. Dead Centre: How political pragmatism is killing us by Richard Denniss is a...

If Australia just collected the OECD average in tax, the government would have an extra $130 billion a year to spend on essential services like health and education. On this episode of Follow the Money , Matt Grudnoff and Ebony Bennett discuss the latest data from the Australian Taxation Office showing that 30 per cent of large corporations paid no company tax in 2023-24 – with the gas, coal...

With the international order changing rapidly, there’s never been a more important time for effective Australian diplomacy. On this episode of Follow the Money , Dr Emma Shortis and Glenn Connley discuss Anthony Albanese’s major diplomatic tour, the US Defense Secretary’s concerning warning to his top brass, and why the Trump-Netanyahu peace plan seems “doomed to fail&rdquo...

One and a half million Australians could be at risk from rising sea levels, yet the Government continues to approve new climate destroying fossil fuel projects. On this episode of Follow the Money , Australia Institute Executive Director Richard Denniss joins Ebony Bennett to discuss the National Climate Risk Assessment, the Government’s new emissions reduction targets, and its disastrous de...

Former Senator Doug Cameron calls on the federal government to reject “warmongering” and abandon the AUKUS deal. On this episode of Follow the Money , former Labor Senator for New South Wales Doug Cameron speaks about the Australia-US relationship, the “madness” of AUKUS, and how the federal government can prepare for peace – not war. The 2025 Laurie Carmichael Lectur...

The government’s proposed changes to freedom of information laws represent a “serious attack” on Australia’s democracy, according to former Senator Rex Patrick. On this episode of Follow the Money , transparency advocate Rex Patrick and Australia Institute Democracy & Accountability Director Bill Browne to discuss the failing freedom of information system and why the pr...

With large language models threatening to swamp Australia’s traditional media, a little bit of government funding could go a long way to protect public interest journalism . On this episode of Follow the Money , Clive Marshall, former CEO of the Press Association (UK), and Emma Cowdroy, Acting CEO of Australian Associated Press, join Australia Institute Executive Director Richard Denniss to...

The colossal price rises on the east coast, brought on by excessive gas exports, have been a disaster for Australian manufacturers and households. On this episode of Follow the Money , manufacturing industry representative Geoff Crittenden and Australia Institute Principal Advisor Mark Ogge join Ebony Bennett to discuss how governments can ensure there’s more gas available for Australians. D...

The Prime Minister hosed down expectations ahead of the economic roundtable, but a serious reform package must include changes to tax policy. On this episode of Follow the Money , Senior Economist Matt Grudnoff joins Ebony Bennett to discuss the Government’s economic roundtable, why taxing wealth more effectively would make Australians better off, and why removing as-yet-unnamed ‘red t...

The search for the “sensible centre” in Australia politics is pointless and flies in the face of evidence, says Richard Denniss. On this episode of Follow the Money , Richard Denniss joins Ebony Bennett to discuss why the constant search for the centre ground doing Australians harm, why bipartisanship can actually be bad, and his new essay, Dead Centre . Dead Centre: How political prag...