Australia Matters

A new suite of legislation aims to ensure that Australia doesn’t fund, arm or invest in illegal settlements, war crimes or genocide – but the federal government has blocked an inquiry into the bills. On this episode of After America , lawyer and advocate Rawan Arraf joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the Red Lines Package, the decision of the United Kingdom and others to sanction illegal...

The Prime Minister said he wants to promote ‘progressive patriotism’ – but his policies tell a different story. In this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard explains the dangers of centrism and what progressive politics actually looks like. More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press...

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...

Soaring specialist costs, an increasingly complex system, and Australians getting sicker for longer suggest all is not well in Australian health care. On this episode of Follow the Money , Dr Luke Slawomirski and Matt Grudnoff join Ebony Bennett to discuss the soaring cost of specialists, why pushing people towards the private health system doesn’t take pressure off public hospitals, the gov...

The United States controls or has access to more than 100 defence facilities on Australian soil, according to new research. On this episode of After America , Dr Richard Tanter joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss his new research on American access to Australian defence facilities, the long-term consequences of the war on terror for the Australia-US alliance, and whether Australia is the only America...

On this episode of What’s the Point? , Richard Denniss examines Australia’s artificial intelligence boom and the political fight over who reaps the rewards. This episode was recorded on Friday 4 September. More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now. Use the code ‘FOOLME&r...

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,...

Non-compete clauses suppress wages, reduce productivity and stifle innovation. Now, the federal government is looking to ban them for most workers. The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, joins Ebony Bennett to discuss the pernicious impact of non-compete clauses and the federal government’s new legislation seeking to ban them for...

Nine nuclear weapons states are holding the rest of the world “hostage to annihilation”, but the Australian government is yet to act on a global ban. On this episode of After America , Dr Emma Shortis reflects on the United States’ military footprint in Australia, before former Australian Minister for International Development Melissa Parke joins the show to discuss the Treaty on...

On this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard Denniss explains the goods and services tax. The GST was supposed to grow over time, so that state and territory governments would have a reliable income source to help them fund the important services they provide long into the future. Richard looks into whether it is actually working as intended. Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Office...

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...

After years of scandals, it’s time to break up Australia’s ‘big four’ consultancy firms. On this episode of Follow the Money , Josh Bornstein and Skye Predavec join Ebony Bennett to discuss Australia’s scandal-plagued big consultancies, the impact of governments’ “orgy of outsourcing” to these firms, and why breaking up the ‘big four’ is...

The Australia-United States relationship is strong in spite of the flawed defence partnership. On this episode of After America , Allan Behm and Dr Emma Shortis discuss 75 years of the ANZUS treaty, the Trump administration’s assault on international law, and what confident, capable Australian foreign policy could look like. This episode was recorded Friday 28 August. New Game, New Rules : A...

The Productivity Commission is a government-funded economic think tank that’s meant to give independent advice about how to make the Australian economy work better. On this episode of  What’s the Point? , Richard Denniss discusses whether it is fit for purpose. Host:  Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss Host:  Anna Chan...

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 government took on housing investor tax concessions to bring prices down, but more action is needed to address the rental affordability crisis. On this episode of Follow the Money , Maiy Azize and Matt Grudnoff join Ebony Bennett to discuss how the government’s changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing are allowing more first-homebuyers to enter the market, the data revealing tha...

What might the midterms mean for an historically unpopular president? On this episode of After America , Chas Licciardello joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the latest from the midterm primaries, the “civil war” between democratic socialist and establishment Democrats, and why Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff has MAGA rattled. This episode was recorded Thursday 20 August. Get your tickets for...

On this episode of What’s the Point? , Richard Denniss explains how the crossbench works and the politics of deal-making in federal parliament. This episode was recorded on Friday 21 August. More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now. Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-editi...

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...

Australians have been dudded by the gas industry. It’s past time governments admitted it . Dr Richard Denniss, Australia Institute co-CEO and author of More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia , joins Ebony Bennett to discuss why Australia gives away gas to multinational corporations and why similarly dud deals could happen with Big Tech and other industries if we don’t lea...

If the United States government isn’t caring for its own military personnel, how could policymakers expect the US to come to Australia’s aid? On this episode of After America , Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss concerning reports about conditions on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, the impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to USAID, and the speculation over whether Ale...

On this episode of What's the Point?, Richard Denniss explains the lack of strong gambling reform, and why gambling losses continue to climb despite widespread calls for change. Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss Host:  Anna Chang, Managing Editor, The Point  // @annachang Climate Integrity Summit 2026 tickets. Order  More F...

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...

The federal government’s response to the Murphy inquiry into online gambling harms has been “appalling”, says Andrew Wilkie MP. Andrew Wilkie MP, Independent Member for Clark, joins the Australia Institute’s Noah Schultz-Byard to reflect on the government’s gambling reforms, making polluters pay for the damage they do to the climate, and the state of Australian politi...

The Australian government constantly talks up the international rules-based order – but its willingness to uphold the principles that underpin it is inconsistent at best. Human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry’s findings of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the Trump administration’s attacks on the i...