Grattan Institute

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 cutti...

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 N...

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, indu...

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 staf...

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...

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 L...

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 addres...

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 o...

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...

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 agai...

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 n...

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 seriousn...

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...

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, E...

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...

“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 s...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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, Al...