Grattan Institute

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...

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/balanci...

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 Austi...

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 discus...

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....

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...

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...

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, in...

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, Po...

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 a...

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 Progra...

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-p...

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,...

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...

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 fo...

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 thi...

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 Au...

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...

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 flou...

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...

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...

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...

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 c...

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...