Think: Business Futures

They say confidence is key to many things in life, but when a pandemic brings a city to a lurching halt, how does it bounce back? As restrictions in Melbourne begin to ease, and government stimulus payments attempt to stem the bleeding, how will Melbournians regain the spring in their step when it comes to spending? It’s a question for a behavioral economist really, and today, we’re joined by Prof...

The Chinese Government have made a monumental policy shift, announcing that it will allow couples to have up to three children, after census data showed a steep decline in birth rates. China scrapped its decades-old one-child policy in 2016, replacing it with a two-child limit which has so far failed to generate the uptick in the birth rate needed to keep pace with the countries rapidly ageing pop...

It’s been a big week since the Treasurer handed down the Budget 2021, but the biggest story- and certainly biggest handout- was in the Aged Care Sector. $17.7 billion dollars has been allocated to making a once in a generation change to a sector that has been plagued by horror stories from the Royal Commission, underpaid staff and limited career opportunities. But is almost $18 billion dollars eno...

The Morrison government has announced the New Home Guarantee will allow 10,000 first home buyers to purchase a new home with a deposit of just 5 per cent, while over the next four years the Family Home Guarantee will let 10,000 single parent families put down a deposit of only 2 per cent. But can we bank upon the housing market with interest rates at uneasily low levels? What happens when they jum...

Australia has had a touchy relationship with Multinationals since the economy was opened to the world during the Hawke-Keating years. But now, the distinction between those well-known multinationals in primary industries such as Rio Tinto or Adani Mining, and the new-age arrivals like Facebook, Google, Netflix and Spotify, is making the argument about why less corporate tax gives Australia competi...

When I ask you what the cost of climate change is, you’re most likely to answer with a bigger macroeconomic picture. But what are the actual figures? Natural disasters already cost Australians over $13 billion on average every year, expected to rise to $39 billion per year by 2050. The National Climate Disaster Fund is a proposal by independent think-tank the Australia Institute for an independent...

This week, we’re taking on the biggest news story in the country. The gates have been opened across the ditch, and the New Zealand-Australia travel bubble, an idea first floated in April of last year, is finally upon us. Joining me today to help 'burst the bubble' is Senior Lecturer in the Management Discipline Group at the UTS Business School, co-chair of the CAUTHE (Council of Australasian Touri...

It's time to dive to periscope depth and take a closer look at the Federal Government's $90 billion dollar Future Submarine Deal. With former Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton now sworn in as Defense Minister, many are expecting a decision on whether to stay the course with this white elephant of a defense contract, or simply torpedo the whole thing and start again. We ask former Submariner, and...

Earlier this year, struggling businesses GameStop (NYSE: GME) and AMC Entertainment Holdings saw their stock prices skyrocket overnight, thanks to a short squeeze initiated by a group of investors on Reddit.com. It was r/wallstreetbets, a coalition of largely amateur investors on the site- known as the front page of the internet- that created a surge of interest in a number of stocks being shorted...

They say there's never a bad time to buy Real Estate, but do we believe it? Predictions in March of last year were dire, with a 30% drop in market value expected across the country. Instead, figures suggest the real situation may be the exact opposite. Auction clearance rates are at record highs, asset prices are through the roof, and first home buyers are leading the charge with a 50% share of pu...

In this, our glorious return to the airwaves, we ask; What does the global pharmaceutical industry have to gain from the roll-out of vaccines? Household names like Pfizer are their own kettle of fish, but for the AstraZenecas and Novavaxs of the world, it’s a rare coalition of public goodwill and government assistance that could fundamentally change the industry moving forward. But, when a global...

How many pubs, clubs or restaurants have you signed into over the last few weeks using a QR code on your phone? It’s become the go-to method for digitally tracing outbreaks and hot-spots of COVID19 in NSW, as well as other countries like Singapore. Around 2.2 million NSW residents now have the Service NSW app on their smartphone, up from 1.7 million last month, while another 5 million have a MySer...

Today, the 24th of November 2020, marks the release of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative's new roadmap to reshape the countries financial system in the wake of droughts, bushfires and a global pandemic. Comprising of 80 organisations across major banks, insurers, super funds, civil society, and stakeholders, the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative has handed down 37 recommendatio...

It was one of the founding fathers, and the United State’s third President Thomas Jefferson who said of the presidency ; “No man will ever bring out of that office the reputation which carries him into it. The honeymoon would be as short in that case as in any other, and its moments of ecstasy would be ransomed by years of torment and hatred.’ In today’s episode, we’re taking a wider scope, and as...

Well, the quadrennial circus of rallies, rhetoric and state roll-calls has finally reached its last stop on the road. And by roughly lunchtime, the world will most likely know whether the polls were right, or whether- once again- political science’s own creation will turn on its masters as the polls did in 2016. Joining me today is Professor Lionel Page, from the Economics Discipline Group at the...

Criticism has been leveled at the Federal Government's $240 million Women’s Economic Security funding package, that aims to support a return to the workforce for many women, greater opportunities in STEM industries, and channels for female entrepreneurs and start-ups. It’s a mere fraction of the spending, but how little is too little to help women who have been disproportionately affected by the p...

It was the 18th century philosopher Voltaire who once said; ‘“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” And, with the Federal Budget’s delivery in health funding of a record $115.5 billion in 2020–21- and $467 billion over the forward estimates-there’s more than enough to amuse ourselves with here at Think Business Futures. It’s a lot of money, a dizzying...

The full, unabridged interview with former ANZ chief economist Warren Hogan on this year's Federal Budget.

We covered the murky waters of R&D tax incentives in this week's coverage of The Federal Budget 2020. But for those who's curiosity was piqued, Nicole gives further detail on the evolution of the R&D tax incentive scheme from the Turnbull days of 2016 until now.

Deck the halls with forward estimates! Christmas for the finance world has finally arrived, with the Federal Budget 2020 putting pen to paper on a fiscal year for the ages. And with a deficit to the piercing tune of $213 billion dollars, this year’s tea leaves do not paint a pretty picture. Can we hitch our recovery wagon to tax cuts? Will big-spending in business add up alongside a continuation o...

You’ve probably heard of Flappy bird, and you’ve definitely heard of Fruit Ninja and Temple Run. Little did you know, those games were developed in Australia. And despite their global popularity and literally billions of downloads, the domestic game deployment industry can’t seem to get past the first level. In anticipation of this evening’s budget, the Australian video game industry have asked fo...

The last time the Liberal Party turned their heads to energy, we had the NEG, which drove a factional wedge between the party room and led to the downfall of a PM. This time, it’s a global pandemic. You’d think once bitten twice shy, but politics is full of surprises. Are we going to be lifted above the pandemic by a hydrogen powered economy? Or is it just a lot of hot air? Max Tillman is joined b...

How far would you be willing to get financial data on your super fund? A quick google search? Some clandestine cyber-sleuthing? Or, would you sign up to 20 odd super funds as a member, in the hopes of gaining access that way? Well, that’s exactly what today’s guest, Dr. Thulaisi Sivapalan, a recent PhD graduate from the UTS Business School, did for his thesis. And if you're wondering where the ‘fu...

On July 31st, The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission introduced it's draft news media bargaining code. Under the code, Google and Facebook would be forced to pay for Australian news published on their sites to help fund public interest journalism. It’s being characterised as a Mexican stand-off between the giants of modern tech, and Australia’s consumer watchdog; but is that necessaril...

In today’s episode, we’re tackling the wave of mass redundancies that have swept millions of Australians out of reliable work, and left many wondering what there chances are when the dust settles; and the job they once had is no longer required? Our guest today is Associate Professor Jonathan Tyler from the Accounting Discipline Group at the University of Technology Sydney’s Business School.