Follow The Money

Latest Episodes:

2018 Budget Wrap May 18, 2018

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"the vast majority of the money being handed out is going to go to high income earners..." The Australia Institute was in the 2018 Budget Lockup, and subsequently have gone through the budget papers. Listen to two top economists break it down and give you the straight facts in a way that you won't hear from the pollies. >> Read the Australia Institute's full Budget Wrap 2018

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Pocket Money: 14 Reasons Why The Case For A Company Tax Cut Has Collapsed May 07, 2018

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In a special "Pocket Money" episode of Follow the Money, released on the eve of the Budget, we discuss the 14 reasons why the case for the company tax cuts collapsed. See below for all the ways you can find our Budget analysis. Our original episode discussing the company tax cuts can be found here.

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Gas And Coal Watch Jan 31, 2018

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"Burning something to boil water to create steam is a really old-fashioned technology..." The Australia Institute has spent the hot summer days monitoring when gas and coal power plants trip, taking sometimes hundreds of megawatts of power from the grid at unpredictable times. In contrast, solar power is taking pressure of the grid by delaying peak demand by several hours on days of extreme heat. Read Mark Ogge's report Can't stand the heat.

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Curing Affluenza - How To Buy Less Stuff And Save The World Dec 19, 2017

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"Affluenza is that strange desire we feel to spend money we don't have to buy things we don't need to impress people we don't know . . ." A truly modern affliction, affluenza is endemic in Western societies, encouraged by those who profit from a culture of exploitation and waste. So how do we cure ourselves? In today's episode Ebony talks to Chief Economist Richard Denniss about why we must distinguish between consumerism and materialism.

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I'm Here For An Argument - Why Bipartisanship On Security Makes Australia Less Safe Sep 21, 2017

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North Korean missile tests, resolving the South China Sea issues, ethnic cleansing in Myanmar - there is a lot happening in the defence and security policy space right, but are we engaged enough to tackle these problems in a smart way? Dr Andrew Carr of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the ANU has written a new report for the Australia Institute I'm here for the argument: why bipartisanship on security makes Australia less safe.

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The Global Financial Crisis Ten Years On Sep 08, 2017

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Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the Global Financial Crisis. In 2008 the banks in Australia wobbled, the economy stalled, unemployment rose and the Government acted. The GFC demonstrated a failure of trickle-down economics. Ten years later, with rising populism, it is clearer now more than ever that we need a replacement to the neo-liberal economic order. What are the lessons learned from the GFC that we can use to build a new economic agenda to address inequality and inclusive growth?

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Grandfathering The Australian Dream Aug 09, 2017

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Australia's young people have been unfairly targeted by policies that have loaded them up with uni debts, locked them out of housing market and crippled them on the 'flexible' job front, and any changes that might address this imbalance are 'grandfathered' in so that they don't affect anyone who is presently in a position of power, that's what our Chief Economist Richard Denniss argues in his essay for the June edition of The Monthly - called

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Why A Bank Levy Is A Great Idea Jul 26, 2017

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The South Australian state government announced in late June 2017 that it was going to follow the Federal government and introduce a levy on the big banks. Episode 19 of Follow The Money, explains why the banks can absolutely afford the levy, why it's a good idea economically and just how small the levy really is compared to -- for example -- the salaries of the CEOs of the big 4 banks. Host: Deputy Director Ebony Bennett // @ebony_bennett

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Pocket Money: Budget 2017 May 09, 2017

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Tonight, as the Treasurer rose to give his Budget address in the house, our Deputy Director Ebony Bennett grabbed our Chief Economist Richard Denniss and Senior economist Matt Grudnoff for a chat about the Budget, straight after they emerged from the Budget lockup. Thi podcast isn't a comprehensive discussion of the Budget, but we tried to touch on some of the main items, including:

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A House A House A Kingdom For A House May 08, 2017

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Housing Affordability is not only a massive policy failure, but is increasingly vying for the gold medal for the most spin and econobabble in Australian politics. Episode 18 of Follow The Money, takes on the vexed issue and tackles the latest bad idea that won't help housing affordability - raiding your super to pay for a deposit. Host: Deputy Director Ebony Bennett // @ebony_bennett

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