Grattan Institute
Grattan Institute
300 episodes
Everything you need to know about Australian public policy.
More about the show
Grattan Institute is dedicated to developing high quality public policy for Australia’s future. Our podcasts cover a range of public policy topics focusing on the main issues facing Australia.
Our podcasts concentrate on budget policy, economic growth, energy, health, institutional reform, household finances, school education, and disability policy.
Episodes page 3 of 6
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How to strengthen general practice in Australia
It’s hard to believe that Australia’s universal healthcare system, Medicare, is almost forty years old. Over that time, Australians’ health needs have changed significantly. We’ve got an ageing population, and mental…
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What the new safeguard mechanism should do
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…
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What is the motherhood penalty?
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…
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How the National Housing Accord could ease the housing crisis
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…
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Federal Budget 2022: costs, cuts, and consequences
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,…
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What just happened in the Victorian energy market?!
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…
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How to improve curriculum planning in schools
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…
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Spruik no more: depoliticising taxpayer-funded advertising
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…
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Is Australia headed for a recession?
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…
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The Great Australian Nightmare: Henry George Lecture
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:…
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Jobs and skills: what now after the summit?
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…
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Clean wheels keep on turning: reducing truck air-pollution in urban areas
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…
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How to prevent pork-barrelling in Australian politics
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…
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Skills to pay the bills: Migration priorities for the government at the Jobs and Skills Summit
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…
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Ooh, shiny! Infrastructure projects and the not-so-shiny cost-benefit analyses
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…
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How to respond to surging COVID hospitalisations
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…
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Putting an end to jobs for mates in Australian politics
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…
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A brief history of superannuation
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…
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How Australia’s industrial sector can flourish in a net-zero world
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…
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Where to for stamp duty reform now?
“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…
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Do millennials really have it tougher in the housing market? 🥑
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…
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Why our electricity and gas prices are soaring
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…
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Why Australia needs to pick up the pace on third doses
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…
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Policy and politics: Breaking down the 2022 Federal Election
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…
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Why Australia should lock in full employment
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…
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What the interest rate rise means for homeowners
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…
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What are the rules for political advertising?
The federal election is on. Billboards are plastered with party slogans, campaign ads are all around us, and our social media feeds are flaring up with political spin. Political advertising is a major feature of…
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Is cutting fuel excise the best way to bring down petrol prices?
One of the big winners of last Tuesday’s federal budget were motorists, when Josh Frydenberg announced a 22 cent per litre cut in fuel excise. But what really is the fuel excise tax, and what is it used for? Was it…
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Budget 2022 wrap-up with Danielle Wood and Kate Griffiths
It’s been a big week in federal politics with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg handing down his fourth budget on Tuesday night. Listen to Kate Griffiths, Deputy Director Budgets and Government, as she examines the Budget with…
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Steering clear of pork-barrelling in transport projects
Everyone knows a politician loves a hard hat photo. And no more are hard hat photos - and pork-barrelling - seen than in the world of transport projects. The winners are often concentrated in a single electorate,…
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How to fix temporary skilled migration
Australia is squandering the potential benefits of temporary skilled migration. Politically unpopular, politicians often restrict visa sponsorship to fewer, low-skill, low-wage jobs. Instead, governments should be…
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How to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs
Australia has an enviable universal healthcare system, but there are still gaps where people miss out. Listen to Anika Stobart, Linda Lin, and Kat Clay in conversation on how to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs…
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Orange Book 2022: Policy priorities for the federal government
Australia needs bold policy reform to build back better after the COVID recession. Our 2022 Orange Book maps out a policy blueprint to reignite wages growth and boost Australians’ living standards. Listen to our CEO…
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Why it’s time for a national shared equity scheme
Home ownership rates are falling fast, especially among the young and poor. For those without access to the Bank of Mum and Dad, buying a home is now an impossible dream, one which has impacts well into retirement. But…
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Why are the unemployment figures so low?
Australia’s unemployment rate is at 4.2% - the lowest in more than a decade. And it’s not too far off slipping below 4%, something that hasn’t happened for half a century. But who deserves the credit? Economic…
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Prime Minister’s Summer Reading List 2021
Listen to CEO Danielle Wood, with renowned writer Benjamin Law, as they discuss Grattan's top six thought-provoking, compelling, and relevant books from 2021. It was an extraordinary year, and these are extraordinary…
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How to make time for great teaching
For many parents, the pandemic has brought into sharp focus the role of teachers, and just how much work they do. Not only are teachers expected to teach their core subjects, but supervise lunchtimes and after-school…
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The next steps to improve home care
In May 2021, the Federal Government announced a $18 billion package in response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Eighty thousand additional home care packages were announced to…
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John Button Oration: The Next Generation’s Australia
The John Button Oration provides the opportunity for a prominent Australian to give a talk on policy in honour of the legacy of John Button. This year the oration was given by Grattan CEO, Danielle Wood, on the topic…
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Should we be worried about inflation?
After years where inflation has been low and stable, suddenly there’s lots of talk about inflation. But how worried should we be? And what does it mean for the Australian economy, for interest rates and for Australian…
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COP26: what went down, and what it means for Australia
At COP26, 197 countries signed the Glasgow climate pact, which aims to phase down unabated coal power throughout the world. Find out what happened at COP26 and the impact these decisions will have on Australian climate…
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Net zero: where to start?
Last week, the Federal Government released their plan to meet Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. It’s a major breakthrough in Australia’s climate war, but is it enough? Just in time for the Glasgow…
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Why the Federal Government needs to introduce an emissions ceiling on new cars
Australians have a passionate love affair with cars. We use them to travel this vast and wide country, to visit friends and family, and carry our tools. Not to mention, do burnouts. But cars and their by-products also…
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Why it's about to get harder to borrow for a mortgage
Earlier this month, The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, or APRA for short, wrote to home loan lenders across the country to recommend strengthening mortgage lending assessments. The reason for this? The…
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How to offset carbon emissions in Australia
Net zero emissions. It’s the target everyone is talking about, from the Federal Government, to foreign governments, and from boardrooms to broadsheets. Although achieving net zero emissions globally is essential for…
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How the agriculture sector can reduce emissions
In 2019, the agriculture sector was responsible for 15% of Australia's carbon emissions. But how do you take action in a sector where most emissions come from animals like cows and sheep? It's also a sector which is…
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Why the Reserve Bank of Australia should be reviewed
Most Australians wouldn’t have given too much thought to the Reserve Bank of Australia. Apart from when it changes official interest rates following its monthly meetings, the role and importance of the RBA, and its…
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How we can protect children from COVID
Children aged 12 and over will be eligible for vaccination from September 13. While this is great news for parents with children over 12, it’s left many parents of young children concerned. After all, what happens to…
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Why the federal government should boost paid parental leave for fathers and partners
On Sunday, Dads across Australia were celebrated by their families for Father’s Day – whether in-person or virtually. But for new dads, Australia has one of the least generous parental leave schemes in the developed…
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What's going on with Australia's vaccine rollout?
With NSW and Victoria in lockdown, cases rising every day, protesters clashing in the streets, and Delta reaching our most vulnerable remote communities, you might be feeling that the only light at the end of the…
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