The Economy, Stupid
Episodes
A new government and a new approach to climate and industrial relations and a re-set on global trade
26 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We have a new government so where does it stand on the big issues like climate and industrial relations? Anna Skarbek, CEO of Climateworks Centre dis...
Federal election and what isn't being discussed and red book, blue book
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It has been a very long election campaign so is it possible there are areas that haven't been discussed by the major political parties? Richard Holde...
The global economy; the deficit issue and what can be done about manufacturing
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do you know when we're in a global recession? Well, there's no precise rule but the economies of China, US and Europe are all facing challenges a...
Interest rates; unemployment stats and global military spend
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of this weeks RBA increase in interest rates, how difficult is it to forecast in uncertain times? Former economist at the RBA and lecture...
Inflation and the RBA, foreign aid and the PRRT
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inflation, interest rates and the RBA. Warren Hogan economic advisor to Judo Bank provides his prediction of when rates will go up and by how much as...
NDIS costings, predicting elections and defaulting on foreign debt Russia and Sri Lanka
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The funding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme has always been a contentious issue between the ALP and the Coalition. Economist Dr Angela Ja...
What's the youth unemployment figure? political party spend and the cost of rebuilding Ukraine
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There's been a lot of noise around the unemployment figure of 4 percent, but that's not the only figure we should be concerned about with youth unemp...
The cost of Australian elections; the French election and the growth of venture capital
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we all await for the Prime Minister to announce the date for the 2022 Federal Election, the Australian Electoral Commission began preparing for it...
Did the Budget deliver?
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Money continues with the Federal Budget analyses but with a difference. Four younger economists, including three recipients of the Economic Socie...
What do you want from the budget?
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you could nominate what you wanted from next week's federal budget, what would it be? Join us on The Money as four people representing different p...
Inflationary factors and the need for tax reform
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inflation is on the rise, driven by supply shocks. Does the Reserve Bank of Australia need to do something about it? Sean Langcake, head of macroecon...
Underinsurance, oil and gas and Britain's kleptocracy problem
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Insurance premiums are increasing with the frequency of climate induced natural disasters. The government is planning a reinsurance pool of $10 billi...
The cost of increasing climate disasters and the economic warfare against Russia
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week as severe flooding causes havoc in south east Queensland and parts of NSW, two important, relevant reports were released. One by the Insura...
Economic benefits of improved parental leave and Spotify, where does the money go?
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Does extending parental leave entitlements present a greater cost to the Australian economy or a benefit? The answer from economists and gender equal...
Cybersecurity a top concern for CEOs; how to increase productivity and a book about money
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It has been a bumpy few years with the pandemic and businesses have had to make huge adjustments. So how are they feeling about the future? Jeremy Th...
How wages actually increase; the finances of aged care and the importance of economic history
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Economist Jim Stanford argues supply and demand will not increase wages. What is needed is the political will and policies to lift wages, structures ...
Economic Weapons
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How globalisation has altered the effectiveness of economic sanctions.
Stephen Duckett and aged care
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What needs to be done to improve the care in aged care.
Sarah Hunter's analysis of the RBA Governor's speech
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Predictions and expectations abound from the Reserve Bank of Australia chief's speech this week.
RBA predictions; aged care and Economic Weapons
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The economic lessons from the film Don't Look Up
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What can the satirical film about a comet hurtling to earth teach us about economics?
What vaccine nationalism is costing the global economy
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The inequality of COVID-19 vaccinations is having a devasting affect on many developing countries. It is also costing the global economy in its trill...
Sorting through economic indicators to determine where we are going and how has vaccine nationalism affected the global economy
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How to decipher recent economic indicators
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What do the recent economic indicators tell us about the state of our economy?
Indigenous business sector worth billions
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Meet an award winning, Aboriginal-owned construction and maintenance services business that’s part of the booming $4.8 billion Indigenous business ...
The Taliban economy
13 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With tax income from lucrative trade routes and finance from countries such as China or Pakistan, how insulated are the Taliban from the western thre...
Reflections on poverty in SA, and what's cuckoo smurfing?
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cuckoo smurfing — what it is, how to spot it, how to make sure it doesn't happen to you. An Australian philanthropic foundation marks 135 years of ...
Estate duties: a good but unpopular tax
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A blast from the past offers a possible answer to growing wealth inequality. Three economists put the case for the resurrection of inheritance taxes....
China's 2021 economy and Mariana Mazzucato's mission
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic and subsequent economic crisis have shown how government is crucial for getting things done – like rolling out a vaccine or throwing t...
Encrypt, extort: ransomware attacks rise
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ransomware attacks across Australia have become a major problem for business, causing massive disruptions and costing millions to remediate. Recent a...
Relevant test questions close the gap
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New research has proven that the performance of Indigenous students in literacy tests can be significantly lifted by changing the context of question...
Billions added to government's bottom line and unemployment down
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A quicker-than-expected economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession has added billions to the government’s bottom line, but that’s unlikely to ...
Localising exam questions lifts scores and potentially, economic prospects
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Leading research on how adapting exam questions to make them culturally relevant to regional and Aboriginal students could close the Indigenous readi...
Remembering Geoff Harcourt
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Geoff Harcourt was one of Australia's best-known academic economists. He inspired and mentored many students and made significant contributions to pu...
Inheritances surge as Australians pass on billions
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Booming housing wealth and unspent superannuation are increasing the size of Australians' inheritances, according to the first in depth study of weal...
Surge in wealth transfers and vale Geoff Harcourt
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australians have given away more than $1.5 trillion in the past 20 years and could be on track to hand over another $6 trillion in the coming three d...
Record investment in Australian startups
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A Sydney based software company that builds AI tools for the medical industry has raised $129 million in its latest funding round. Dr Aengus Tran and...
Time for a social housing fund?
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australia has a shortage of social housing – where rents are usually capped at 25 per cent of tenants' incomes. The Grattan Institute is suggesting...
Big data and social housing to break disadvantage cycle and record investments in Australian start ups
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Disrupting disadvantage
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Committee for the Economic Development says Australia will entrench the next generation of poverty and disadvantage unless it improves informatio...
Rents continue to soar in the regions
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A new rental affordability index exposes the crippling price of rental properties across Australia for lower-income households. Regionals rents conti...
Is switching energy providers worth it?
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Energy expert Bruce Mountain searched a price comparison website for the best electricity deal – with little success. But with new entrants such as...
Rising rents and the power price comparison challenge
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Finding a a lower priced electricity deal might be about to get easier. Plus, a new rental affordability index further details the crippling price of...
Financial stress v poverty
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a post-pandemic recovery, we might expect financial stress to lessen. But the highest level of financial stress, beyond just making ends meet, has...
More legitimacy to crypto?
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Commonwealth Bank will allow customers trade cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin and Ethereum via its banking app. How might the bank treat the c...
Fast chargers: how to speed up the net zero transition
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pathways to net zero in the transport, agriculture and building sectors. Plus, despite falling crime rates, imprisonment in Australia is at a histori...
Philanthropy and poverty: reflections on a 135 year history
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of Australia's oldest philanthropic foundations marks 135 years of helping people in need. What has changed in that time? Plus, will inflation in...
"Climate risk is investment risk"
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A report card of G20 countries' climate policies finds Australia is one of the least attractive green investment destinations. Hundreds of investors,...
Is inflation creeping back?
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
America's inflation rate has risen to 5.4 per cent, reflecting shortages and higher prices for food, energy and housing. Are there implications for A...
Expectations of net-zero commitment, but policy lags behind
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With Australia under pressure to commit to net zero emissions by 2050 before COP26, how would net zero affect the economy? How important are shorter ...
The Taliban economy
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With tax income from lucrative trade routes and finance from countries such as China or Pakistan, how insulated are the Taliban from the western thre...
Underwater costs: Australia’s move to nuclear submarines
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australia's move to acquire nuclear-powered submarines and the scrapping its $90 billion submarine program with France has had diplomatic consequence...
How we dipped into our super during COVID
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last year in the pandemic a lot of people withdrew their superannuation under the Early Release Scheme. For many, it was a lifeline to cover food, re...
Financial intelligence trove from Operation Ironside
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Could we have a travel bubble with Singapore and what are the advantages of getting it done? Plus, the economic consequences of something that affect...
Disaster payments for Melbourne, and how sunshine affects corporate decision making
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
COVID disaster payments for Melbourne residents who are unable to work will be part of a new national scheme available to other states if lockdowns l...
Growing Indigenous business sector worth billions
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet an award winning, Aboriginal-owned construction and maintenance services business that’s part of the booming $4.8 billion Indigenous business ...
Slice of heaven: All Blacks and Wallabies consider private equity
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A stake in the famed New Zealand All Blacks is to be sold to a US private equity firm - with Rugby Australia in a dire financial situation, will priv...
How much of a difference will the Budget make to housing?
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How low will unemployment have to go before Australians get a wage rise? Analysis of Federal Budget housing measures for single parents, first home b...
India’s economic pain as the pandemic rages
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The economic implications of India's second COVID wave. Plus, revenue is up at Netflix Australia after we binged on shows during pandemic lockdowns. ...
No more tax returns: a proposal for standard deductions
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most Australians use a tax agent or accountant to manage their returns and sort out complex deductions – it’s a deductable cost. What if everyone...
Nauru rejoins the high income club
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The island nation of Nauru has been readmitted to the World Bank’s high-income club. The turnaround in Nauru’s economic woes is partly due to inc...