Americans are going to bear the brunt of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs. On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Hayden discuss Trump’s tariffs, the Reserve Bank’s magic 8-ball monetary policy, and why minimum wage increases don’t drive up inflation. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 3 April 2025 and things may have changed since recording. Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website. Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @grogsgamut Host: Hayden Starr, Digital Media Manager, the Australia Institute // @haydenstarr Show notes: Australia Institute Live from Amy Remeikis ‘You never know what you’re gonna get: Australians will have to wait until after the election to see if there’s an interest rate cut’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (March 2025) ‘Trump Set to Push Ahead With Tariffs—as His Polling and Stock Market Tumble’ by Brian Bennett, TIME (April 2025) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This “wimpy” budget tells us one thing: the election campaign is here. On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss the Government’s tax cuts, the big missed opportunities in this Budget, and what it’s like inside ‘the lock-up’. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 27 March 2025 and things may have changed since recording. Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website. Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @grogsgamut Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek Show notes: ‘Labor’s budget tax cuts make good economic sense – and have backed Dutton and Taylor into a political corner’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (March 2025) ‘Australia budget 2025: the seven graphs you need to see’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (March 2025) 5 ways and 63 billion reasons to improve Australia’s tax system by Greg Jericho, the Australia Institute (March 2025) Budget briefing paper 2025-2026, Centre for Future Work (March 2025) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Government can’t afford to do everything, but it can afford to do anything it wants.  On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor preview next week’s Federal Budget and why the Government doesn’t need to leave so much tax revenue on the table.  This discussion was recorded on Thursday 20 March 2025 and things may have changed since recording.  Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.  Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @grogsgamut  Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek  Show notes:  5 ways and 63 billion reasons to improve Australia’s tax system by Greg Jericho, the Australia Institute (March 2025)  ‘Expect a lot of talk about Australia’s deficit, but remember the golden rule: budgets are always about choices’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (March 2025)  Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions  We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au. Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking to buy a house? Having a good job that pays good money probably won’t be enough. On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss new research showing just how difficult it is to save for a house deposit and the political response to Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 13 March 2025 and things may have changed since recording. Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website. Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @grogsgamut Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek Show notes: ‘Gone are the days when a ‘good job’ gets you a house – and now we have the data to prove it’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (March 2025) Housing affordability crisis – Saving for a deposit forever by Greg Jericho, the Australia Institute (March 2025) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia’s per capita recession is over, but the United States economy could be in for much worse. On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss the end of Australia’s per capita recession, why the humble chickpea deserves some of the credit, and why DOGE is looking like a disaster for the American economy. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 6 March 2025 and things may have changed since recording. Subscribe to Between the Lines, the Australia Institute's fortnightly newsletter. Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website. Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @grogsgamut Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek Show notes: ‘The Reserve Bank should be looking at these numbers and wondering why it waited until February to act’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (March 2025) Briefing Paper: Restoring public sector capability through investment in public service employees by Lisa Heap, the Australia Institute (February 2025) “A drowning memory”: the Pacific Island communities fighting for their survival, Follow the Money, the Australia Institute (March 2025) After America, the Australia Institute Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is being grilled by the media about how it will pay for its changed to Medicare – but why are journalists not asking the same questions of Australia’s expensive and unfair tax concessions? On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Hayden discuss the latest monthly inflation data, the proposed improvements to Medicare, and Australia’s misguided obsession with federal budget surpluses. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 27 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording. Subscribe to Between the Lines, The Australia Institute's fortnightly newsletter. Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website. Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @grogsgamut Host: Hayden Starr, Digital Media Manager, the Australia Institute // @haydenstarr Show notes: ‘It’s time we asked: what is the cost not just to the budget, but to society, when the richest are helped to get richer?’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (February 2025) ‘Superannuation tax concessions are making inequality worse’ by Greg Jericho, the Australia Institute (July 2024) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates for the first time since November 2020 – so is the Australian economy out of the woods? On this crossover episode of Follow the Money and Dollars & Sense, Greg Jericho and Ebony Bennett discuss what’s going on with inflation, the performance of the Reserve Bank and whether the Government deserves the credit for setting the economy on a better course. This discussion was recorded on Wednesday 19 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.  Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.  Guest: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett Show notes:  Corporate profits increase inflation, the Australia Institute (December 2024) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions  We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au. Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

And some of you get annexed (maybe). On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss the bogus claims made by American officials about Australia flooding the US market with aluminium, the latest housing data (still no house for Elinor *sadface*) and Australia’s urban-rural divide. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 13 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording. Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website. Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @grogsgamut Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek Show notes: ‘Trump’s latest tariff bid shows the old rules of trade no longer apply. Scraps of paper will not save us’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (February 2025) ‘Stop the steel’, Follow the Money, the Australia Institute (February 2025) ‘Housing affordability is on a very dangerous path’ by David Richardson and Greg Jericho, the Australia Institute (February 2025) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Without addressing the wealth inequality crisis, Australia’s economy and society will suffer. On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Australia Institute Senior Economist and Elinor Johnston-Leek discuss how our housing and superannuation policies are fuelling wealth inequality. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 6 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording. Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website. Host: Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @mattgrudnoff Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek Show notes: Superannuation tax concessions are making inequality worse by Greg Jericho, the Australia Institute (July 2024) Income and wealth inequality in Australia by David Richardson and Frank Stilwell, the Australia Institute (July 2024) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slashing public service jobs won’t make government more efficient. On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss the December quarter inflation figures, the political battle over the economy, and Dutton’s appointment of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to an Elon Musk-style ‘government efficiency’ position. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 30 January 2025 and things may have changed since recording. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website. Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @grogsgamut Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek Show notes: 'No more excuses: the time has come for the RBA to cut interest rates’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (January 2025) After America, the Australia Institute ‘Project 2025, the policy substance behind Trump’s showmanship, reveals a radical plan to reshape the world’ by Emma Shortis, The Conversation (April 2024) Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support Dollars & Sense: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.