The Economy, Stupid

In 1992, the Keating Government passed the Superannuation Guarantee Act insuring at the time retirement savings to seventy two percent of workers. Thirty years on, as the super guarantee is about to increase, is it still the best way to ensure sufficient retirement income for all? Brendan Coates from the Grattan Institute discusses the pros and the cons. And how to twin efficiency and equity. Professor of Law Rosalind Dixon and Professor of Economics Richard Holden have proposed in their book reforms on how to make economies fairer through liberalism democracy. And you'll be surprised to know that Australia has many of the frameworks required.

Energy capacity mechanisms, what are they and what are the concerns about them and why is the Australia's Institute Polly Hemming slightly optimistic about Australia's future climate and energy policies? Jobs, jobs, jobs and 270,00 missing ones. Economist Isaac Gross with the ALP's Andrew Leigh have analysed the RBA's use of interest rates over the last twenty years. This monetary tool hasn't always worked as it should. And we all know big brother is watching what we're doing online. But how does this affect the insurance products, policies and costs that are being offered to us? Zofia Bednarz from the University of Sydney's Law School discusses why it needs to be considered and better regulated.

Interest rates are rising and not just in Australia. So how do people feel about the economy and their own financial situation? Bill Evans, Chief Economist at Westpac, talks about consumer sentiment. The tragedy of gun violence in the US is impossible to measure, but what about the economic cost? Ted Miller from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation has been crunching the data with a price tag of $557 billion based on 2019 figures. And what factors are contributing to the skyrocketing prices of our daily greens? Supply chain expert, Flavio Macau from the Edith Cowan University's School of Business and Law helps us digest why certain vegetables have become top shelf expensive.

The Grattan Institute's director of energy, Tony Wood, provides his analysis of this week's energy minister's meeting and why an integrated energy and climate change policy is critical.

Twelve of Australia's prominent economists penned an open letter to the new Treasurer Jim Chalmers about what they want to see in the promised review of the Reserve Bank of Australia. Renee Fry-McKibbin, Professor of Economics at the ANU's Crawford School of Public policy and interim director explains why this review is so important to get right.

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 discusses the targets and policies but also how much more needs to be done and Andrew Stewart, Professor of Law at the University of Adelaide talks through the challenges the government has with rejuvenating enterprise bargaining mechanisms for pay rises as well as other policy commitments. And have we reached the limits of global trade liberalisation? The Financial Times, global business columnist, Rana Foroohar explores what might come next and whether we need to fix the WTO.

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 Holden, Professor of Economics at the University of New South Wales Business School and Danielle Wood, economist and CEO of the Grattan Institute reflect on the policies and economics that have been forgotten.

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 and uncertainties making forecasting difficult. And as Harvard Professor of Economics Kenneth Rogoff, says, we'll know when we are in one. And this doesn't bode well for Australia where long term forecasts are showing budget deficits. With election spending promises, neither side of politics is mentioning major reform that most economists know is a major requirement. The ABC's financial journalist and editor in chief of the Eureka Report Alan Kohler discusses. And manufacturing. We've all seen the images of Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese in high viz, but what are they planning and is it enough? Jesse Adams Stein, senior lecturer and ARC DECRA fellow at the UTS School of Design talks through the possibilities.

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 lecturer at Monash University, Isaac Gross discusses indicators and predictions. How can it be that the number of people receiving unemployment benefits is higher than the number of unemployed? Why are some people receiving benefits exempt from looking for work? Professor Peter Whiteford from the Crawford School of Public Policy at the ANU talks through these conundrums. And what's the correlation between military spend and economic growth? It's complicated as Simon Rabinovitch, The Economist's US economics editor explains.

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 well as what are the key questions for a forthcoming review of the RBA. As the Solomon Islands and China deal continues to dominate the election campaign what are the differences in each party's approach to foreign aid and is it economically viable? Stephen Howes, professor of economics at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the ANU discusses. Over ninety billion dollars in revenue could be collected from offshore gas projects if changes to the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) are made according to a recent Greens policy. So what is the PRRT, why hasn't it worked and why hasn't the Coalition or the ALP in the past done anything about it? Diane Kraal, senior lecturer at the Monash University's Business School explains.