Follow The Money

New research shows Australian workers are on average working 6 weeks unpaid overtime per year, costing over $92 billion dollars in unpaid wages across the economy.  2022 marks the fourteenth annual Go Home on Time Day (GHOTD), an initiative of the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute that shines a spotlight on overwork among Australians, including excessive overtime that is often unpaid. This was recorded on Tuesday 22nd November 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Speakers: Eliza Littleton, Research Economist at the Australia Institute // @ElizaLittleton Lily Raynes, Anne Kantor Fellow with the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute. // @lil_raynex Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To combat persistently low wages growth, the Government has put forward its Secure Jobs Better Pay Bill, currently before the Senate. The most contentious reform within the Bill is ‘multi-employer bargaining'.  We’ve heard employer groups call it a ‘seismic shift that will increase strikes’. On the other hand, unions are calling the reforms moderate. What is certain is that the current system is not working for workers. This was recorded on Tuesday 15th November 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Speakers: Fiona Macdonald, Policy Director Industrial and Social with the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute // @DrFionaMac Lily Raynes, Anne Kantor Fellow with the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute. // @lil_raynex Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Climate is dominating headlines worldwide as COP27 – the United Nations annual climate conference — begins in Egypt. We've just released our benchmark Climate of the Nation report, giving an insight into what Australians are thinking and feeling about climate change, and the climate policies they support. This was recorded on Tuesday 8th November 2022 and things may have changed since recording.   The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Guest: Audrey Quicke, Transport Lead and Researcher, Climate & Energy Program, the Australia Institute // @AudreyQuicke  Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Denniss, Executive Director of the Australia Institute, along with other experts, dissect the October Budget, addressing winners, losers, and missed opportunities. They discuss Australia's revenue problems, the Labor government's budget impact, structural deficit, taxation of gas industry profits, ATO funding, and economic strategies in different nations.

Gas companies in Australia made up to $40 billion in windfall profits in the last year due to the war in Ukraine, and global price spikes. There are growing calls for a windfall profits tax to claw back some of these war profits, to fund essential services in Australia.  This was recorded on Tuesday 18th October 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Guest: Richard Denniss, Executive Director, the Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAI Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As pressure builds for the Albanese government to scrap the promised Stage Three tax cuts, discussion has shifted around who would lose out. The Australian said it would mean “2.5 million middle income Australians will pay thousands of dollars in additional tax,” but describes middle income Australians as individuals earning between $120,000 and $160,000 a year. If that sounds wrong, it's because it is.  This was recorded on Tuesday 11th October 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Guests: Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, the Australia Institute // @MattGrudnoff Eliza Littleton, Research Economist, the Australia Institute // @ElizaLittleton Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pacific Island nations are on the front line of climate change, and as Australia celebrates the passage of the 43% climate bill, Pacific leaders want to know that the new Australian Government’s improved rhetoric on climate is matched by policy integrity when it comes to new gas and coal projects and exports. Join Their Excellencies Anote Tong, former President of Kiribati and Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., former President of Palau for the Regional Climate Diplomacy Forum. Hosted in partnership with the Pacific Elders Voice and the Edmund Rice Centre. This was recorded on Tuesday 13th September 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Guests:  His Excellency Anote Tong, Former President of Kiribati (2003-2016) His Excellency Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., Former President of Palau (2001–2009; 2013–2021) Richie Merzian, Director, Climate & Energy Program, the Australia Institute // @RichieMerzian Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Federal Government recently tabled legislation to establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), a long overdue measure to help restore trust in politics and democracy. The bill is not without criticism however, there are concerns that the threshold for holding public hearings is unreasonably high. This was recorded on Thursday 29th September 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Guest: Bill Browne, Director, Democracy & Accountability Program, the Australia Institute // @Browne90 Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The $240 billion Stage 3 Tax Cuts, originally legislated by the Coalition government, have been described by the Labor government as an election promise they won't break. But calls are growing for the cuts to be scrapped, having been labelled tax cuts for the wealthy amid a cost of living crisis. This was recorded on Tuesday 27th September 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Guest: Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, the Australia Institute // @MattGrudnoff Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labor’s climate bill cleared the Senate last week. It’s a pretty modest bill, and doesn’t include any measures to actually reduce emissions in the private sector. That’s where the Safeguard Mechanism comes in – which is a voluntary scheme that affects the nation’s biggest industrial emitters, and is the Government’s main policy it will use to get to those emission reduction goals.   This was recorded on Tuesday 13th September 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Guest: Polly Hemming, Senior Researcher, Climate & Energy Program, the Australia Institute // @pollyjhemming Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Edited by: Emily Perkins Theme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot SessionsSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.