Follow The Money

The wealth of Australians (or at least some of them) has grown by an extraordinary $9.5 trillion or 302% in the past 33 years according to a new report released by the Australia Institute. But because Australia currently has no taxes on wealth and collects very little income from capital gains, government revenues have not grown nearly as rapidly as the wealth of Australians.australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Richard Denniss, Chief Economist The Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAIDavid Richardson, senior research fellow at The Australia Institute // @daverr01Producer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme 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.

Professor Ross Garnaut is an economist and author of new book Reset - which explores the opportunity Australia has to reset its economy in the wake of the pandemic.Warning: there is a bit of feedback on the audio for the first few minutes.Recorded live on 24 February 2021 as part of the Australia Institute webinar series.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest: Professor Ross GarnautProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme 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.

When the Black Lives Matter protests swept the globe in 2020, it shone a spotlight on Australia's legacy of Aboriginal deaths in custody. It was a subject journalist Amy McQuire had written about extensively. Amy McQuire was the Australia Institute's Writer in Residence recipient for 2020 and in this episode she discusses her upcoming book 'The Water Behind Us', a journalistic investigation into the wrongful conviction of Aboriginal man Kevin Henry, as well as talking at the systemic issues within in our justice system that contributed to his wrongful conviction. Recorded live on 17 February 2021 as part of the Australia Institute webinar series.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest: Amy McQuireProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme 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 desperate scenes at Kabul airport after the city fell to the Taliban represent an inglorious end to Australia’s longest war in Afghanistan. Join Allan Behm, director of the Australia Institute's International and Security Affairs program, as he explains the failures of strategy, politics and intelligence that led directly to this moment.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Allan Behm, International & Security Affairs program director // @mirandaprorsusProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme 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 sixth IPCC assessment report sounded the alarm on the climate crisis, finding that human activity is changing the Earth’s climate in “unprecedented” ways, with some of the changes now inevitable and “irreversible”. We unpack the latest report and the urgency of change with Richie Merzian and Alia Armistead from the Australia Institute's climate & energy team.Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Richie Merzian, director Climate & Energy program // @richiemerzianAlia Armistead, Graduate Researcher // @aliaarmisteadThe Australia Institute // @theausinstituteWebsite:australiainstitute.org.auProducer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme 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 government's massive $300 billion income tax cuts package will proceed in full, making inequality worse and mainly benefitting high income earners. But what makes a tax good or bad? This week, Richard Denniss and Matt Grudnoff explain the principles of a good tax and run the ruler over different types of taxes like income taxes, GST, super profits tax, a Buffet rule and more to see how they fair.australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Richard Denniss, Chief Economist The Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAIMatt Grudnoff, senior economist at The Australia Institute // @mattgrudnoffProducer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme 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.

When the going gets tough, the Morrison government calls in the military to boost its authority and credibility. In this episode, Allan Behm discusses the securitisation of domestic policy issues and how bringing in the ADF doesn't really solve anything.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Allan Behm, International & Security Affairs program director // @mirandaprorsusProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme 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 EU has announced it will introduce a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as part of its efforts to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This has big implications for the Australian economy, especially carbon intensive expor industries. This week we talk to Richie Merzian and Hannah Melville Rea about what CBAMs are, how they work, why they aren't protectionist and how it will impact Australia.Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Richie Merzian, director Climate & Energy program // @richiemerzianHannah Melville Rea, Anne Kantor Fellow // @HannahMelReaThe Australia Institute // @theausinstituteWebsite:australiainstitute.org.auProducer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme 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.

It's no secret the Australia-China relationship has hit a rocky path recently. How did we get in this mess? How do we get out of it? And how does the Australian public perceive the threat of China? Today we discuss the latest research on public attitudes to China, comparing them to public attitudes in Taiwan.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Allan Behm, International & Security Affairs program director // @mirandaprorsusMelissa Conley Tyler, Research Associate, University of Melbourne Asia Institute // @MConleytylerProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme 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.

Births declining, fewer people working, health funding will double and deficits for years to come. The latest Intergenerational Report (IGR) has been released and the government wants you to be scared. But it turns out the IGR is rubbish at making predictions. Join Richard Denniss as he uncovers the hidden assumptions buried in the Intergenerational Report.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Richard Denniss, Chief Economist The Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAIProducer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme 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.