Follow The Money

In this week's episode we explain how two changes to the rules of the National Electricity Market (NEM) will help reduce electricity bills, cut emissions, pave the way for more renewable energy and storage in the grid AND improve grid stability. It's win-win-win-win.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests: Dan Cass, energy policy and regulatory lead at the Australia Institute // @danjcassProducer: Jennifer Macey with help from Grace Crivellaro and Lucy Luo.Theme music: Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and Thrum.Support Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each election, tens of millions of dollars is spent on political advertising and currently it is perfectly lawful for political parties to lie to citizens in political ads. In today's episode we unpack why momentum is building to pass truth in political advertising laws before the next election.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests: Bill Browne, researcher at the Australia Institute Producer: Jennifer Macey with help from Grace Crivellaro and Lucy Luo.Theme music: Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and Thrum.Support Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's relationship with China is rocky at the moment, how can we navigate it better? Part of our 'Economics of a Pandemic' webinar series.Host: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests:Jane Golley, economist and Director of the Australian Centre on China in the World, ANU // @golleyjaneAllan Behm, head of International & Security Affairs program, the Australia Institute // @mirandaprorsusProducer: Jennifer Macey with help from Grace Crivellaro + Lucy LuoTheme music is by Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and ThrumSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If Australia had the same labour participation rate of Nordic countries, our economy would be $60 billion larger. In today's episode, we unpack why free childcare would not only be good for Australian women and their workforce participation, but would help grow the Australian economy too.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests: Matt Grudnoff, senior economist of the Australia Institute // @MattGrudnoffProducer: Jennifer Macey with help from Grace Crivellaro and Lucy Luo. Theme music: Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and Thrum.Support Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are amongst the most vulnerable to the threat of Covid-19, but the Aboriginal-led community controlled health response has been a huge public health success. How did they do it? Host: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests: Lesley Nelson, CEO of South West Aboriginal Medical Service Professor Sandra Eades, Dean of Curtin Medical School // @SandraEadesAssoc Professor Dan McAullay, Director of the Centre for Improving Health Services for Aboriginal Children at Edith Cowan University // @DanMcaullayFrancine Eades i// @FrancineEades Richard Denniss, chief economist of the Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAIProfessor Fiona Stanley, Patron Telethon Kids Institute Producer: Jennifer Macey with help from River McCrossinTheme music is by Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and ThrumSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australia Institute's chief economist Richard Denniss launched The Reconstruction Memorandum, to step back and look at the big picture on how Australia can put people first and create an economic reconstruction that delivers lasting benefits as we recover from the Covid-19 recession.Visit tai.org.au for our latest pandemic economic research and analysis // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests: Richard Denniss, chief economist of the Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAIProducer: Jennifer Macey, with help from Grace CrivellaroTheme music is by Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and ThrumSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government's Homebuilder program is designed to help the construction sector, but construction is not labour intensive and it's dominated by blokes, when we know women are bearing the brunt of this recession. So this week Follow The Money talks to senior economist at the Australia Institute Matt Grudnoff, who explains why we could get better bang for our stimulus buck by targeting industries that employ more people overall, particularly women.Visit tai.org.au/pandemic_economics for all our latest research and analysis.Host: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests: Matt Grudnoff, senior economist of the Australia Institute // @MattGrudnoffProducer: Jennifer Macey with help from Grace CrivellaroTheme music: Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and Thrum.Support Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Using war as a metaphor has crept into how we talk about public policy. Misrepresenting policy issues as security problems does not solve them, yet many public policy issues are framed using this lens. We’ve had a war on drugs, wars on poverty and wars on red tape, but Australia doesn't describe what’s has been happening in Yemen as a ‘war’. To discuss how ‘securitisation’ can turn problems into threats, we spoke to Allan Gyngell and Allan Behm as part of the 'Economics of a Pandemic' webinar series.Visit tai.org.au for our latest pandemic economic research and analysis // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests: Allan Gyngell, National President, the Australian Institute of International AffairsAllan Behm, head of the Australia Institute's International and Security Affairs Program // @MirandaprorsusProducer: Jennifer Macey with help from Grace CrivellaroTheme music is by Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and ThrumSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone familiar with Australian political debate will know that while we can always afford tax cuts and defence spending, somehow we can never afford to raise Newstart, or to build social housing because we have to “live within our means” and get back to a budget surplus as soon as possible. But that's not how the economy really works. We talked to Professor Stephanie Kelton about her new book “The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and How to Build a Better Economy” in conversation with our chief economist at the Australia institute Richard Denniss as part of our 'Economics of a Pandemic' webinar series. Host: Visit tai.org.au for our latest pandemic economic research and analysis // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests: Stephanie Kelton, author of The Deficit Myth // @StephanieKeltonRichard Denniss, chief economist of the Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAIProducer: Jennifer MaceyTheme music is by Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and ThrumSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The PM has announced big plans for deregulation, but is 'red tape' or 'green tape' really impeding economic growth or is it necessary to protect us and our environment? In this episode we talk to Executive Director of the Australia Institute Ben Oquist about the protections offered by good regulation. Host: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest: Ben Oquist, executive director of the Australia Institute // @BenOquistProducer: Lizzie Jack with help from Grace CrivalleroTheme music is by Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and ThrumSupport Follow the Money: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.