Grattan Institute

After years where inflation has been low and stable, suddenly there’s lots of talk about inflation. But how worried should we be? And what does it mean for the Australian economy, for interest rates and for Australian workers’ wages? Join Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, Alex Ballantyne, Senior Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, as they tackle whether or not we should be worried about inflation.

At COP26, 197 countries signed the Glasgow climate pact, which aims to phase down unabated coal power throughout the world. Find out what happened at COP26 and the impact these decisions will have on Australian climate policy, in a conversation with Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and James Ha, Associate. Read the Towards Net Zero report series: https://grattan.edu.au/towards-net-zero/

Last week, the Federal Government released their plan to meet Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. It’s a major breakthrough in Australia’s climate war, but is it enough? Just in time for the Glasgow climate conference COP26, Grattan’s climate change and energy team have released the last report in their report series, Towards net zero: A practical plan for Australia's governments. On this podcast are Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and James Ha, Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discussing where Australia’s governments should start in the quest for net zero. To read the report series visit: https://grattan.edu.au/towards-net-zero/

Australians have a passionate love affair with cars. We use them to travel this vast and wide country, to visit friends and family, and carry our tools. Not to mention, do burnouts. But cars and their by-products also have a detrimental effect on our environment, health and wellbeing. And reducing our emissions from cars is just one of the puzzle pieces in reaching net zero by 2050. So, what policies can government put in place to make sure Australians can continue to enjoy cars, while reducing the negative social and environmental effects? To hear about their new report, The Grattan car plan: practical policies for cleaner transport and better cities, join Ingrid Burfurd, Senior Associate, and Lachlan Fox, Graduate Associate, with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, on the Grattan podcast.

Earlier this month, The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, or APRA for short, wrote to home loan lenders across the country to recommend strengthening mortgage lending assessments. The reason for this? The explosive and rapid increase in housing prices due to extended lockdowns and low-interest rates, and a rapid growth in bank lending to buy them. Households are borrowing more money than ever to reach the extraordinary prices needed to secure a home. But is this the right move? Who does it help and who does it hurt? And will it be enough to restrain a market that doesn’t show signs of slowing down any time soon. Or are there more changes yet to come? Join Kat Clay, Grattan's Head of Digital Communications, in conversation with Brendan Coates, on how to rein in property prices in Australia, and whether we should.

Net zero emissions. It’s the target everyone is talking about, from the Federal Government, to foreign governments, and from boardrooms to broadsheets. Although achieving net zero emissions globally is essential for limiting climate change, the target and how we get there are not very well understood. And one of the most contentious issues is offsetting: can we really pay others to reduce their emissions, or pay to suck carbon out of the atmosphere, to balance out our own emissions? Join Tony Wood, the Director of Grattan’s Energy and Climate Change Program, and Alison Reeve, Deputy Director, as they discuss their latest net zero report with co-author, James Ha, Associate.

In 2019, the agriculture sector was responsible for 15% of Australia's carbon emissions. But how do you take action in a sector where most emissions come from animals like cows and sheep? It's also a sector which is vulnerable to climate change. Changes in rainfall patterns, threats of heatwaves and bushfires, all threaten the livelihoods of farmers. Join Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discussing the third report in Grattan's series on how Australia can reach net zero, with Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, and James Ha, Associate. To read the report in discussion visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/towards-net-zero-practical-policies-to-reduce-agricultural-emissions/

Most Australians wouldn’t have given too much thought to the Reserve Bank of Australia. Apart from when it changes official interest rates following its monthly meetings, the role and importance of the RBA, and its governor Phil Lowe, is little understood or even acknowledged. But the Reserve Bank is now facing rare criticisms by leading economists for not having met its core targets for nearly a decade. And this week, international think tank the OECD has called for a review of the RBA. A call since endorsed by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who said he’d consider a review after the next election. And with the Federal ALP previously calling for an independent review of the Reserve Bank in April, it’s increasingly likely the RBA will next year face its first independent review in 40 years. Watch Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, discuss the role of the RBA and whether it should be reviewed with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communication. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Children aged 12 and over will be eligible for vaccination from September 13. While this is great news for parents with children over 12, it’s left many parents of young children concerned. After all, what happens to unvaccinated kids when we open up? And when they go back to school and childcare, is there a plan for managing the inevitable outbreaks? Jordana Hunter, Education Program Director, and Anika Stobart, Associate with Grattan’s health program, answer some of the most common questions about children and COVID in the latest podcast with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

On Sunday, Dads across Australia were celebrated by their families for Father’s Day – whether in-person or virtually. But for new dads, Australia has one of the least generous parental leave schemes in the developed world. And Australian fathers have been reluctant to access what little leave is available to them. To coincide with Father’s Day, the Grattan team has released a new report – Dad Days: how more gender-equal parental leave would improve the lives of Australian families. Discussing their report is Danielle Wood, CEO, and Owain Emslie, Senior Associate, with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications.