Grattan Institute

Alison Reeve, an energy expert at the Grattan Institute, dives into the heated debate on nuclear power in Australia ahead of the election. She discusses the potential benefits and hurdles of adopting nuclear energy for achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Reeve compares the costs of nuclear versus renewable sources and highlights the challenges of shifting from coal. She also addresses regulatory issues and public perception of nuclear power while examining Australia's unique position in the global energy landscape. It's a thought-provoking exploration of the future of energy in Australia.

Gambling is everywhere. And Australia's lax approach to gambling regulation shows. We have the highest gambling losses in the world. While the federal government is considering banning gambling advertising in the wake of the Murphy Inquiry, Grattan's latest report makes the case for more regulation to minimise gambling harm in Australia. In this special podcast, authors Kate Griffiths and Elizabeth Baldwin discuss their report, A better bet: How Australia should prevent gambling harm, with host Kat Clay. Read the gambling report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/a-better-bet-how-australia-should-prevent-gambling-harm/ Who's in the room report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/whos-in-the-room/

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is failing many Australians with profound disability. More than 43,000 people with intensive support packages are seeing little benefit from a scheme that was supposed to give them greater choice and improved independence. Last year's reports from the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS review called for significant reform and a wider range of housing and support services. But neither report provided a clear and detailed roadmap to improve people's safety and give them alternate options. And the federal government's recent response to the Disability Royal Commission has kicked some of the more ambitious recommendations made by some commissioners to phase out group homes into the long grass for further consideration. So how can the government improve housing and support for Australians with intensive needs? Grattan's latest report, Better, safer, more sustainable, argues for four major reforms to improve NDIS housing and living supports. Host Kat Clay is joined by report authors, Sam Bennett and Hannah Orban. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/better-safer-more-sustainable-how-to-reform-ndis-housing-and-support/

The 2024 NAPLAN school test results show one in three Australian students are not on track with their learning. The results also reveal deep inequities in Australian schools. Indigenous children, children from disadvantaged families, and children from regional and remote areas are falling years behind their more advantaged peers as they move through school. In this special Grattan Podcast, our NAPLAN specialists Amy Haywood and Nick Parkinson identify why students are performing so poorly, and what governments should do to turn this around so all young Australians gain the literacy and numeracy skills they need to have their best chance in life.

Over the past two years, it's been hard to see an end to interest rate rises. Homeowners have been slogged with one mortgage increase after another.   Despite a couple of months of calm, another potential rate rise is looming on the horizon, with the imminent release of inflation data and a meeting of the RBA in early August.  Kat Clay and Trent Wiltshire, Deputy Program Director Economic Prosperity, discuss whether the interest rates will ever go down again, or if homeowner hell will keep going for a long time to come. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate

Vaccines save lives. Yet the likelihood an older Australian is vaccinated varies hugely by GP. For some GPs, 90 per cent of older patients are vaccinated for flu. For others, only 40 per cent are vaccinated. For COVID, shingles and pneumococcal, the gap is even bigger. In this podcast, Peter Breadon, Health Program Director, and Anika Stobart, the Senior Associate, discuss their new report, Patchy protection: How to boost GPs' patient vaccination rates. Hosted by Kat Clay. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/patchy-protection/ Read the 2023 report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/a-fair-shot-ensuring-all-australians-can-get-the-vaccines-they-need/

Grattan CEO Aruna and Deputy Kate discuss the intricacies of the 2024 NSW Budget, focusing on cost of living challenges, climate change impacts, housing initiatives, and healthcare measures, offering insights into the government's strategic resource allocation decisions.

The federal government's 2030 emissions reduction target is under serious threat. Under the International Paris Agreement, Australia has committed to reduce its emissions to 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. But the government is not currently on track to meet these levels. It's led some members of the Opposition to call for Australia to abandon the Paris Agreement. But even if Australia can't meet these ambitious targets it has set, should it abandon the agreement? In this podcast, Kat Clay and energy expert Tony Wood discuss why Australia is not on track to meet their emissions reduction targets, whether we should abandon the Paris Agreement, and the policies that can help close this emissions gap in the coming years. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

Skilled migrants contribute greatly to Australia's prosperity, shaping our diverse society, making us more productive, and boosting Australians' earnings and government's budgets. Points-tested visas account for almost two thirds of all permanent skilled visas issued by Australia over the past decade.  These visas allocate points to potential migrants based on characteristics such as  their age, proficiency in English, education and work experience.  Following current trends, 800, 000 people will be granted permanent residency through points-tested visas over the next decade.  But points-tested visas aren't working as well as they should. In this podcast, Brendan Coates, Trent Wiltshire, and Natasha Bradshaw discuss their new report, It all adds up: Reforming points-tested visas. They explain how reforming the points test and abolishing state and regional points-tested visa programs could yield big economic benefits for Australia.

What's Grattan's verdict on Budget 2024? CEO Aruna Sathanapally and a panel of Grattan experts, including Dr. Sam Bennett, Alison Reeve, and Brendan Coates, critically assess Australia's 2024 federal Budget. Has the government got the balance right in supporting people who are doing it tough, without exacerbating inflation? Does the Budget do enough to help fix the broken housing market and tackle Australia’s structural budget deficit? And will the government’s ‘Future Made in Australia’ investments help or hinder our transition to net-zero emissions? Find out what the Budget means for you and the nation in this special podcast.