Grattan Institute

Every year Grattan Institute selects six thought-provoking works for the Prime Minister's Summer Reading List. Our 2019 recommendations tackle wide-ranging topics, from secret ballots to cities, Tories to the Testaments. Each selection provides inspiration and warning for how to shape Australia’s future. Listen to Grattan Institute CEO John Daley in discussion with Program Director Danielle Wood about the six works at this Policy Pitch event, held in partnership with State Library Victoria. You can read the full list on our website here: https://grattan.edu.au/report/pm-summer-reading-list-2019/

The only way that private hospital insurance can survive as Australia’s population ages is to make insurance cheaper for younger, healthier people. Younger consumers are spending more on private hospital insurance but getting less value for their money. The industry faces a demographic death spiral as costs for older people rise and younger people leave. Listen to Grattan Institute's Health Program Director Stephen Duckett discuss with Kat Clay how to stop this death spiral and reform private health insurance. Read the report in discussion here: https://grattan.edu.au/report/saving-private-health-2/

Private health insurance premiums could be cut by up to 10 per cent if private hospitals were made more efficient and stopped over-servicing. A handful of ‘greedy’ doctors charge their patients more than twice the official Medicare Benefits Schedule fee. Only about 7 per cent of all in-hospital medical services are billed at this rate, yet these bills account for almost 90 per cent of all out-of-pocket costs for private hospital patients – and patients are often not told of these costs in advance. Listen to Grattan Institute Health Program Director Stephen Duckett discuss his latest report with Paul Austin, Editor.

Since the Hazelwood power station closed in 2017 Victoria’s power prices have been up and reliability has been down. How will Victoria’s ageing brown coal power stations cope with an influx of new renewable generation? When will the Yallourn power station close, and what will be the effect on our power supply? This Policy Pitch event looked at the challenges facing the National Electricity Market, and Victoria in particular, as it transitions away from coal and towards renewables. Featuring speakers Guy Dundas, Grattan Institute Energy Fellow, Audrey Zibelman, CEO, Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), and Ross Edwards, Executive, Markets, EnergyAustralia. This event was held in partnership with State Library Victoria.

Bright young Australians are interested in becoming teachers, but are put off by low pay and poor career progression. That’s the finding of Australia’s first survey of young high achievers on their attitudes to teaching as a career choice. In this Grattan Institute State of Affairs event, Julie Sonnemann, Graham Moloney, Isobel Dagg and Paul Kennard discussed what changes can be made to position a teaching career as an attractive option for young Australians. This event was held in partnership with the State Library of Queensland. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Drivers should be charged $5 to enter the Sydney and Melbourne CBDs in the morning peak and another $5 to exit in the afternoon peak, as part of a package of reforms to make our biggest cities work better. The scheme would reduce the number of cars entering the CBDs each morning by about 40 per cent. The money raised should be spent on upgrading CBD streets to make them safer and less congested for pedestrians. Listen to two of Grattan's transport experts, Senior Associate Greg Moran and Associate James Ha talk about why it's time for congestion charging in Australia.

London. Singapore. Stockholm. What do these cities have in common? Congestion charging. Australia’s capital cities should join them by charging drivers who use the busiest roads at the busiest times. Listen to two of Grattan's transport experts, Senior Associate Greg Moran and Associate James Ha talk about why it's time for congestion charging in Australia. You can read the report discussed in this podcast on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/report/why-its-time-for-congestion-charging/

Chaotic approaches to energy policy have pushed up electricity prices and scared off investors. Governments feel compelled to respond when electricity supply is lost and when prices are too high, but ad hoc and uncoordinated actions by federal and state governments have made things worse. Listen to Grattan Institute's Energy Program Director Tony Wood and Fellow Guy Dundas discuss solutions for Australia's electricity market with Paul Austin.

Australia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement means cutting carbon emissions to near zero over the next 30 years. Doing this at reasonable cost while maintaining reliability will require reforms and investment unprecedented in scale and complexity. Yet, recent history raises concerns that we need new foundations to underpin the policy reform agenda. This is an event recording of a public forum in the Energy Future series, hosted by Melbourne Energy Institute and Grattan Institute. Speakers Chloe Munro, Professorial Fellow, Monash University Richard Bolt, Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Grattan Institute Moderator Madeleine Morris, Reporter, 7.30 at Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement means cutting carbon emissions to near zero over the next 30 years. This must be done at the lowest cost, while ensuring energy supplies remain reliable. This historic task is a challenge and an opportunity. The reforms and investments required will be unprecedented in their scale and complexity. But Australia has the energy and other resources to flourish in this low-carbon future. Listen to Grattan Institute's Energy Program Director Tony Wood and Fellow Guy Dundas tackle the future of energy in Australia with podcast host, Paul Austin.