Grattan Institute

The federal government has called a 90-day snap review of the Infrastructure Investment Program. The program was originally intended to fund projects of national significance, but has since ‘drifted away’ from those lofty ambitions. But should the federal government be involved in infrastructure funding at all? Grattan Institute research has shown that federal funding of state and local infrastructure projects is often an exercise in pork-barrelling. After all, local road roundabouts and train-station carparks aren’t exactly the Sydney Opera House. In this special Grattan Podcast, our transport and cities experts Marion Terrill and Natasha Bradshaw discuss with host Kat Clay how federal infrastructure money should be best used.

The RBA has held off on raising the cash rate - for now. This comes as a sigh of relief to home owners, who have slogged through 12 rate rises since May 2022. But with warnings of further rate rises, many people are questioning whether they’re the only way to stop inflation. Listen to Trent Wiltshire, Deputy Program Director of Economic Policy, and Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, discuss how to stop inflation with host Kat Clay. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Independent MP and former GP Sophie Scamps has introduced a bill into federal parliament that would restrict junk food advertisements aimed at children. This isn’t the first time a ban on junk food advertising has been floated. But there are more reasons than ever to make it happen. Listen to Peter Breadon, Health Program Director, in conversation with host Kat Clay, to discuss the bill, and what governments should do to decrease childhood obesity. Donate to Grattan: grattan.edu.au/donate

Many Australians use gas for cooking, heating, and hot showers. But Australia won't hit its net zero emissions target by 2050 unless it gets off gas. To do this, we need to move our homes to efficient electric appliances. Listen to the authors of Grattan's latest report, Getting off gas, discuss why, how, and who should pay for this change. Featuring Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and Esther Suckling, Associate. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/getting-off-gas

Australia’s vehicle regulation regime is so far out of step with other countries that vehicle manufacturers freely admit this country is a dumping ground for higher-emitting old models. According to Volkswagen, Australia is an ‘automotive third world’ and a ‘dumping ground for older and less-efficient vehicles’. In Australia, cars, utes, and SUVs contribute about 11% of our annual CO2 emissions. Which is why addressing car emissions is a key part of getting Australia to net-zero by 2050. Encouraging drivers to transition to electric vehicles is an obvious part of the solution, but a patchwork of policies currently regulates car emissions. Listen to Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Natasha Bradshaw, Associate, and host Kat Clay discuss why an emissions ceiling is the best option to reduce vehicle emissions.

The serious problem of migrant worker exploitation shot to prominence in 2015, when a joint Fairfax Media and Four Corners report uncovered widespread underpayment of 7-Eleven employees. Recent governments have taken some steps to reduce exploitation, such as increasing maximum penalties for firms that knowingly underpay their workers and making improvements to the small claims process. But these changes don’t go far enough, and progress has stalled since the pandemic. Our new report, Short-changed: How to stop the exploitation of migrant workers in Australia, provides solutions to stamp out the exploitation of migrant workers. Trent Wiltshire, Deputy Program Director, discusses the report with co-authors Brendan Coates, Program Director, and Tyler Reysenbach, Associate. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/short-changed-how-to-stop-the-exploitation-of-migrant-workers-in-australia/

Housing is in crisis. Rents are surging. Interest rates continue to go up, with fears of another rate rise on the horizon. The 2023 federal Budget went some way to address the rising cost of living. But despite the increase to Rent Assistance, these policies don’t go far enough to address the long-term lack of housing supply. Host Kat Clay is joined by Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, and Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, to discuss why housing was the biggest missed opportunity in the federal Budget. Read Grattan's previous work on the Social Housing Future Fund: https://grattan.edu.au/news/a-place-to-call-home-its-time-for-a-social-housing-future-fund/ Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

This year, the Budget is officially back in black. On Tuesday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced an expected budget surplus, the first in 15 years. The budget included measures to address the cost of living, provide more support to vulnerable Australians, and healthcare reforms. Watch Iris Chan, Fellow, discuss the federal Budget with Grattan's CEO, Danielle Wood. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate Read the Back in Black report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/back-in-black-a-menu-of-measures-to-repair-the-budget/

The federal government recently released their Review of the Migration System. The review has revealed a broken system in dire need of reform. To quote the report, “Australia now has a migration program that fails to attract the most highly skilled migrants and fails to enable business to efficiently access workers.” But how to fix it? Discussing the report and their policy recommendations are Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, Tyler Reysenbach, Associate, with host Kat Clay. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/ Read the Review of the Migration System: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/reports-and-pubs/files/review-migration-system-final-report.pdf

Last week, the federal government released their long awaited National Electric Vehicle Strategy. At the heart of the policy is a fuel efficiency standard, which sets a limit for carbon emissions from vehicles, to incentivise the sale of electric vehicles. Listen to Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Lachie Fox, Associate, and host Kat Clay, discuss this new strategy, and whether it goes far enough. National Electric Vehicle Strategy: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-electric-vehicle-strategy.pdf The Grattan Car Plan: https://grattan.edu.au/report/grattan-car-plan/ The Grattan Truck Plan: https://grattan.edu.au/report/grattan-truck-plan/