Grattan Institute

Early education and care are hugely important. It’s where children are first exposed to the education system, in a period that’s crucial for their brain development. It's also important for the economy – particularly for supporting women back into the workforce. So why is it so expensive, even with government subsidies? Listen to Grattan CEO Danielle Wood, in conversation with Grattan Fellow Iris Chan, on how to make childcare cheaper.

This year, the NAPLAN report card will look very different. For the first time, parents will be told whether their child has met the new “proficient” benchmark for their level, in reading, writing, numeracy, and grammar. With four proficiency categories, all with new terminology, what does this mean for parents and teachers? Grattan Institute Associates Nick Parkinson and Dominic Jones discuss the new-look NAPLAN.

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/

The Australian Government is on track for more than 25 years of budget deficits. It’s a record that points to major structural issues with the budget. Tough decisions on spending and tax reform will be needed to avoid pushing the cost of today’s spending onto future generations. Grattan’s latest report offers a ‘menu of options’ to repair the budget. Host Kat Clay discusses these recommendations with report authors Danielle Wood, Kate Griffiths, and Iris Chan. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/back-in-black-a-menu-of-measures-to-repair-the-budget/

Less tax is paid on super savings than other forms of income. But if we want a fair and sustainable superannuation system, reform to super tax breaks is essential. On a recent podcast Grattan addressed the question of super tax breaks for balances with over $3 million. But reforming super is a much broader task, that if successful, will result in a fairer system which could repair the budget by billions. Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, and Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, discuss their new report with host Kat Clay.

Every five years the Productivity Commission releases an inquiry into Australia’s productivity, with their latest five-year report released just last week. In it, they outline the case for advancing prosperity through building an adaptable workforce and creating a more dynamic economy, just to name a few. But Australia is facing a number of productivity challenges in the face of an uncertain world, which may hamper our economic growth in the years to come. Listen to host Kat Clay, in conversation with Grattan’s CEO, Danielle Wood, on why productivity matters. Read the report: https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/productivity/report

In the past year, Australians have been navigating the rising cost of living, including increased electricity and gas bills. One tool which gives us an insight into electricity prices for the next financial year is the default market offer (DMO), a draft of which has recently been released by the Australian Energy Regulator. The DMO suggests electricity prices will rise by an average of 20 per cent in the coming year. In this podcast, Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Program Director, and Alison Reeve, Energy and Climate Deputy Program Director, discuss what the DMO means for electricity prices and consumers, in a conversation facilitated by Esther Suckling, Associate.

The Albanese government has declared that they will increase the earnings tax rate on super accounts with a balance of over $3 million, much to the chagrin of the wealthy. While this has made prime fodder for comedians to mock the rich, there’s a more serious issue at play here. Super tax breaks need reform, and the budget deficits need to be repaired. Watch Economic Policy Program Director Brendan Coates, Senior Associate Joey Moloney, and host Kat Clay, discuss whether the government should be cutting tax breaks on multi-million dollar super balances. Read the Money in Retirement report https://grattan.edu.au/report/money-in-retirement/

With tight housing supply in Australia, it’s a landlord’s market, and renters are queuing out the door in a fight to get a lease. But what’s driving this rental nightmare? Is it inflation? Housing availability? The Phillip Lowe effect? This rental nightmare raises even bigger questions for Australia: whether we can fix housing. Because the impacts aren’t just on buildings – there are very real effects on tenants, especially women, seniors, and low-income earners. Listen to host Kat Clay, in conversation with Trent Wiltshire, Deputy Program Director and Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, about what's causing Australia's nightmare rental market, and whether we can fix it.

If you step into a newly built school these days, chances are they look very different to your childhood classroom. Instead of a standard classroom with four walls, you’re likely find a large room that contains two or three classes, with no wall to separate them, and ample room for teachers and students to move between the ‘classroom’ spaces. Listen to host Kat Clay in conversation with Senior Associate Anika Stobart, and Education Researcher Brigitte Garbin, about how open-plan classrooms might be harming our children's learning. Read the article discussed: https://grattan.edu.au/news/faddish-classroom-design-may-be-harming-our-children/

It’s a long way to the top if you want to reform the Australian health system. Prime Minister Albanese has promised an Australian Centre for Disease Control, and it’s the subject of our new report ACDC: Highway to health. While the call for an ACDC comes out of the wake of the pandemic, you’d be forgiven for thinking its role is to deal with infection control. But Grattan's report focusses on the ACDC’s role to prevent chronic diseases. Report authors Peter Breadon, Program Director, and Lachie Fox, Associate, discuss the broader role of the ACDC with host Kat Clay. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/acdc-highway-to-health/