Grattan Institute

Fuel tax – you might not know much about it, but winding back the 8 billion a year in fuel tax credits given to businesses could reduce the budget deficit by 4 billion dollars. Listen as host Kat Clay, interviews Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, and Natasha Bradshaw, Associate, on their latest report, Fuelling budget repair: How to reform fuel taxes for business. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/fuelling-budget-repair/

A small crack in children’s foundational learning can be exacerbated as the years go on. Unless it’s addressed quickly, children get stuck in a vicious cycle, falling further and further behind their counterparts. Which is where small-group tuition comes in. Featuring host Kat Clay, with Julie Sonnemann, Principal Advisor, and Anika Stobart, Senior Associate. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/tackling-under-achievement/

Listen to Grattan CEO Danielle Wood in conversation with renowned journalist Eleanor Hall, as they discuss Grattan's top six thought-provoking, compelling, and relevant books from 2022. It’s been an extraordinary year, and these are extraordinary reads – not only for the Prime Minister, but for all Australians interested in public policy. Danielle and Eleanor were introduced by the CEO of State Library Victoria, Paul Duldig, and joined by the authors of three of these wonderful books, Debra Dank, Sam Vincent, and Jessica Au. The Grattan Institute 2022 Summer Reading List for the Prime Minister is: Career & Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey toward Equity – Claudia Goldin We Come With This Place – Debra Dank My Father and Other Animals – Sam Vincent Cold Enough for Snow – Jessica Au Buried Treasure – Jo Chandler (in the Griffith Review) Healing: Our path from mental illness to mental health – Thomas Insel Read more about the books: https://grattan.edu.au/news/announcing-grattan-institutes-2022-prime-mini

t’s hard to believe that Australia’s universal healthcare system, Medicare, is almost forty years old. Over that time, Australians’ health needs have changed significantly. We’ve got an ageing population, and mental illness and chronic disease are on the rise. GPs’ work is more complex – and Medicare hasn’t kept up. Our latest report, A new Medicare: Strengthening general practice, calls on Government to overhaul a system that is reaching a mid-life crisis. Host Kat Clay is joined by the authors of the report, Health Program Director, Peter Breadon, and Visiting Fellow Danielle Romanes, to discuss how to strengthen general practice in Australia.

The Safeguard Mechanism is a key policy in Australia’s fight against climate change, which caps emissions from big industrial facilities and other large polluters. Greenhouse gas emitters, from LNG platforms to mines to airlines, must keep their emissions below a baseline, or pay. Now it faces reform, as the Albanese government has committed to amend the mechanism, to meet the 2030 target of cutting emissions to 43% below 2005 levels. But as ever, the devil is in the detail. Host Kat Clay is joined by Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, and Esther Suckling, Associate, to discuss the Safeguard Mechanism design issues facing the government. Read the Safeguard Mechanism reform paper: https://storage.googleapis.com/converlens-au-industry/industry/p/prj2135e8da0cf17d76c70fc/public_assets/Safeguard-Mechanism-consultation-paper.PDF For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

It won’t come as a surprise to the mums listening to this podcast, but there’s a price to pay for being a mother. Whether it’s the countless extra hours of unpaid labour, losing out on a promotion because you’ve got to pick the kids up from school, or even choosing to work part-time, this all has an enormous impact on lifetime earnings for Australian mothers. In this podcast, Kat Clay interviews Natasha Bradshaw, co-author of a Treasury paper on children and the gender earnings gap, alongside Owain Emslie, Grattan senior associate, on his policy recommendations to reduce the motherhood penalty. Read the Treasury paper: https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-10/p2022-325290-children-gender-gap.pdf Read Dad Days: https://grattan.edu.au/report/dad-days/ Read Cheaper Childcare: https://grattan.edu.au/report/cheaper-childcare/ Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

One of the biggest announcements of the October federal Budget was the National Housing Accord, with the goal to build one million new, well-located homes over five years from 2024. Host Kat Clay and Economic Policy Program Director, Brendan Coates, discuss this ambitious goal, and how it could ease the housing crisis. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down his first budget on Tuesday night, amid the usual fanfare of speculation, promises, posturing, and of course, photo ops. In this special Grattan podcast episode, Danielle Wood, CEO, and Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, cut through the fanfare to the heart of this federal budget, and what it means for Australia's economic future.

The Victorian Government’s announcement of the revival of the State Electricity Commission, alongside bold targets for climate change and renewables, is the most dramatic in the last 25 years of Australia’s energy system. Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Program Director, and Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, break down this announcement and what it means for Australian policymakers, industry, and consumers. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

For teachers, deciding what to teach and how to teach it can be a big part of their job. Great teaching inside the classroom relies on great planning and preparation outside of the classroom and this takes time. But how do teachers find the time for this kind of curriculum and lesson planning? For our latest report, Ending the lesson lottery: How to improve curriculum planning in schools, our staff surveyed more than 2,000 Australian teachers and school leaders, about curriculum planning practices in their schools and what help they need. Listen to host Kat Clay in conversation with Senior Associate Amy Haywood, and Associate Nick Parkinson, on how to improve curriculum planning in Australian schools. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/ending-the-lesson-lottery-how-to-improve-curriculum-planning-in-schools/

If you’ve been watching TV or reading the paper, chances are you’ve seen an ad spruiking the achievements of federal and state governments, from the next big transport project to how they’re reducing the cost of living. While some of these ads are worthwhile—such as encouraging people to get vaccinated—others masquerade as subtle political ads on the taxpayer dime. So, what can be done to prevent such blatant misuse of taxpayer-funded advertising? Join host Kat Clay, as she discusses the latest report in the New Politics series, with co-authors Kate Griffiths and Anika Stobart. For more information, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/

The rumours are swirling. The US economy might be headed for a recession. And what happens in the international market significantly impacts Australia. Many commentators are concerned that we too might be headed for a recession. But is this an accurate prediction, or are there ways Australia can weather the storm? Host Kat Clay is joined by Trent Wiltshire, Deputy Program Director, Migration and Labour Markets, to see if the rumours are true.

In this Henry George lecture for Prosper Australia, Grattan’s Brendan Coates shows how expensive housing sits at the heart of some of Australia’s most pressing policy challenges. Read the full speech: https://grattan.edu.au/news/the-great-australian-nightmare/

Last week, MPs, business leaders, unions, and economists met at the national Jobs and Skills Summit to discuss the future of the jobs market in Australia. High on the priority list were the skills shortages felt across Australian workplaces, increasing productivity, and improving the migration system. On this podcast, host Kat Clay interviews Grattan CEO, Danielle Wood, who gave the opening address at the summit. She is joined by Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director. Read Danielle's opening remarks from the conference: https://grattan.edu.au/news/think-big-a-new-mission-statement-for-australia/

Trucks. They deliver essential items – especially in the COVID lockdowns – but most of us want them off our local streets. Whether it’s the pollution or the noise, there are serious side-effects to trucks in urban areas, especially when the ageing fleet isn’t keeping up with the latest technologies. But how to reduce the health and environmental risks of trucks, while maintaining this vital mode of transport? Join Kat Clay as she interviews Marion Terrill, Program Director, and Ingrid Burfurd, Senior Associate, about the latest Grattan Report, The Grattan truck plan: practical policies for cleaner freight. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/grattan-truck-plan/

From sports rorts to regional slush funds, there seems to be no end of pork-barrelling scandals , where governments have been caught using public money to target certain voters for political gain. This week the Grattan podcast discusses the second report in the New Politics series, on what governments can do to stop pork-barrelling. Host Kat Clay is joined by Grattan’s CEO, Danielle Wood, and her co-authors Kate Griffiths and Anika Stobart from Grattan’s Budgets and Government team. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/new-politics-preventing-pork-barrelling/

With massive worker shortages across the country, migration is expected to feature heavily in the upcoming Jobs and Skills Summit, which brings together employers, unions, and governments to discuss the economic challenges facing Australia. Business groups are demanding the permanent migration intake be lifted to at least 200,000 for the next two years. Parts of the union movement have warned against relying too heavily on temporary migration, pointing to repeated cases of exploitation of migrant workers. Watch Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, in conversation with Brendan Coates, Economic Policy Program Director, discuss what the migration priorities for the government should be at the summit. To read the report in discussion, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/fixing-temporary-skilled-migration/

Is it worth it? It’s the question that should be asked whenever governments come up with a shiny new infrastructure idea. But too often, major projects are announced as election promises, without evaluating the cost and the value of the project to taxpayers. And while cost-benefit analyses might not seem like the sexiest thing to accompany election promises, there’s a genuine opportunity for the new Prime Minister to reform infrastructure funding in Australia. Host Kat Clay is joined by Marion Terrill, Grattan’s Transport and Cities Program Director. Relevant research: Megabang for megabucks: driving a harder bargain on megaprojects: https://grattan.edu.au/report/megabang-for-megabucks/ Roundabouts, overpasses, and carparks: Hauling the federal government back to its proper role in transport projects https://grattan.edu.au/report/roundabouts-overpasses-carparks-hauling-the-federal-government-back-to-its-proper-role-in-transport-projects/

The hospital system is at risk of breaking under the pressure of rising COVID cases. Hospitals are understaffed due to thousands of workers in isolation. Patients are being treated in corridors. Elective surgery has been cancelled. Emergency departments are overflowing with patients, without enough beds and staff to treat them. Most recently, NSW nurses protested to raise attention of the seriousness of these issues – it’s not just about an exhausted workforce, it seriously impacts patient outcomes. But what to do about it? On the Grattan Podcast, Peter Breadon, Health and Aged Care Program Director, and Owain Emslie, Senior Associate, join host Kat Clay, to discuss how to respond to surging COVID hospitalisations in the Australian health system. Donate to Grattan: https://grattan.edu.au/donate/

Jobs for mates – it’s frustrating when it happens in everyday life. Even more so when it happens at the highest levels of politics. A plum job as Trade Commissioner for a former Deputy Premier. A spot on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a former staffer. State and federal governments make hundreds of appointments each year to public boards and tribunals – and many of them go to people with political connections. While it may seem harmless – after all, ‘everyone does it’ – it can have pervasive consequences for Australia’s democracy. Listen to Danielle Wood, CEO, Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Anika Stobart, Associate, and Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, discuss Grattan's latest report New politics: A better process for public appointments. Read the report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/new-politics-public-appointments