Follow The Money
Economics and politics explained in plain English
Episodes
It’s going to be difficult to tackle bogus environmental claims from the private sector until the government itself stops greenwashing, Polly Hemming says on this episode of Follow the Money.
There’s a global crackdown on greenwashing underway, but not everyone is getting the message – not even the Australian Government. On this episode of Follow the Money, the Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program Director Polly Hemm...
As the government shelves important reform to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, the Knitting Nannas are getting out into their communities and demanding an end to fossil fuel projects.
They may not fit the stereotype of activists, but the Knitting Nannas are a force to be reckoned with. In their own words, they “sit, knit, plot, have a yarn and a cuppa, and bear witness to the war against the g...
Freedom of Information laws have helped the public uncover information governments would prefer to keep secret, but the system is failing.
Strong Freedom of Information laws are critical to Australia’s democracy, but delays and government resistance are undermining people’s faith in the system. On this episode of Follow the Money, former independent Senator for South Australia Rex Patrick and Australia Institute Senior Economist M...
Rather than delivering on their election promise to create a Great Koala National Park, the New South Wales Government is sitting on its hands until it can earn carbon credits from forests.
On this episode of Follow the Money, Walkley Award winning journalist and Australia Institute Senior Fellow Stephen Long joins Ebony Bennett to discuss his new report into the disastrous consequences of the ongoing logging in the state for koal...
The major parties claim that minority and coalition governments are chaotic and unworkable, but are they actually more effective?
Australian politicians aren’t exactly known for getting along with each other. But history shows that, when they’re forced to share government, they can get a lot done. In the wake of the Tasmanian election, Australia Institute Executive Director Richard Denniss joins Follow the Money to discuss why the...
After scarcely mentioning it for nearly a decade while in government, the Coalition are now hot to trot on nuclear power – but why?
On this episode of Follow the Money, energy researcher Matthew Ryan and host Ebony Bennett discuss the cost of a massive nuclear energy rollout, the legal and environmental barriers standing in the way and why the Coalition’s plans would be dreadful for Australia’s emissions in the coming decade.
Capitalism is dying, but not in the way you might think.
That’s the argument of academic economist and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who proposes capitalism has mutated into a far more sinister, feudal system on the back of sophisticated algorithms and big tech.
On this episode of Follow the Money, recorded live at the State Library of NSW, Varoufakis speaks with the Australia Institute’s Ebony Bennett and Steph...
The Albanese government came to power with big expectations around climate action, but are the government’s actions falling short of their rhetoric?
On this episode of Follow the Money, former President of Kiribati Anote Tong joins Walkley Award winning journalist Stephen Long to discuss the Australian government’s “disappointing” record on climate, the role of China in the region and the prospects of a Pacific UN climate conferen...
The ‘robodebt’ debacle was a shameful episode for the federal government, but was it an anomaly? Our guest today says the same behaviours that enabled robodebt have been playing out for decades in our climate policymaking and questions whether the government has appetite to implement its proposed integrity reforms.
australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute
Guest: Polly Hemming, Director, Climate & Energy program, the Aust...
Independent MP Helen Haines has introduced a bill to Parliament designed to prevent pork-barreling, where taxpayer money is allocated according to where it is needed to win votes, not where the public needs it most.
This was recorded on Tuesday 27th February 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute
Guest: Bill Browne, Director, Democracy & Accountability program, the Au...
Tasmania is heading to an election – 14 months early.
Tasmania is retuning the size of its lower house from 25 seats to 35 seats at this election and multiple polls have predicted the result will be a minority government, so this is shaping up be a particularly interesting contest.
This was recorded on Tuesday 20th February 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
Federal Parliament is set to pass new industrial relations laws, including the 'right to disconnect.' This means that workers will legally be able to ignore calls outside of work hours.
This was recorded on Tuesday 13th February 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute
Guest: Dr Jim Stanford, Director, the Centre for Future Work, the Australia Institute // @MarkOgge
Every year, the Commonwealth collects more revenue from HECS than it gets from the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax. The PRRT is so insufficient that gas companies love it!
Mark Ogge explains the Government's proposed changes, and how we can fix it to tax our gas companies fairly.
This was recorded on Tuesday 6th February 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
It’s been a week for the books in Australian Politics history, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing changes to the highly-criticised Stage 3 tax cuts. Which got the media, and the opposition, into a bit of a frenzy. So what's changed, and how will it affect you?
This was recorded on Tuesday 30th January 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute
Guest:
With the Iowa Republican caucus over, the starting gun on the 2024 US Election has fired, with the promise of a dramatic election year, and democracy itself on the ballot.
This was recorded on Tuesday 23rd January 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute
Guest:
Dr Emma Shortis, Senior Researcher, International & Security Affairs program, the Australia Institute // @Emm...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars and live events in 2023.
7 years ago, The ABC’s groundbreaking environmental series War On Waste firmly placed the nation’s attention on Australia’s waste issues and solutions. The new season investigated recycling in Australia, brought to light new waste topics, challenged the lack of corporate accountability towards their own waste and explore...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars and live events in 2023.
Extreme heat is the most direct and deadly consequence of our hellbent consumption of fossil fuels. It is a first order threat that drives all other impacts of the climate crisis. And as the temperature rises, it will reveal fault lines in our governments, our politics, our economy, and our values.
Join Jeff Goodell, aw...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars and live events in 2023.
On 15 September 2008 came the collapse of Lehmann Brothers, the largest bankruptcy in US history. This set off a chain reaction and had a massive impact on the Australia financial system and economy. Across the northern hemisphere the GFC became known as the Great Recession. But in Australia the economy was spared the la...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars and live events in 2023.
Australia’s native forests are not only home to some of our most vulnerable and threatened species, they hold critical cultural and ecological value. While native forest logging is being phased out in Western Australia and Victoria, other states are failing to take action to protect these iconic and precious ecosystems f...
Our summer podcast series brings you some of the best conversations from our webinars and live events in 2023.
The first person will face trial in relation to Australian war crimes in Afghanistan is David McBride, the whistleblower on trial, not an alleged war criminal.
On the eve of David McBride’s trial, a distinguished panel of experts discussed what’s at stake, what it says that whistleblower not a war criminal is facing tri...
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