The Australia Institute Feed Items

Written by Allan Behm, Advisor to The Australia Institute’s International & Security Affairs program, New Game New Rules says Australia has the potential to be a critical player in bringing peace and prosperity in uncertain times – if it could escape its dependence on the US.

With the subtitle, A Foreign Policy for Dystopian Times, the book argues that Donald Trump’s trashing of the rules based order is an opportunity for Australia to step up and use its power for good.

However, it characterises the foreign policies of recent Australian governments as “reactive and responsive”, lacking confidence and ambition in a strategically contested world.

“Far from being a middle power, Australia is a very substantial power,” said Allan Behm.

“Australia has a great history of peacekeeping and diplomacy. APEC is a beautiful example of what happens when you do exercise your power and create something with it.

“Doc Evatt played a major part in the creation of the UN. Gough Whitlam outlined a vision for embracing Asia which is as relevant today as it was in 1974. Malcolm Fraser stood up to South African apartheid.

“But in recent years Australia’s foreign policy has become unbelievably ordinary. It’s characterised by leaders repeating meaningless phrases like “sovereign ready”, which means absolutely nothing.

The Prime Minister said he wants to promote ‘progressive patriotism’ – but his policies tell a different story. In this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard explains the dangers of centrism and what progressive politics actually looks like.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Dead Centre: How political pragmatism is killing us by Richard Denniss is available now.

Read more on The Point. 

Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss

On this episode of After America, lawyer and advocate Rawan Arraf joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the Red Lines Package, the decision of the United Kingdom and others to sanction illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the future of international law.

This episode was recorded on Friday 18 September.

Join Emma and Allan Behm for the Melbourne launch of Allan’s new book, New Game New Rules: A foreign policy for dystopian times at 6pm on Tuesday 22 September.

Guest: Rawan Arraf, Executive Director & Principal Lawyer, Australian Centre for International Justice // @rawanarraf

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis

Show notes:

Red Lines Package

New Game, New Rules: A foreign policy for dystopian times by Allan Behm, the Australia Institute (August 2026)

Key points:

• NSW Police firearm statistics show that just 100 individuals own a total of 13,470 guns between them, or 135 guns each on average (NSW Firearms Registry: Table 2.2).
• A single individual in Sydney’s inner north owns 371 guns.
• Of the top 100 gun owners in NSW, 41 of them live in urban postcodes.
• Australia Institute research shows that over 200,000 gun licensees are giving misleading information or failing to update their gun licence conditions.

“These numbers show that Australia has been complacent on gun control for too long,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.

“Police statistics show that there are large private arsenals being held in urban areas, a major risk to public safety.

“There are more guns in Australia now than at any point in the country’s history, including before the Port Arthur massacre.

“Australians expect their gun laws to keep them safe, and the proposed reforms of capping gun ownership and a buyback of excess guns in NSW are good places to start.”

From our CEOs – with Leanne Minshull

One of the best things about working at the Australia Institute is the range of policy issues we get to tackle.

Over the past fortnight, I have been focused on Australia’s pathway out of fossil fuels.

The Australia Institute hosted Tuvalu’s Minister for Climate Change and Environment Hon. Dr Mania Talia, at our fourth annual Climate Integrity Summit. He was joined by Canadian Senator Hon. Rosa Galvez, a driving force behind the global parliamentary network for phasing out fossil fuels.

The following day, Dr Talia and Senator Galvez joined our colleague Louise Morris to meet federal members of parliament. Their message was direct – for Tuvalu, the consequences of burning fossil fuels are not an abstract debate about emissions targets. They are a question of survival. And the consequences are being felt around the world.

While all of this was happening, another group of Australia Institute colleagues, led by our new Director of Corporate Regulation, Josh Bornstein, was tackling another rapidly changing threat – Big Tech.

On 8 September, the federal government released the exposure draft of its Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026.

The Bill contains four major elements:

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss the shocking number of Australians dying on Jobseeker, the government’s immigration policy announcements, and why inequality is a political choice. Then, a bittersweet Dollars & Sense announcement.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 17 September 2026.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut

Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek

Show notes:

On this episode of Follow the Money, Dr Luke Slawomirski and Matt Grudnoff join Ebony Bennett to discuss the soaring cost of specialists, why pushing people towards the private health system doesn’t take pressure off public hospitals, the government’s proposed changes to private health rebates, and how to ensure Australia doesn’t backslide towards US-style health care.

This episode was recorded on Tuesday 15 September.

Correction: During the discussion on Australian specialist costs, Luke mistakenly said that average costs in the Australian Capital Territory are six times higher than Tasmania. They are actually four times higher.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest edition in the Vantage Point series, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Guest: Luke Slawomirski, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the Australia Institute // @lukeslawomirski

The Australia Institute is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the Honourable Mary Gaudron KC.

Mary was the first woman judge on the High Court of Australia. She successfully argued the 1972 Equal Pay Case, with the Arbitration Commission concluding women have the right to “equal pay for work of equal value”. In her joint decision with Justice William Deane on the Mabo case, Gaudron wrote powerfully of the dispossession of Indigenous Australians from their land as “the darkest aspect of the history of this nation. The nation as a whole must remain diminished unless and until there is an acknowledgment of, and retreat from, those past injustices.”

As a member of the Australia Institute’s National Integrity Committee from 2020-2023, Mary made the case for effective anti-corruption watchdogs – invested with the powers needed to root out serious and systemic corruption.

Mary and her colleagues were ultimately successful when the Parliament passed the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act in 2022 – although the NACC remains restricted in its ability to hold public inquiries.

Our thoughts are with Mary’s family and loved ones.

On this episode of After America, Dr Richard Tanter joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss his new research on American access to Australian defence facilities, the long-term consequences of the war on terror for the Australia-US alliance, and whether Australia is the only American ally not seriously rethinking its relationship with the United States.

This episode was recorded on Friday 11 September.

Join Emma and Allan Behm for the Melbourne launch of Allan’s new book, New Game New Rules: A foreign policy for dystopian times at 6pm on Tuesday 22 September.

Tickets to ‘The Last Best Hope of Earth: Reflections on the USA at 250’ at the Celtic Club in Melbourne on Friday 18 September are available here.

Guest: Richard Tanter, Senior Research Associate, Nautilus Institute

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis

Show notes:

Australian Bases & US Involvement

On this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard Denniss examines Australia’s artificial intelligence boom and the political fight over who reaps the rewards.

This episode was recorded on Friday 4 September.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Read more on The Point.

Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss

Producer: Anna Chang, Managing Editor, The Point // @annachang

Show notes:

Climate Integrity Summit 2026 livestream tickets

A series of sexual assault cases perpetrated by teenage boys have rocked the country in recent weeks, prompting a national discussion about how to tackle rising misogyny fuelled by toxic manosphere content. But it has also revealed that misogynistic attitudes are just as likely to be found in the national parliament as they are in any Australian school or workplace.

In the space of a few weeks, three 17-year-old boys were charged with the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Sydney, three private school boys from The Scots College were charged with the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, while Victorian police are investigating an alleged sexual assault at Melbourne hotel where the Sydney Swans were staying – though no Swans players have been charged. NSW Police are also investigating the death of a 16-year-old girl in Sydney after it was suspected she was choked by her partner during sex.

The myriad laws on Australian statute books addressing these serious harms do not elicit shouty cries of “free speech”.

Yet a misconceived claim of censorship is the hill that One Nation and the Coalition are choosing to die on in opposing the Albanese’s government’s plan for a new legislated digital duty of care – a law that would apply to those same harms.

Pauline Hanson set out her opposition, posting: “Australia should be moving away from government censorship, not building the Orwellian machinery for it”.

Hanson’s post came just days after she demanded enhanced security because she has received violent threats. Presumably Hanson doesn’t regard those threats as a form of free speech.

A YouGov poll of more than 1000 Australians also shows that the conservative parties’ opposition to regulating Big Tech is deeply unpopular with the electorate. A staggering 93 per cent of Australians agree that online platforms should be required to provide a safe online environment that prevents illegal and harmful content.

In an open letter published in newspapers today, organisations representing a broad cross-section of Australian society say the proposed laws should be strengthened to allow Australians harmed by illegal and dangerous online content to take action to enforce the Duty of Care.

“Social media companies facilitate an enormous range of harm, including psychological illness, sexual violence, body dysmorphia and eating disorders, human trafficking, hate speech directed at vulnerable communities, racist violence, fraud, political insurrection and genocide,” the letter states.

“While we welcome the introduction of a Digital Duty of Care, the current plan gives eSafety, the regulator, a monopoly on enforcement,” said Josh Bornstein, Director, Corporate Regulation at The Australia Institute.

“The regulator already receives more than 100,000 complaints a year and can only take action for a tiny percentage of that number.  No regulator can police online safety on its own. Australians who are harmed by Big Tech should also be allowed to seek redress for a breach of the Digital Duty of Care.”

The open letter is supported by groups including the Chinese Australian Forum, the Australian Education Union, the Working with Women Alliance, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and The Australia Institute.

The poll of 1042 voters, conducted by YouGov, found that 93% of Australian voters want online platforms to be legally required to provide a safe online environment and prevent harmful content.

83% of Australians want those spreading dangerous content to be fined, while half (50%) say the executives of offending companies should also be jailed.

Seven in ten voters (72%) believe users who suffer physical or mental harm should be able to seek compensation from the platform, including 62% of One Nation supporters and 69% of Coalition voters.

Key points:

Today’s decision by the Greens to support a new method of carbon offsetting in publicly-owned forests is “fiddling while the forest burns”, according to Dr Richard Denniss, co-CEO of The Australia Institute.

Green’s leader, Senator Larissa Waters, indicated her party would vote with the government this afternoon to allow a new ‘method’ to increase the supply of carbon credits. However, three Greens Senators say they’ll cross the floor to support the disallowance motion.

“The task of stopping Australia’s expansion of coal and gas is going to become a little harder today,” said Dr Denniss.

“In voting with Labor, the Greens have shown they now support putting publicly-owned forests into the ‘carbon marketplace’, and have tied the protection of trees and koalas to the expansion of gas and coal.

“Native forests are one of nature’s best carbon storage units – they truly are the lungs of the planet. The climate science makes clear that we need to protect these forests and stop expanding fossil fuels. Allowing fossil fuel pollution to increase because a forest wasn’t logged might take pressure off politicians but it wont take pressure off our climate.

“If Australia only saves forests so that polluters can increase their fossil fuel use, the science says there is no benefit to our planet.

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss One Nation’s superannuation proposal, ways the government could provide genuine cost-of-living support, the Reserve Bank’s twisted thinking over inflation and interest rates, and Barnaby Joyce’s run-from-Jesus moment.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 10 September 2026.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut

Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek

Show notes:

The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, joins Ebony Bennett to discuss the pernicious impact of non-compete clauses and the federal government’s new legislation seeking to ban them for 9-in-10 workers.

This episode was recorded on Tuesday 8 September.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest edition in the Vantage Point series, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Guest: Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury and Federal Member for Fenner // @aleighmp

Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett

Show notes:

Reform to non-compete clauses and other restraints – draft legislation, Department of Treasury Consultation Hub

It finds the centrepiece – a pledge to save $22 billion from a public service hiring freeze – simply does not withstand scrutiny.

To deliver the promised savings, the analysis finds the Victorian Liberals would need to halve the public service, which would have substantial flow-on consequences.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson claims the $22 billion could come from a hiring freeze on back office roles. The analysis describes this as implausible.

The  analysis also finds that the Coalition’s vague plans to cut payroll tax, expand stamp duty exemptions and provide land tax relief would be expensive and benefit high income households much more than ordinary Victorians.

Key points:

On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis reflects on the United States’ military footprint in Australia, before former Australian Minister for International Development Melissa Parke joins the show to discuss the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

This episode was recorded Thursday 26 August.

Join Dr Emma Shortis and Allan Behm at 6pm, Tuesday 22 September for the Melbourne launch of Allan’s new book, New Game New Rules: A foreign policy for dystopian times.

Guest: Melissa Parke, former Minister for International Development & Executive Director, International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons // @MelissaParke01

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis

Show notes:

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

New Game, New Rules: A foreign policy for dystopian times by Allan Behm, the Australia Institute (August 2026)

On this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard Denniss explains the goods and services tax. The GST was supposed to grow over time, so that state and territory governments would have a reliable income source to help them fund the important services they provide long into the future. Richard looks into whether it is actually working as intended

Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute //@richarddenniss

Host: Anna Chang, Managing Editor, The Point // @annachang

Climate Integrity Summit 2026 livestream tickets.

Order More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press.

Show notes:

GST Shortfall | The Australia Institute

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes topodcasts@australiainstitute.org.au. Subscribe to What’s the Point? with Richard Denniss on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

From our CEOs – with Richard Denniss

Carbon offsets are the trickle-down economics of climate policy. Spoiler, they don’t work.

For decades Australians have been told the best way to help those with the least is to give tax cuts to those with the most. The benefits of rich people spending money on themselves would, we were told, trickle down. Eventually.

Likewise, we’ve been told that instead of investing in high quality public services we should cut taxes, privatise services and trust that market forces would solve our problems. Spoiler, it didn’t work as promised. But to be fair, neoliberalism did deliver enormous profits, record CEO pay and expensive housing.

Just this week NSW Greens Senator David Shoebridge wrote a scathing critique of the divide and conquer strategy of neoliberalism, describing how those with wealth and power are “shamelessly and effectively wielding their wealth to make us fight each other instead of them”. He asks the key question ‘How did we get here?’ His answer? “Decades of privatising public assets”.

Which brings me to recent calls for further privatisation of nature, or as former Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek put it, the need for Australia to become the global “Green Wall St”.

We hosted the 2026 Hugh Saddler Memorial Lecture with former ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury, discussed the war in Gaza with former Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti on After America, and more!

Here are just a few of the things that happened in August!

The post August 2026 Media Highlights appeared first on The Australia Institute.

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg gets triggered by the growth figures, before he and Elinor discuss how the states and territories have missed out on a lazy quarter-trillion and why access to specialist healthcare is slipping out of reach for many Australians.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 3 September 2026.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut

Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek

Show notes:

The GST was launched in July 2000, with then Treasurer Peter Costello declaring it a solution to states and territories’ seemingly endless battle to fund essential services like hospitals, schools, police and roads.

“Every dollar raised by (the) GST is paid to the state and territory governments,” Mr Costello pledged.

“It is the money that will provide the schools, the hospitals, the police, and the roads of the future.

“From 1 July they have a revenue base that grows in line with the economy. It will provide a secure base to fund their services.”

But the new analysis shows that not only was that initial pledge hundreds of billions of dollars short of the mark, the current cost of-living crisis is making things even worse.

The report calculates that if the GST had grown at the same pace as the economy – as promised – states and territories would have more than $120 billion to spend on essential services over the forward estimates.

“When it comes to the GST, states and territories have been sold a pup,” said Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist at The Australia Institute.

“The GST has failed every Australian who’s had to wait for an ambulance or essential health care.

“It’s failed every child who’s been squashed into a double classroom because their school can’t find or afford a replacement teacher.

“It’s failed anyone who’s suffered because a shortage of police.

On this episode of Follow the Money, Josh Bornstein and Skye Predavec join Ebony Bennett to discuss Australia’s scandal-plagued big consultancies, the impact of governments’ “orgy of outsourcing” to these firms, and why breaking up the ‘big four’ is the best way to prevent future misconduct.

This episode was recorded on Wednesday 2 September.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest edition in the Vantage Point series, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Guest: Josh Bornstein, Director, Corporate Regulation, the Australia Institute // @joshbornstein

Guest: Skye Predavec, Researcher, the Australia Institute // @skyelark

Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett

Show notes:

On this episode of After America, Allan Behm and Dr Emma Shortis discuss 75 years of the ANZUS treaty, the Trump administration’s assault on international law, and what confident, capable Australian foreign policy could look like.

This episode was recorded Friday 28 August.

New Game, New Rules: A foreign policy for dystopian times by Allan Behm is available now from Australia Institute Press for $19.95.

Guest: Allan Behm, Special Advisor, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis

Show notes:

ANZUS and Australia’s Security by Allan Behm, the Australia Institute (July 2020)

After America: Australia and the new world order by Emma Shortis, Australia Institute Press (May 2025)

From our CEOs – with Leanne Minshull

This past sitting fortnight the core business of government was the government outsourcing its business. The issues were different, the outcome the same – the abrogation of its responsibility to care for Australians and protect our environment.

After lengthy negotiations with the LNP, changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) passed through the Senate. For months now the government has told us the NDIS is open to exploitation from providers, the cost has exploded and it’s in danger of losing its social license. But the key question about the NDIS has been entirely absent from our national debate – is a market model the best way to deliver essential human support?

If the answer to that question is no, the scheme will never be fixed and will likely lurch from one review to the next. The NDIS currently supports 770,000 Australians living with disability and we need to get it right, fast.

Protection of forests was also on the privatising agenda, with the Nationals moving to disallow the government’s plan to use carbon offsets in a circuitous attempt to protect publicly owned native forests. Supporters of the Albanese Government scheme claim that putting the carbon held public native forests into the marketplace is the best way to protect them. I remember similar arguments around the Murray Darling Basin when the water flowing through the mighty Murray was put into a trading system. It didn’t end well.

The Productivity Commission is a government-funded economic think tank that’s meant to give independent advice about how to make the Australian economy work better. On this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard Denniss discusses whether it is fit for purpose.

Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute //@richarddenniss

Host: Anna Chang, Managing Editor, The Point // @annachang

Climate Integrity Summit 2026 livestream tickets.

Order More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press.

Show notes:

I want to see the Productivity Commission abolished – and even I think Labor’s attack on it was unfair | The Point

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

But those jetting off to a European or Asian summer holiday this year were in for a rude shock. Extreme heat, fuelled by climate change, is sucking the joy out of summer for everyone, everywhere.

Summer used to be a time for Australians getting out into nature, heading to the beach, going camping, hiking or fishing, but extreme temperatures and weather are increasingly making these leisure activities deeply unpleasant, if not dangerous. And while extreme heat obviously affects the quality of life for locals, it’s also having an impact on the tourism industry both here and overseas.

New research from Charles Darwin University shows extreme heat is altering when, where and how we travel. It found one-fifth of Australians surveyed had changed their most recent holiday because of weather, including 8 per cent who had been affected by fires, floods or storms, 6 per cent who had been affected by heavy rain, and 6 per cent due to impending hot weather.

“On top of this, a third of those surveyed had decided against going to holiday destinations they considered too hot, such as Dubai or northern Australia. We understand this represents the first empirical evidence that Australians are altering their travel patterns due to heat,” said the researchers.

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Angus discuss the carve-out for Queensland and Northern Territory data centres that’ll allow them to run off coal and gas, the skyrocketing profits of some of Australia’s biggest companies, and the east coast vs west coast beef over GST revenue.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 27 August 2026.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut

Host: Angus Blackman, Executive Producer, the Australia Institute // @AngusRB

Show notes:

On this episode of Follow the Money, Maiy Azize and Matt Grudnoff join Ebony Bennett to discuss how the government’s changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing are allowing more first-homebuyers to enter the market, the data revealing that migration isn’t the cause of the housing crisis, and the dire situation facing Australian renters.

This episode was recorded on Tuesday 25 August.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest edition in the Vantage Point series, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Guest: Maiy Azize, Chair, Everybody’s Home & Deputy Director, Anglicare Australia // @maiyazize

Guest: Matt Grunoff, Senior Economist, the Australia Institute // @mattgrudnoff

Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett

Show notes:

On this episode of After America, Chas Licciardello joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the latest from the midterm primaries, the “civil war” between democratic socialist and establishment Democrats, and why Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff has MAGA rattled.

This episode was recorded Thursday 20 August.

Get your tickets for the Melbourne launch of More Fool Me: how the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss at Cinema Nova in Melbourne on Tuesday 25 August.

Guest: Chas Licciardello, co-host of PEP with Chas and Dr Dave & the ABC’s Planet America

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis

Show notes:

New Game, New Rules by Allan Behm, Australia Institute Press (August 2026)

Shorter America: They’re running?; Oh my god these men (cont.); The weight of America by Emma Shortis, The Point (August 2026)

On this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard Denniss explains how the crossbench works and the politics of deal-making in federal parliament.

This episode was recorded on Friday 21 August.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Read more on The Point.

Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss

Host: Anna Chang, Managing Editor, The Point // @annachang

Show notes:

Climate Integrity Summit 2026, the Australia Institute

National Gambling Toll, the Australia Institute

It also questions the RBA’s apparent obsession with keeping wages low.

The research by Chief Economist Greg Jericho has found that using the Reserve Bank’s own predictions, it will take workers until 2037 to get back to where they were at the end of the COVID pandemic.

The analysis highlights the RBA’s repeated warnings about the dangers of wage growth, even though wages are stagnant, yet prices and corporate profits are soaring.

It also reiterates that it’s profits to blame for surging inflation, not consumer spending, even though consumers have been punished for inflation with repeated interest rate rises.

The analysis reveals that governments are also to blame for stalling wages, with many imposing unfair and unnecessary caps on public service wages, blatantly offering pay rises below inflation.

“People understand that, in very broad terms, the Reserve Bank has put up interest rates in response to high inflation,” said Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute.

“But what many don’t realise is that the RBA seems to be obsessed with keeping wages down.

“In a recent meeting, Michele Bullock warned of ‘higher wage increases that will feed through into business’.

“What makes that comment even more extraordinary, is that it came immediately after the worst quarter of wage growth in four and a half years.

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss another quarter of no “wage-price spiral”, plus the passage of massive NDIS cuts and gambling legislation through parliament.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 20 August 2026.

If this episode raised issues for you, you can call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 for free, professional and confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or visit Gambling Help Online at www.gamblinghelponline.org.au.

If you or anyone you know needs help, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or online at www.lifeline.org.au.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now. Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut

Dr Richard Denniss, Australia Institute co-CEO and author of More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia, joins Ebony Bennett to discuss why Australia gives away gas to multinational corporations and why similarly dud deals could happen with Big Tech and other industries if we don’t learn lessons from the past.

This episode was recorded on Tuesday 18 August.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest edition in the Vantage Point series, is available now.

Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Guest: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss

Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett

Show notes:

On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss concerning reports about conditions on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, the impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to USAID, and the speculation over whether Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will seek the Democratic presidential nomination.

This episode was recorded Friday 14 August.

If you or anyone you know needs help, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or online at www.lifeline.org.au.

Get your tickets for the Melbourne launch of More Fool Me: how the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss at Cinema Nova in Melbourne on Tuesday 25 August.

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis

Host: Angus Blackman, Executive Producer, the Australia Institute // @AngusRB

Show notes:

New Game, New Rules by Allan Behm, Australia Institute Press (August 2026)

In recent years, a series of scandals have exposed serious ethical and governance failures in the big four consulting and accounting firms.

These include PwC’s tax leaks scandal in 2023 and KPMG’s audit whistleblowing scandal this year.

“ Conflicts of interest are baked into the big four by virtue of their structure, engendering an exploitative and unethical culture,” said Josh Bornstein, Director of Corporate Regulation at The Australia Institute.

“A structural problem demands a structural solution. Breaking up the big four will dramatically reduce the incidence of conflicts of interest and misconduct.”

The submission to Treasury’s inquiry into the regulation of accounting, auditing, and consulting firms in Australia also argues that the big four are poorly regulated and should be governed to the same standard as corporations.

“The big consulting firms look and act like companies, albeit badly behaved companies. It’s time to tax and regulate them like companies”.

“ When big business is out of control and causing harm, voters expect their politicians to step in and say enough is enough, not just work around the edges.

“Breaking up the big consulting firms is the only way to restore trust and prevent future scandals.”

Jetstar recently announced it will begin charging fees for passengers who use overhead cabin baggage. You’re probably seeing ads on the streaming platform you subscribe to, when there used to be none. Self-checkouts have largely replaced people at Coles and Woolies. And does it feel to you like we’re being forced to subscribe to absolutely everything now?

I get enraged that I am now forced to watch ads on Netflix and Prime, when the whole point of streaming was to avoid ads in the first place. I am fortunate enough to afford multiple streaming services, but I flat out refuse to pay more for an ad-free experience.

I used to get as part of my basic subscription. It’s infuriating. But let’s face it; I’ll probably pay for overhead baggage on Jetstar because it’s convenient.

It feels like no matter where consumers turn now, they are paying the same or more and getting less product or worse service. In recent years, particularly during COVID-19, many companies engaged in what’s known as ‘shrinkflation’, where the size of the product, like a bar of chocolate, shrinks but the price stays the same.

Excessive corporate profits have been the major driver behind the rise in inflation we’ve all been experiencing in recent years, according to Australia Institute research and the OECD. The Reserve Bank has been punishing households with interest rate rises to combat inflation they didn’t cause.

On this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard Denniss explains the lack of strong gambling reform, and why gambling losses continue to climb despite widespread calls for change.

Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss

Host: Anna Chang, Managing Editor, The Point // @annachang

Climate Integrity Summit 2026 tickets.

Order More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press.

Show notes:

National Gambling Toll

Online wagering companies and company tax in Australia

Sarah Hanson-Young on The Point

Three major gambling companies — Tabcorp, bet365 (Hillside), and Pointsbet — won $1.3 billion dollars from Australian gamblers in 2023-24, yet paid zero company tax.

bet365 (Hillside) and Pointsbet have never paid company tax in Australia despite winning over $2 billion. bet365 lists numerous subsidiaries in secrecy jurisdictions such as Delaware, Malta and Alderney in the English Channel.
These findings underscore the Murphy Review’s call for a federal levy on online wagering revenues to fund gambling harm reduction measures.

Key points:

• The five largest online wagering companies won $5.4 billion in 2023-24, but reported just $0.4 billion in profit (taxable income) and paid $0.1 billion in company tax, just 2% of their winnings.
• The big five spent at least $600 million on advertising and promotion in this period, six times more than they paid in company tax.
• These companies paid at most $700 million in state gambling taxes, some of which is earmarked for horse racing industry bodies that “invest” in promoting further wagering.
• These companies spent around $720 million on fees to sporting organisations, the vast majority of which goes to the horse racing industry. Media reports suggest the AFL and NRL collect just $50 million each per year.

“The Murphy Review recommended a federal levy on online betting and now we know why,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.

The report reveals there is little evidence to support claims of fraud within the NDIS by organised crime.

It also found the overriding premise of cuts being required to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the NDIS is false, given a 25% tax on gas exports would, over the next four years, raise $31.8 billion more than the cuts to the NDIS.

That is more than enough to cover the cuts, while the level of fuel tax credits to be provided to mining companies over the next four years is equivalent to 61% of the proposed cuts.

Findings include:

• Over the next four years a 25% tax on gas exports would raise $31.8 billion more than the total of the cuts to the NDIS.
• Over the next four years the budget projects to spend $46 billion on providing fuel tax credits, which is $10.8 billion more than the NDIS cuts.
• $22bn of the fuel tax credits are expected to go to the mining industry.

“The cuts to the NDIS are deep and brutal, revealing in a truly stark fashion what happens when a government chooses the profits of gas companies over the lives of Australians” said Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute.

“Treasury modelling suggests the cuts will lead to a net 160,000 fewer people on the scheme – due to 240,000 people leaving the scheme and 80,000 new people coming into the scheme.

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss why superannuation could be a better way to control inflation than interest rates, the continued hand-wringing about house prices falling a tiny bit after skyrocketing for years, and why Andrew Bragg has communism on the brain.

This discussion was recorded on Wednesday 12 August 2026.

Pre-order More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press. Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut

Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek

Show notes:

Isn’t it amazing what a policy that actually tackles the cause of outrageous house prices can do? by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (August 2026)

Andrew Wilkie MP, Independent Member for Clark, joins the Australia Institute’s Noah Schultz-Byard to reflect on the government’s gambling reforms, making polluters pay for the damage they do to the climate, and the state of Australian politics.

This episode was recorded live as part of the Australia Institute’s webinar series on Wednesday 5 August.

If this episode raised issues for you, you can call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 for free, professional and confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or visit Gambling Help Online at www.gamblinghelponline.org.au.

If you or anyone you know needs help, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or online at www.lifeline.org.au.

Federal Parliament should disallow a controversial new method for making carbon credits, according to a working paper released by the Australia Institute today.

The working paper by University College London Associate Professor Fergus Green takes aim at a  proposal by the NSW government to sell carbon credits in return for creating a national park to protect koala habitat.

The Senate will vote on a disallowance motion on the “Improved Native Forest Management” (INFM) on August 18, put forward by the National Party.

The Australia Institute has also released new polling showing overwhelming public support to protect koala habitat regardless of whether carbon credits are involved.

Australians overwhelmingly (82%) say that governments have an obligation to protect koala habitats (3% think governments have this obligation only if they are paid to do so)

• This includes three in four Liberal (77%) and One Nation (73%) voters.
• Most Australians (59%) agree that protecting forests should not be used to justify continued fossil fuel pollution. (25% disagree; 17% don’t know)
• Most Australians (57%) support the Minns Government’s decision to ban coal and gas companies from buying carbon offsets from the Great Koala National Park. (23% oppose; 20% don’t know)

“Australia’s carbon offset system is already plagued with integrity problems, and this method takes it from bad to worse,” said Louise Morris, Head of Fossil Fuel Transition at The Australia Institute.

‘Nice forest you’ve got there. It’d be a shame if somebody messed with it.’

This isn’t a line from a mobster movie, it’s effectively what the NSW government is saying to the koalas and people of NSW.

The NSW government is proposing to make a Great Koala National Park to protect forests in the north east of the state. In fact, making the Park has been NSW Labor policy for more than a decade, but it has recently taken on a new twist.

The Minns government now says that the koala park will happen if, and only if, it can take the rights to the carbon in the trees to sell on the carbon market.

If this sounds dodgy, that’s because it is. The NSW Labor government first promised to make this national park as far back as 2015, without selling carbon offsets. They promised it again in 2023. Now they say they will need some protection money for those trees.

Demanding payment to do something you had already promised to do is not good public policy. In the language of the carbon market, it does not provide “additionality”.

It is, in plain language, a shakedown.

And while the person doing the standover work is the NSW Premier, the mob bosses are the big polluters – coal and gas mines.

It is these industries that need, not only carbon offsets, but specifically carbon offsets in NSW.

Human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry’s findings of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the Trump administration’s attacks on the institutions of international law, and how the Australian government could act in support of a genuinely rules-based international system.

This episode was recorded Friday 7 August.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now. Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Guest: Chris Sidoti, Commissioner, UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis

Show notes:

On this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard Denniss explains why electric vehicles have surged in popularity, and why EVs should play a central role in energy security.

Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss

Host: Anna Chang, Managing Editor, The Point // @annachang

Climate Integrity Summit 2026 tickets.

Order More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press.

Show notes: https://thepoint.com.au/opinions/260411-an-economists-advice-on-why-ev-range-anxiety-is-overrated

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

A new report from The Australia Institute has found young Australians’ mental health has declined sharply.

The decline coincides with increased economic pressure faced young Australians, especially around housing, education, health costs and income support.

Since 2001, tertiary education fees have increased by 150%, rent and out-of-pocket medical expenses have doubled, while minimum wage rose by 19% and Youth Allowance by just 10%.

Key points:

• The proportion of young people reporting a mental health disorder rose from 26.4% in 2007 to 38.8% in 2022.
• The decline among young people is far higher than that reported by older cohorts.
• Financial stress and labour-market insecurity are linked to poorer mental health.
• Clinical services alone cannot fix preventable economic stress; Improving economic conditions is a far more efficient and effective way to protect young people’s mental health.

The report points to evidence linking financial stress with anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges, and notes that unemployment, underemployment, job insecurity and low job control are associated with poorer mental health.

“Young Australians are not just feeling a bit worse — the data show a sustained and substantial decline in mental health,” said Luke Slawomirski, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Australia Institute.  

“Australia’s youth mental health crisis is not occurring in an economic vacuum.

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor go back to the basics of inflation, living costs and interest rates to show that how they interact really isn’t all that basic.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 6 August 2026.

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press, is available now. Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.

Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut

Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek

Show notes: