Grattan Institute

Australia continues to debate whether achieving very low or net zero emissions will cost jobs or open a new era for the country as an energy superpower. In this Grattan Institute/State Library of Queensland Webinar, a panel of experts explored the opportunities and barriers Australia will face in a low-emissions world. Speakers: - Anna Skarbek, CEO of ClimateWorks Australia - Professor Ross Garnaut, Professorial Research Fellow in Economics at The University of Melbourne - Guy Dundas, Energy Fellow, Grattan Institute - Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Grattan Institute

COVID-19 is the biggest social and economic shock since World War II. Within two months, policies and systems for welfare, employment, childcare, health, and education have been turned on their head after decades of (at most) incremental reform. Recovering from such a shock is a big task that will stretch government resources. Other less urgent (but important) reforms will have to wait until there are time and resources to do them properly. In this special Grattan Institute/State Library Victoria Webinar, a panel of policy experts from the Grattan Institute discussed our latest publication, The Recovery Book, which identifies the extensive policy agenda Australia’s federal, state, and territory governments should deal with over the next six months. To read the report in question, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/recovery-book/ Speakers Danielle Wood – CEO of the Grattan Institute Stephen Duckett – Director of Grattan’s Health Program Brendan Coates – Director of Grattan’s Household Finances Program M

Teachers and students responded quickly and well to remote learning when the COVID-19 crisis forced the closure of schools. But new research suggests most students learnt less at home than they would have in the classroom – and that disadvantaged students fell further behind. In this special Webinar, experts from the UK, the US, and Australia discussed their latest findings and identified the extent of the ‘equity gap’. And as schools reopen and students return to the classroom, the panel suggested ways to help our most vulnerable students to catch-up, answered questions on school education in the age of COVID-19. Speakers: - Anthony Mackay AM - President & CEO of the Washington DC based National Centre on Education and the Economy - Dr. V. Darleen Opfer - Vice President of RAND Education and Labor and the Distinguished Chair in Education Policy at the RAND Corporation - Robert Coe - Director of Research and Development at Evidence Based Education and Senior Associate at the Education Endowment Foundation

After COVID-19, Australia’s health system looks nothing like the health system of six months ago. All aspects of the system – primary care, mental health, and alcohol and other drug services – have embraced new ways of working because of spatial distancing. Health professionals took on new roles, services pivoted from waiting for people to make appointments to reaching out to patients, and many face-to-face consultations were replaced with phone or video consultations. Read our latest health report: https://grattan.edu.au/report/coming-out-of-covid/

Australia should launch a $1 billion, six-month tutoring blitz to help 1 million disadvantaged school students recover learning lost during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Governments should send a battalion of 100,000 tutors into schools between now and Christmas to conduct intensive small-group sessions on reading and maths. Many disadvantaged students – those from the poorest 25 per cent of families and rural areas – will have fallen further behind their classmates during the COVID-19 school closures. Listen to Julie Sonnemann, School Education Fellow, in discussion with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications, about how to help disadvantaged students recover lost learning. For more information or to read the report in discussion, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/covid-catch-up/

Australia should dump the decades-old dream of building a bullet train from Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney and Canberra, and we should be wary of expensive promises to upgrade regional rail to ease population pressures on our major capitals and boost struggling regional cities and towns. Listen to Greg Moran, Senior Associate, and Tom Crowley, Associate, discuss the latest Grattan Report, Fast train fever: Why renovated rail might work but bullet trains won’t. Hosted by Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. You can read the report in discussion here: https://grattan.edu.au/report/fast-train-fever/

There's no doubt that COVID-19 has changed our lives forever. After two months of hibernation in Australia, states are slowly beginning to loosen restrictions. We've heard the term the 'new normal' over and over again. But what does the new normal look like? In this Grattan Institute podcast, Dr Hal Swerissen, Visiting Fellow, discusses what life looks like after lockdown with Kat Clay, Head of Digital Communications. You can read the articles mentioned in the podcast here: The New Normal: How we'll live with COVID-19: https://grattan.edu.au/news/the-new-normal-how-well-live-with-covid-19/ New data shows Australians embrace physical distancing: https://grattan.edu.au/news/new-data-shows-australians-embrace-physical-distancing/

Investing in ‘green’ steel could create 25,000 local manufacturing jobs, a multi-billion-dollar industry and cut emissions in Australia. It’s a win-win-win. Listen to Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Guy Dundas, Fellow, and Paul Austin, Editor, discuss Grattan Institute’s latest report, Start with steel: A practical plan to support carbon workers and cut emissions. To read the report in discussion on the podcast, visit: https://grattan.edu.au/report/start-with-steel/

Australia has done better than most countries in limiting the spread of COVID-19. The health crisis is not over, but attention is now turning to the ‘road out’ of the economic shutdown. There are lots of uncertainties. What are the costs of relaxing too late – or too early? Should schools be reopened, and under what conditions? What parts of the economy should be taken out of lockdown, in what order, and with what changes? How much should we prioritise restoring social activities? Well before governments imposed restrictions, many people started spatial distancing. Irrespective of what governments permit, recovery depends on whether individuals choose to go back to work and to resume social activities. As with the COVIDsafe app, much depends on whether governments can win back public trust. In this Grattan Webinar recording, a panel of policy experts provided perspective on these questions, and nominate Australia’s best strategy from here. Featuring John Daley, Marion Terrill, Stephen Duckett, Brendan Coat

Between 14 and 26 per cent of Australian workers could be out of work as a direct result of the coronavirus shutdown, and the crisis will have an enduring impact on jobs and the economy for years to come. Listen to Brendan Coates, Grattan's Household Finances Program Director, in discussion with Matt Cowgill, Senior Associate, and Paul Austin, Editor, about the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown and what policies could help support Australians through the crisis. You can read the working paper in discussion on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/report/shutdown-estimating-the-covid-19-employment-shock/

The COVID-19 crisis is having an impact on every aspect of our lives: our health and wellbeing, our jobs and recreations, our personal finances and relationships, our children’s education and prospects. Governments have rarely been under such stress as they seek to balance protecting public health with ensuring economic survival. How can we recover from the loss of lives, livelihoods, and our very way of life? What sort of society will we be left with when the crisis is over? In this Grattan Webinar, a panel of policy experts provided their perspectives on the health, social, and economic impacts of COVID-19. Speakers: John Daley Danielle Wood Brendan Coates Stephen Duckett Moderator Paul Austin

Will our children be able to cope during this stressful time? Will they be able to learn if they are forced to do online schooling for weeks, months, or even the rest of the year? Listen to informed analysis and advice from our Education Fellow, Julie Sonnemann. With host Paul Austin. To read the article discussed in the podcast, visit our website: https://grattan.edu.au/news/disadvantaged-students-will-be-hit-hardest-by-the-enforced-move-to-online-schooling/

Coronavirus is the biggest crisis of our generation. Australians are fearful. The elderly are vulnerable. People are dying. Recession is almost certain. Businesses and borders are closing. Governments must balance protecting public health with ensuring economic survival. How can they minimise the impacts of COVID-19 on Australia? And how do we protect the most vulnerable in our community? In this webinar, a panel of policy experts from the Grattan Institute provided measured, informed, evidence-based perspective on the economic, budgetary and health impacts of COVID-19. Grattan Institute Speakers John Daley, CEO Danielle Wood, Program Director, Budget Policy and Institutional Reform Stephen Duckett, Program Director, Health Brendan Coates, Program Director, Household Finances Paul Austin, Editor

Australia’s 1950s-style, GP-centric primary care model is not fit to respond to the increased prevalence of chronic disease — and now we know it’s not fit to respond to an infectious disease pandemic either. Stephen Duckett, Health Program Director, discusses how the coronavirus crisis is highlighting the cracks in the healthcare system, and what we can learn from the NHS response to the pandemic. Hosted by Paul Austin. The article discussed in this week's podcast is available on our website here: https://grattan.edu.au/news/coronavirus-crisis-exposes-fundamental-flaws-in-our-healthcare-system/

Plenty of people think congestion is a real problem in Melbourne, and they are right. Up until now, state governments’ main efforts to reduce congestion have been to build new roads and add new public transport services. But decades of new roads and new public transport have left us with the level of congestion we see today. At this Grattan Institute/State Library of Victoria Policy Pitch event, a panel of experts discussed the proposal to charge drivers a fee to drive on the busiest roads at the busiest times. Featuring: Ashleigh Cormack - Head of Cities Policy, Australia and New Zealand at Uber. Lauren Walker - Principal Consultant (Transport Advisory) and Project Manager at Veitch Lister Consulting Marion Terrill - Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute Paul Austin - Editor, Grattan Institute

The retirement incomes system works well for most, but fails too many poorer Australians, especially low-income women and retirees who rent. Listen to Brendan Coates, Household Finances Program Director, Jonathan Nolan, Associate, and Paul Austin, Editor, unpack the complexities of retirement incomes policy. You can read the submission in discussion here: https://grattan.edu.au/submissions/balancing-act/

From trade to higher education, the Australian economy is feeling the effects of coronavirus. This week on the Grattan podcast, we look at what the virus has already meant for Australia, and what it may mean for Australia's future if it is not controlled, and hopefully, eliminated. Discussing this health emergency is John Daley, Grattan Institute CEO, William Mackey, Associate, and host Paul Austin. You can read the article in discussion on the website here: https://grattan.edu.au/news/coronavirus-could-have-a-devastating-impact-on-australias-universities/

Big money matters in Australian elections. Amidst a busy week in politics, with the increasing threat of coronavirus, the annual release of the federal political donations data might have slipped under your radar. Yet this data points to a very concerning underlying question: can you buy an election? Listen to Kate Griffiths, fellow for the Budget Policy and Institutional Reform program, in discussion with host Kat Clay, around how to reform Australia's political donations system. To see the charts in discussion in this podcast, visit: https://blog.grattan.edu.au/2020/02/three-things-the-new-donations-data-tell-us-about-the-2019-federal-election/

A new career path for expert teachers could transform Australian schools and boost student learning by 18 months by the time they turn 15. Listen to Peter Goss, School Education Program Director, and Julie Sonnemann, School Education Fellow, discuss their new report, Top teachers: sharing expertise to improve teaching. Hosted by Paul Austin. You can read the report on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/report/top-teachers/

It’s a common assumption that compulsory superannuation comes out of workers’ wages. But is it true? With compulsory super set to rise from 9.5 percent to 12 percent by July 2025, it’s timely to ask who is going to foot the bill. Employers or employees? And what does this mean for your future salary? Listen to Brendan Coates, Household Finances Program Director, and Matt Cowgill, Senior Associate discuss their latest working paper No Free Lunch: Higher superannuation means lower wages. You can read the working paper in discussion on our website: https://grattan.edu.au/report/no-free-lunch/