The Economy, Stupid

Episodet

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  One Nation wants to allow early access to super. Is it a good idea? 10.09.2026 29min

  Many younger Australians are in financial freefall - has superannuation become a parachute that opens too late?
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  What is your digital life worth? 03.09.2026 29min

  We don't measure our social media activity in GDP. But what would happen if we did? And are we richer or poorer because of consumer tech?
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  How abusive partners turn the tax system into a weapon 27.08.2026 29min

  The government has promised to crack down. But victims can still be left owing debts they never created.
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  What can save the NDIS? 20.08.2026 29min

  How did a world-leading disability fund find itself in peril? And what can be done to save it?
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  This is what worries Australians most about the economy 13.08.2026 29min

  Consumer sentiment remains at fifty year lows. The Reserve Bank has surveyed Australians to find out why. 
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  Will AI really take our jobs? 06.08.2026 29min

  The first computer revolution was supposed to bring mass unemployment but didn't. Is this time really different?
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  What can convict Australia tell us about the manosphere? 30.07.2026 29min

  Australia's early settlements were radical experiments in almost exclusively male societies. Their impact is still felt today.
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  Harbour views and the full pension 23.07.2026 29min

  Australia's social safety net is designed for those most in need - but increasingly the benefits are flowing to the wealthiest households. 
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  Why not tax wealth, and why not start with billionaires? 16.07.2026 29min

  California is seeking to introduce a tax on the wealth of billionaires. Is it time we did the same?
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  The tricks they use to stop us getting cheaper petrol 09.07.2026 29min

  You're driving around looking for petrol, and you notice station after station charging exactly the same price. That could be because they are competing fiercely, and have cut prices to the point where they can't cut them anymore. Or it could be because they've coordinated. Professor David Byrne examined 1.6 million prices in order to find out. Guests: David P. Byrne, Ritchie Chair of Economic Research, The University of Melbourne.  Megan Flamer,  Senior industry fellow, RMIT University. Referred to: Negotiating Coordination: A Study in Retail Gasoline, David P. Byrne, Nicolas de Roos et al, The University of Melbourne, March 14, 2026 Learning to Coordinate: A Study in Retail Gasoline, David P. Byrne,  Nicolas de Roos, The American Economic Review, July 23, 2018 Price Discrimination by Negotiation: a Field Experiment in Retail Electricity, David P Byrne , Leslie A Martin , Jia Sheen Nah, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, April 19, 2022 Consumer search and income inequality, International Journal of Industrial Organization, David P. Byrne, Leslie A. Martin, International Journal of Industrial Organization December 2021  
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  Home prices are heading down, but how far? 02.07.2026 29min

  Home prices are falling for the first time in more than three years. Is Labor's housing policy starting to work? And if prices come down, who wins and who loses?  We unpack what's really driving the market, whether the budget's tax changes will make it easier to buy a home, what they mean for renters, and why Australia's housing affordability crisis can't be explained by immigration alone.  Guests: Matthew Bowes, Senior Associate, Grattan Institute Maria Yanotti, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Tasmania Referred to: Housing market downturn deepens as demand headwinds build, Cotality, July 1, 2026 The housing crisis that Australia built, Brendan Coates, Grattan Institute, March 11, 2026 More homes, better cities: Letting more people live where they want, Brendan Coates, Joey Moloney, Matthew Bowes, Grattan Institute, November 5, 2025 Housing submarket spillovers and COVID-19: the increasing influence of Australia’s regional cities, María Yanotti et al, December 31, 2025 Housing Q&A, Diana Mousina, AMP, June 18, 2026 Statement 4: Tax reform for workers, businesses and future generations, Commonwealth Budget, May 2026
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  Is tax reform even possible anymore? 25.06.2026 29min

  Now that the dust is beginning to settle, what has happened to Labor's tax reform?  And what does the way the debate played out tell us about the limits to what governments can do in the future? 
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  How to avoid a world on fire 18.06.2026 29min

  We are reliving the 1930s, according to author Viktor Shvets. Is there a peaceful way out?
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  Is bracket creep saving us from ourselves? 11.06.2026 29min

  If Australian taxpayers were given the choice, would we be willing to pay for the services we need? 
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  Australia is in a 'vibecession' - is a recession next? 04.06.2026 29min

  The latest economic figures suggest we're not in a recession. But new ABS data shows our overall life satisfaction is in decline. So which numbers should we trust?
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  Australia's $200 billion budget secret 28.05.2026 29min

  For decades, governments have spent billions in hidden tax concessions that largely favour the ultra-wealthy. How did they get there?
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  How to end the tobacco wars 21.05.2026 29min

  Would cutting tobacco tax weaken a dangerous black market - or reverse decades of progress in reducing smoking deaths?
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  Could Labor's budget narrow the wealth gap? 14.05.2026 29min

  This week Labor touched the third rail of Australian politics: wealth and tax. Can it survive the backlash?
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  The budget and housing — a fix? 13.05.2026 33min

  What does the federal budget really do for Australia’s housing crisis? Peter Martin from The Economy, Stupid joins Anthony Burke from By Design to examine whether changes to tax settings will make it any easier to buy a home. Peter Martin is an economist and the host of The Economy, Stupid, a weekly guide to the world of business, economics and finance. Listen to The Economy, Stupid here.
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  Interest rate rises are designed to hurt. But how much is too much? 07.05.2026 29min

  When RBA governor Michele Bullock announced the third consecutive interest rate rise this week, she acknowledged the real-world suffering that would result. But just how much pain is too much? And is there a better way?