Climate of the Nation is Australia's longest running tracking poll of community attitudes towards climate change. This year Climate of the Nation explored attitudes towards fossil fuel subsidies, the appetite for electrifying everything in our homes as well as support for a net zero emissions target and bigger 2030 target as we’re just weeks out from the Glasgow COP26 Summit.Recorded live on 19 October 2021, things may have changed since recording.Thank you to Katharine Murphy and Guardian Australia's Podcast team for the clip from their "Australian Politics" podcast.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests:Richie Merzian, climate and energy director, Australia Institute // @richiemerzianAudrey Quicke, climate and energy researcher, Australia Institute // @audreyquickeProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Follow The Money

Climate of the Nation 2021

The announcement of the AUKUS security pact between Australia, the UK and the USA is now a few weeks old and it represents an enormous departure in the direction of Australia's foreign and defence policy. Will AUKUS ensure Australia's long term security, or is it little more than a stunt? In this episode, former Ambassador to China, Dr Geoff Raby, and International & Security Affairs program director at the Australia Institute, Allan Behm, discuss some of the fallout and implications of AUKUS and it's implications for Australia's poor relationship with China. Recorded live on 12 October 2021 The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests:Dr Geoff Raby,former Australian Ambassaor to China (2007 to 2011)Allan Behm, director International & Security Affairs program, Australia Institute // @mirandaprorsusProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

The AUKUS pact and China

Today's episode examines carbon offsets, in other words, the credits companies can buy to offset their emissions. The Australia Institute, together with the Australian Conservation Foundation did a bit of digging into Australia's offsets system and found some alarming things.Recorded live on 5 October 2021The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests:Richie Merzian, climate & energy program director, the Australia Institute // @richiemerzianPolly Hemming, advisor, climate & energy program // @pollyjhemmingProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Junk Carbon Credits

The number of independent Members and Senators elected to Parliament has been steadily increasing and the crossbench plays an important role in shaping the future of Australia. Independent Senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie gave an inside look at how it all works.Recorded live on 3 March 2021 as part of the Australia Institute webinar series.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest: Senator Jacqui LambieProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

The importance of the crossbench with Senator Jacqui Lambie [webinar series]

Australia blind-sided France and the Australian public by dumping a $90 billion French submarine deal in favour of a new trilateral security partnership with the UK and USA, including a deal to secure Australia nuclear-powered submarines. In this episode we explore the ramifications of this historic policy shift, made with zero democratic debate in Australia. Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests:Ben Oquist, Executive Director, The Australia Institute // @benoquistAllan Behm, International & Security Affairs program director // @mirandaprorsusProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

AUKUS and the nuclear submarine debacle

Australia's higher education sector has been amongst those hit hardest by the pandemic. Just how bad is the damage? In a new report, the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work takes a closer look at the harm caused to the sector and its workers and its long term consequences.australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute // @CntrFutureWorkHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Jim Stanford, economist and director, Centre for Future Work // @JimboStanfordEliza Littleton, research economist, The Australia Institute // @elizalittletonProducer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

An Avoidable Catastrophe: Pandemic Job Losses in Higher Education

Extracting gas from the Northern Territory through hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) is one of the largest potential sources of carbon pollution in the world. In this episode we explore the climate cost of a potential policy backflip on opening up the NT to fracking, as well as the community opposition and the economics of it all. australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Rod Cambell, Research Director, The Australia Institute // @R_o_d_CMark Ogge, Principal Advisor, The Australia Institute // @markoggeProducer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Fracked: Gas in the Northern Territory

Our ability to ‘Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine’ people who have been exposed to Covid19 has been the front line of Australia’s defence against Covid. But while Australia’s TTIQ is world class, it can and will be overrun if case numbers are allowed to keep rising. The Doherty Modelling makes clear that without a highly functioning TTIQ system we have no chance of stopping our country’s ICUs from being overwhelmed. Join Richard Denniss as he unpacks some of the assumptions underpinning the Doherty modelling and why they are cause for concern.australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Richard Denniss, Chief Economist The Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAIProducer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine

The wealth of Australians (or at least some of them) has grown by an extraordinary $9.5 trillion or 302% in the past 33 years according to a new report released by the Australia Institute. But because Australia currently has no taxes on wealth and collects very little income from capital gains, government revenues have not grown nearly as rapidly as the wealth of Australians.australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Richard Denniss, Chief Economist The Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAIDavid Richardson, senior research fellow at The Australia Institute // @daverr01Producer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

The Wealth Explosion

Professor Ross Garnaut is an economist and author of new book Reset - which explores the opportunity Australia has to reset its economy in the wake of the pandemic. Warning: there is a bit of feedback on the audio for the first few minutes. Recorded live on 24 February 2021 as part of the Australia Institute webinar series.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest: Professor Ross GarnautProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Reset with Professor Ross Garnaut

When the Black Lives Matter protests swept the globe in 2020, it shone a spotlight on Australia's legacy of Aboriginal deaths in custody. It was a subject journalist Amy McQuire had written about extensively. Amy McQuire was the Australia Institute's Writer in Residence recipient for 2020 and in this episode she discusses her upcoming book 'The Water Behind Us', a journalistic investigation into the wrongful conviction of Aboriginal man Kevin Henry, as well as talking at the systemic issues within in our justice system that contributed to his wrongful conviction. Recorded live on 17 February 2021 as part of the Australia Institute webinar series. The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest: Amy McQuireProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Black Witness with Amy McQuire

The desperate scenes at Kabul airport after the city fell to the Taliban represent an inglorious end to Australia’s longest war in Afghanistan. Join Allan Behm, director of the Australia Institute's International and Security Affairs program, as he explains the failures of strategy, politics and intelligence that led directly to this moment.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Allan Behm, International & Security Affairs program director // @mirandaprorsusProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

The Fall of Afghanistan

The sixth IPCC assessment report sounded the alarm on the climate crisis, finding that human activity is changing the Earth’s climate in “unprecedented” ways, with some of the changes now inevitable and “irreversible”. We unpack the latest report and the urgency of change with Richie Merzian and Alia Armistead from the Australia Institute's climate & energy team.Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Richie Merzian, director Climate & Energy program // @richiemerzianAlia Armistead, Graduate Researcher // @aliaarmisteadThe Australia Institute // @theausinstituteWebsite:australiainstitute.org.auProducer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Code Red for Humanity: the sixth IPCC report

The government's massive $300 billion income tax cuts package will proceed in full, making inequality worse and mainly benefitting high income earners. But what makes a tax good or bad? This week, Richard Denniss and Matt Grudnoff explain the principles of a good tax and run the ruler over different types of taxes like income taxes, GST, super profits tax, a Buffet rule and more to see how they fair.australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Richard Denniss, Chief Economist The Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAIMatt Grudnoff, senior economist at The Australia Institute // @mattgrudnoffProducer: Jennifer Macey //@jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Not all taxes are created equal

When the going gets tough, the Morrison government calls in the military to boost its authority and credibility. In this episode, Allan Behm discusses the securitisation of domestic policy issues and how bringing in the ADF doesn't really solve anything.The Australia Institute // @theausinstituteHost: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuest:Allan Behm, International & Security Affairs program director // @mirandaprorsusProducer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermaceyTheme Music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Send in the troops

The Australia Institute’s Follow the Money podcast explains Australia’s big economic issues in plain English. We bust myths, dissect politics, interpret econobabble and help you sound really smart at your next dinner party, with host Ebony Bennett.

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Follow The Money

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