The Economy, Stupid

You know what they say about a crisis, suddenly, all sorts of things become possible. During the COVID crisis, the government doubled Newstart, paid wage bills, and allowed access to super - things that had almost no chance of happening. Right now, with the budget just weeks away in the midst of a crisis almost anything is on the table. What may that include?
Guests:
Tom Crowley, ABC economics reporter. 
Bob Breunig, tax expert.

Australia’s birth rate is collapsing, heading for a record low next year, well below the level needed for the population to replace itself. 
Fewer couples, fewer kids, and a world where ageing societies reshape everything from innovation to taxes. Why is this happening everywhere at once, and what does it mean for your future?
Guests: 
Viva Hammer, ANU population researcher and tax expert
Myriam Robin, AFR senior writer

What happens when the economy stops playing by the rules?
We’re taught that inflation and unemployment move like a seesaw, one goes up, the other goes down. But sometimes the seesaw snaps. Prices climb and people lose jobs at the same time. 
It happened dramatically in the 1970s, and with oil prices surging again and global tensions rising people are whispering the word Stagnation once more. 
Guests: 
Professor Bob Gregory, one of Australia’s most influential economists, who watched the original outbreak of stagflation unfold and later sat on the Reserve Bank board during another era of economic upheaval.
Gareth Hutchens, ABC business and economics reporter who has spent years examining how these big economic shocks ripple through everyday life.

The Reserve Bank says it’ll do whatever it takes to crush inflation, even if it means Australia falls into recession. But for millions of Australians, the pain is already here with petrol prices soaring and mortgage repayments climbing. So did the RBA really have no choice but to lift rates again? Or is this a risk the Bank didn’t need to take?
Guests: 
Gianni La Cava, Former Senior Research Manager at the Reserve Bank of Australia; now Senior Economist at the e61 Institute.
Cherelle Murphy, Oceania Chief Economist, EY

From food security to fuelling our air force, the global oil crisis threatens far more than the cost of driving a car. So what happens next?