The Economy, Stupid
- Épisodes
- 242
- Parution
- hebdomadaire
- Dernier épisode
- 12 Nov 2026
À propos du podcast
Formerly The Money, The Economy, Stupid is your weekly guide to the world of business, economics and finance. Every Thursday, economist Peter Martin is joined by a team of sharp young thinkers for a fresh conversation about the financial stories making headlines and how they might affect you.
Épisodes 242
Is this the end of David Jones?
The 188-year-old Australian icon is fighting for survival. Is the age of the big department store over?
What happens inside the RBA boardroom?
Eight times a year, a handful of people make decisions that affect millions of Australians. What really goes on behind the closed doors of the Reserve Bank?
Have renters finally reached their limit?
Rental prices have stalled despite fears of a deepening squeeze. Have tenants officially hit their breaking point?
Is Australian music at risk of extinction?
New Australian voices are being lost beneath a digital avalanche. What will it take for them to be heard?
Should we fear the bond market?
“Bond vigilantes” are making governments around the world nervous. But what are bond markets, and why do they wield such power?
Has Australia hit its immigration speed limit?
Migration helped build modern Australia. But are we now growing faster than the economy can handle?
'Sledgehammer with a nail in it': Do interest rate rises hurt the wrong people?
The RBA's efforts to cool the economy will hit recent home buyers and workers hardest. Could the pain be better shared?
Australians will live longer in 2066, but in what kind of world?
Despite optimistic forecasts of an economy transformed by technology, a worrying picture emerges in the latest intergenerational report.
Can we cut red tape without cutting corners?
Rules are meant to protect us. But sometimes they get in the way of doing good things. Is there a better way to regulate?
One Nation wants to allow early access to super. Is it a good idea?
Many younger Australians are in financial freefall - has superannuation become a parachute that opens too late?
What is your digital life worth?
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?
How abusive partners turn the tax system into a weapon
The government has promised to crack down. But victims can still be left owing debts they never created.
What can save the NDIS?
How did a world-leading disability fund find itself in peril? And what can be done to save it?
This is what worries Australians most about the economy
Consumer sentiment remains at fifty year lows. The Reserve Bank has surveyed Australians to find out why.
Will AI really take our jobs?
The first computer revolution was supposed to bring mass unemployment but didn't. Is this time really different?
What can convict Australia tell us about the manosphere?
Australia's early settlements were radical experiments in almost exclusively male societies. Their impact is still felt today.
Harbour views and the full pension
Australia's social safety net is designed for those most in need - but increasingly the benefits are flowing to the wealthiest households.
Why not tax wealth, and why not start with billionaires?
California is seeking to introduce a tax on the wealth of billionaires. Is it time we did the same?
The tricks they use to stop us getting cheaper petrol
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 …
Notes de l’épisode
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
Home prices are heading down, but how far?
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 …
Notes de l’épisode
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
Is tax reform even possible anymore?
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?
How to avoid a world on fire
We are reliving the 1930s, according to author Viktor Shvets. Is there a peaceful way out?
Is bracket creep saving us from ourselves?
If Australian taxpayers were given the choice, would we be willing to pay for the services we need?
Australia is in a 'vibecession' - is a recession next?
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?
Australia's $200 billion budget secret
For decades, governments have spent billions in hidden tax concessions that largely favour the ultra-wealthy. How did they get there?
How to end the tobacco wars
Would cutting tobacco tax weaken a dangerous black market - or reverse decades of progress in reducing smoking deaths?
Could Labor's budget narrow the wealth gap?
This week Labor touched the third rail of Australian politics: wealth and tax. Can it survive the backlash?
The budget and housing — a fix?
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 …
Notes de l’épisode
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.
Interest rate rises are designed to hurt. But how much is too much?
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?
Inflation’s jumped again - is another rate rise coming?
Inflation has surged to its highest level in years, driven by soaring fuel prices, higher energy costs and global instability.For households already squeezed by rate rises, the pressure is mounting. Is this a …
Notes de l’épisode
Inflation has surged to its highest level in years, driven by soaring fuel prices, higher energy costs and global instability.
For households already squeezed by rate rises, the pressure is mounting. Is this a short‑term shock the Reserve Bank can look through or the start of another prolonged inflation fight?
What happens next for interest rates, wages, jobs, and the economy as a whole just one week before the Budget?
Guests:Diana Mousina, Deputy Chief Economist, AMPDavid Bassanese, Chief Economist, BetaShares
Show links:
See how the price of everything has changed, ABC News StoryLab, March 30, 2026
Consumer Price Index, Australian Bureau of Statistics, March 29, 2026
Why the official inflation rate feels wrong, The Economy Stupid, October 30, 2025
Stagflation is about to push unemployment higher: here's what to expect, The Economy Stupid, March 26, 2026
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