The Economy, Stupid

People are drinking less alcohol, especially Millennials and Gen Z. And the drinks industry has noticed.Low-alc and no-alc drinks make up a tiny fraction of the market. But it’s growing at 7 percent a year. And, as more of us either moderate our drinking or stop altogether, the future for these drinks look bright.But the way they’re advertised, marketed and packaged makes them look very like alcoholic drinks and there’s some concern they may act as a gateway to alcohol.Guests:Simon Strachan, CEO, DrinkwiseElfrun von Koeller, Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting GroupAndy Miller, CEO, Heaps NormalDr Ashlea Bartram, Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, Flinders University

TikTok, the phone app that sends a stream of viral videos to every user, is in trouble in the United States. The company must either change its Chinese ownership, or leave the American market.In response, TikTok is underlining its economic contribution, in Australia and elsewhere. So how much difference does it make?Guests:Dr Joanne Gray, Lecturer in Digital Cultures, University of SydneyAriana Hendry, Co-founder, BeysisKristian Kolding, Head of Consulting, Oxford Economics AustraliaProfessor Vili Lehdonvirta, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University

As they say a “diamond is forever”. But does it matter if that diamond is grown in a lab or mined from the Earth? Especially if they both are chemically, physically, and optically identical.And given that cost of living pressures are colliding with consumers’ desire to not compromise on size or quality, more and more Australians can see the logic behind lab grown gems. In America, lab-grown may have peaked.Guests:Cormac Kinney, Founder & CEO, Diamond StandardPaul Zimnisky, Leading Global Diamond Industry AnalystTalitha Cummins, Founder, the Cut JewelleryEloise Sohier, Customer, The Cut Jewellery

This year’s Budget tries to do several things at once. In the short term it offers cost-of-living relief but tries not to contribute to inflation. In the longer term it departs from decades of economic orthodoxy by picking industries to invest in. Specifically, green hydrogen and critical minerals. But will it work? And how responsible is it? Three of the country’s leading economists offer their views.Guests:Shane Oliver, Chief Economist, AMPRichard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Business SchoolLuci Ellis, Chief Economist, Westpac Banking Group

Australians have a sleeping problem. The most conservative estimates show one in 10 have a sleep disorder, which is having an impact on their safety, wellbeing and productivity.This ends up costing almost a $1 billion a week. And that’s not all. The total cost of inadequate sleep is thought to be as high as $75 billion a year.We’re not alone either. International research shows places like the US, the UK and Europe are facing similar problems, with similar costs.Guests:Shanthakumar Rajaratnam, Chair of the Sleep Health FoundationProfessor Ron Grunstein, The Woolcock Institute Wendy Troxel, The Rand CorporationZafina Ademi, Professor of Health Economics, Monash University

You don’t need to be paying too much attention to be aware that economic growth matters.Growth is central to economics. And growth of the last 60 years has delivered. We’ve seen a rise in prosperity, and developments in health and education.But the pursuit of growth has also had consequences.In his new book Growth: A Reckoning, Daniel Susskind explores the tension between the positives and negatives created by the pursuit of growth.Guest:Daniel Susskind, Research Professor in Economics at King’s College London

Research shows loneliness costs the Australian economy $2.7 billion per year or $1565 per person.The World Health Organisation has also declared loneliness to be a global health concern. And it’s estimated loneliness has an equivalent health impact on the body to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.Before the pandemic older Australians were found to be the loneliest in the nation. But now the data now shows this has shifted and younger Australians are the feeling the effects of being alone and isolated.Technology has allowed us to be more connected than before, but has all this left us lonelier than ever?Guests:Andrew Dempster, Principal Director & Leader of the National Mental Health Advisory Business, KPMGRoger Wilkins, Professorial Fellow at Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, and Co-Director of the HILDA SurveyLiesel Sharabi, from the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University.Lixia Qu, Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

The growth of cyber-crime is considered to be the biggest challenge facing Australian businesses.Collectively cyber-attacks cost the economy $42 billion dollars last year, with ransomware the most disruptive type of hack, costing $3 billion.So what is the government doing? And what can organisations do, both to lower their risk of attack, and if the hackers succeed in accessing their systems?GuestsNick Espinosa, Chief Security Fanatic, Security FanaticsDr Jay Jeong, Senior Research Fellow, University of MelbourneDr David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security, Griffith UniversityDavid Cullen, National Director of Advocacy, CISO LensAbi Bradshaw, Head of the Australian Signals Directorates Cyber Security Centre

New research suggests that the increase in vaping across Australia will cost the health system an extra $180 million each year and that’s a conservative figure.Vaping has been framed as a way to stop smoking tobacco, however it can also be a gateway to taking it up. It’s estimated that 13 per cent of people who vape transition to cigarettes.The Australian government has called vapes a public health menace and introduced restrictive anti-vaping policies. But are these policies intended to drive positive change giving rise to a dangerous black-market?Guests:Professor Louisa Collins, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteDr James Martin, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Deakin UniversityBecky Freeman, Associate Professor of Public Health, Sydney University

Twice a year most Australians are made to deliberately mess with our body clocks. When we go into daylight saving and when we come out.Many of us love the longer summer evenings. What we don’t love is the sleep adjustment that makes us feel tired, fuzzy and out of sorts.There are plenty of arguments about whether daylight saving is a good or bad thing.So in this episode we look at the costs and benefits and whether it’s time to rethink the concept.Guests:Dr Thomas Sigler, Associate Professor, University of QueenslandAllison Schrager, Economist & Senior Fellow at the Manhattan InstituteDr Yevgeny Mugerman, Senior Lecturer, Bar-Ilan UniversityDr Jayanta Sarkar, Associate Professor, Queensland University of Technology

As we head into Easter you may have noticed the price of your seasonal sweet treats like chocolate bunnies and eggs are a bit higher than last year.The main reason is the price of cocoa beans or actually, the price of cocoa futures. They’ve skyrocketed by more than 100% in 2024 alone and tripled over the past year.But why is that and will we be prepared to keep paying higher prices for the sweet stuff?GuestsTina Angelidis: Co-Owner, Adora ChocolatesPia Piggott: Associate Analyst, RabobankProfessor John Dumay: Accounting & Finance, Macquarie Business SchoolPaul Zahra: CEO, Australian Retailers Association Check out the Chocolate Scorecard: https://www.chocolatescorecard.com/

In the country’s most expensive housing markets, family help and the ‘bank of mum and dad’ is increasingly necessary for younger people to buy homes. But could this entrench and perpetuate lasting advantage for those already part of the property-owning class?GuestsDr Julia Cook: Senior lecturer, Sociology, University of NewcastleDr Laurence Troy: Senior lecturer in Urbanism, University of SydneyDr Monique McKenzie: Post doctoral research associate, University of SydneySophie Renton: Managing Director at social research firm, McCrindle.

Innovation sparks thoughts of tech giants, inventions and Silicon Valley. While those companies in Cupertino may be good at generating extreme wealth, they’re not so good at spreading it across the communities they benefit from.Other places do better, particularly Switzerland, Sweden and Austria. What can we learn from them?Guest:Neil Lee, Author, Innovation For The Masses: How To Share The Benefits Of The High-Tech Economy

Wage theft costs Australia’s workforce at least a billion dollars a year.Some industries, like retail, hospitality and horticulture are renowned for it. But the practice is widespread across many sectors. There’s been wage theft cases against franchises like 7 Eleven and Bakers Delight, institutions like universities and the ABC, and corporate giants like Coles and the Commonwealth Bank.So which workers are most vulnerable and what can be done to protect them?Guests:Giuseppe Carabetta, Associate Professor of Workplace and Business Law at the University of Technology, Sydney Business School.Rebecca Thistleton, Executive Director, McKell Institute Victoria.Stephen Clibborn, Associate Professor in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies, University of Sydney Business School.Paula McDonald, Professor of Work and Organisation, Queensland University of Technology

The market concentration of the beer industry.

Illiteracy is costing the Australian economy billions.It won't cost much to fix the problem in our schools, just a commitment.

How would we survive the world today if we didn't have our phones?

How airlines have transitioned to financial institutions and data gathering businesses that just happen to have planes.

The rising cost of extreme weather events and climate change.

The Money looks at the accusation that the major supermarkets are price gouging, something the Federal Government is investigating.

Mariana Mazzucato and the influence of the big consulting firms and why the long term really matters.

Sophie Howe and Alison Pennington, women from different generations but with the same goal to improve the living conditions of younger and future generations.

Pay attention to what you're subscribing to, what you're buying and the cost of online returns.

As the number of students attending university has grown so has their debt and while the HECS / HELP system has worked well in the past - does it now need reform?

Taylor Swift is on track to make over $US1 billion from her world tour. Here’s how she (and other superstars) make so much.

The economics of present giving.

Disagreement between PNG and the IMF and why our future depends on how we shape our cities.

Making the RBA independent from the government and The World Ahead report.

Improving competition both in Australia and within the EU and what shoppers want from their main street.

The economic relationship between Gaza and Israel and the new Chair of the Productivity Commission, Danielle Wood.

Making sense of what is influencing inflation, consultancy competition and changes in the CPI.

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones on what super funds need to do; what will the RBA do about interest rates and a cautionary tale about business expenses.

It's a numbers game when it comes to reporting ESG and paying taxes, or not. And how do you better charge for road usage.

What we learn from seven economic crashes. Why we should expand our horizons and embraced the long view.

Are we returning to the days of the landed gentry when property is increasingly concentrated in families that can afford it?

Competition is good for an economy and consumers but are Australians getting it? Index funds and private equity are on track to dominate the US economy – should they be reigned in?

How does the recent white paper plan to address under and unemployment? A former RBA board member reflects on the early days of the GFC when financial contagion threatened the global economy. Mid-week golf is booming but shouldn’t you be at work?

How women and their employers are paying a big price because of menopause. El Nino weather and its impact on economic staples. What are Central Bank Digital Currencies and could they change the financial landscape?

What a slowdown in China means for Australia. How the rapid rise of the consumer class will change the world. How companies profit from our inattention to auto renewed subscriptions.

Are we still on the narrow path to a soft landing? What the latest figures tell us. The psychology behind drip pricing and how not to get tricked by it. Why big shifts in Ireland’s economic data are causing concern for Eurozone economists.

By 2030, 82 per cent of our power is supposed to come from renewables. We’re not on track.

For future generations, what is the legacy of our current public policies and what issues might Australia have to confront in forty years time? What makes Islamic banking different?

What do the latest indicators tell us about the state of the labour market? How we embrace the online world in almost everything- except lodging our tax returns. Why aren’t economists more highly regarded?

The rise in debt collection and the late payment of invoices could be the canary in the coal mine for some industries. How are workplaces responding to working from home and what are the tensions? Why returning unwanted goods bought online isn’t really free.

As interest rates rise are home owners coping with the transition from low to higher mortgage costs? What the trade row with the EU over geo-indicators means for Australian food producers. How financial news reporting favours the rich and fuels inequality.

Taylor Swift is on track to make $US 1 billion from her world tour. Here’s how she (and other superstars) make so much.

Why Michele Bullock, the next Governor of the Reserve Bank is ‘more than just a seasoned econocrat’.How do the French and Australian pensions compare and why are the French so passionate about theirs.The board which advises government on the tax system is certainly made up of experts in their field but is their collective thinking too narrow and are their backgrounds too similar?

Have repeated interest rate rises succeeded in slowing inflation and the economy? Debanking and the push back against financial abusers. Adding teeth to inadequate money laundering laws.

As the number of students attending university has grown so has their debt and while the HECS / HELP system has worked well in the past - does it now need reform?

Changes to government transfer payments, programs and policies kick in on July 1st. Just how bad is inflation for the investment economy and can you hedge against it? The downside of living in an 'asset managed society'.