Crawford School of Public Policy

Summary

The quiet Australians have spoken, loudly, and re-elected a Coalition government. So what policy promises has the country signed up for? This week’s Policy Forum Pod takes a look at some of the commitments and whether they will deliver on meeting the challenges facing the country.

Episode Notes

Australia’s election result took many by surprise. The polls may have been predicting a win for the Labor Party, but instead it is the Coalition led by Scott Morrison that was returned to government. But with Australia dealing with some of the most serious issues it’s faced in decades, will the Coalition’s policy platform be able to provide the reform the country needs?

Our stellar panel – Liz Allen, Paul Burke, John Hewson, and Warwick McKibbin – give us their thoughts on the policy commitments and the challenges ahead for the nation. Will the government have to completely rethink its climate policy? How important is framing when it comes to conversations around migration policy? Can Australia’s economy balance revenue uncertainty with the certainty of the promised budget cuts? Tune in for an excellent discussion. Listen here.

Dr Liz Allen is a demographer and social researcher with quantitative and qualitative expertise at The Australian National University.

Associate Professor Paul Burke is an economist focusing on energy, the environment, transport, and developing countries, particularly in the Asia-Pacific. His research includes policies for zero-carbon energy in the Asia-Pacific and Australia’s energy transition.

Dr John Hewson is an economic and financial expert with experience in academia, business, government, media, and the financial system. In 2014, Dr Hewson joined the Australian National University as Professor at the Crawford School, and Chair of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute.

Professor Warwick McKibbin is the Director of the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis in the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and is a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Presenters Bob Cotton, Quentin Grafton, and Julia Ahrens also take a look at Trump’s provocative tweets aimed at Iran, India’s massive elections, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. They also discuss several excellent suggestions left for us by you on the Policy Forum Pod Facebook group – keep them coming!

Bob Cotton is a Visiting Fellow at Crawford School. He has a strong interest in public policy issues, including Australia’s engagement in the Asia Pacific Region. He is a mentor at the National Security College.

Quentin Grafton is Professor of Economics at Crawford School, an ANU Public Policy Fellow, and Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Policy Forum.

Julia Ahrens is a presenter on Policy Forum Pod.

Policy Forum Pod is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Subscribe on Android or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.