CEDA Events

CEDA's CEO Melinda Cilento taps into the concerns of the youth today and looks at how future generations will be impacted by climate change. She is joined by Deanne Stewart, CEO Aware Super, and Taylor Hawkins, Founder & Strategy Director of Future Frontiers Group, who was present at the COP26 in Glasgow, to discuss whether the climate change discussions addressed the call to action from youth activists and what really matters to young Australians.

CEDA's CEO Melinda Cilento reflects on the outcomes of COP26 and whether they go far enough to limit the impending impacts of climate change. She speaks to IBM Consulting's Global Director of Sustainability, Murray Simpson, who was in Glasgow to witness the negotiations, as well as Erin Coldham, Chief Development Officer of Star of the South, Australia's first offshore wind project. Christian Gergis, Head of Policy at the Australian Institute of Company Directors, also weighs in on corporate responsibilities when it comes to climate.

The Federal government has secured a commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 just in time for COP26, the United Nations climate change conference, in Glasgow next week. But will it be enough when other nations are already looking to 2030 commitments? To discuss what COP26 means for Australia, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by ANU Crawford School Professor and Director of the Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Professor Frank Jotzo, and Arup Australasia Co-Chair, Kerryn Coker.

Chief Economist Jarrod Ball explores what are the different types of digital assets, why digital platforms are increasingly embedding financial services and how the sector needs greater regulation. He speaks to Citi's Tony McLaughlin and Senator Andrew Bragg to make sense of this trend.

On Thursday, the ABS released its labour force statistics for August 2021. They show that while unemployment decreased by 0.1 per cent, the participation rate also decreased significantly. To help make sense of these figures, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball spoke with University of Melbourne Truby Williams Professor of Economics Jeff Borland.

Yesterday WA released its 2021-22 State budget, unveiling a massive $5.6 billion surplus. Some of the big-ticket items in the budget include an $875 million social housing package and $1.9 billion in extra healthcare funding. But will the measures announced set Western Australia up for long-term success? CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by our Perth-based Senior Economist Cassandra Winzar to find out more.

The June quarter GDP figures are out, and Australia looks likely to avoid a second recession in two years. GDP grew by 0.7%, which ended as the Delta variant took hold in NSW and sparked a wave of lockdowns across the east coast. So what does this tell us about how the economy entered the extended state lockdown, just how bad is the news for the September quarter, and are we still at risk of a so-called technical recession? To discuss this, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by ANZ Senior Economist, Felicity Emmett.

Rapid antigen tests have become a crucial tool around the world in managing COVID-19, but Australia is only using them in some industries and workplaces. That's despite the fact an Australian company created the first rapid COVID test to receive approval for home use in the United States last year. The Brisbane-based digital diagnostics firm Ellume has a deal with the Biden administration to provide 8.5 million home COVID tests, and its new US manufacturing facility is set to begin production later this year. CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento spoke with its founder and chief executive, Dr Sean Parsons, about the potential of rapid testing in Australia and his experience developing and manufacturing this technology. But first Melinda is joined by CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball to talk about some of the other issues we are thinking about at CEDA this week.

This week, it's the first episode in a new mini-series where we dive into the dynamism of Australian businesses big and small. Business dynamism is one of our key research areas here at CEDA. We're keen to understand Australian companies' risk appetite, the quality of our managers and what drives their decision-making. Someone who's long taken an interest in business dynamism is the head of structural policy analysis at the OECD's Economics Department, Dan Andrews. He's just released some insightful research showing high-productivity firms were more likely to grow and low-productivity firms more likely to contract during the first year of the pandemic, using small-business accounting and payslip data from Xero. It's particularly relevant now amid growing concerns our economic recovery is under threat, with much of the nation stuck in lockdown amid spiralling COVID-19 outbreaks. But first, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by CEDA Chief Executive Melinda Cilento to discuss some of the issues we're thinking about at CEDA this week.

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report out this week has some very stark warnings about “unprecedented” levels of climate change that it says are “unequivocally” the result of human actions. The IPCC says we'll exceed global warming of 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius this century unless we make deep emissions cuts in the coming decades. The Federal Government says Australia can get to net-zero emissions “preferably” by 2050 using technology, not taxes, through its technology roadmap. One body the Government is relying on to get us there is the Clean Energy Finance Corporation or C-E-F-C. I spoke earlier with its chief executive Ian Learmonth. But first, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by our Chief Economist Jarrod Ball to discuss some of the issues we're thinking about at CEDA this week.

Australia is facing a shortage of at least 110,000 direct aged-care workers within the next decade, unless urgent action is taken to boost the workforce. That's one of the findings of our latest report, which also found the shortage will balloon to more than 400,000 workers by 2050 unless we take dramatic action now. Australia has failed to prepare for this challenge, but there ARE steps we can take to improve the system. To discuss CEDA's findings and potential solutions, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by Aged & Community Services Australia CEO Patricia Sparrow; Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Federal Assistant Secretary Lori-Anne Sharp; and the author of our report, CEDA Senior Economist Cassandra Winzar. But first, Jarrod is joined by CEDA's Chief Executive Melinda Cilento to discuss some of the issues we're thinking about at CEDA this week.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected repeated requests from New South Wales to reintroduce a wage subsidy like JobKeeper, as businesses face tough times due to the latest round of COVID-19 lockdowns across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. The restrictions come just months after the Federal Government handed down a big-spending budget, with more than 30 billion dollars in tax and investment incentives for business. To discuss how business and the economy are tracking, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by Patrick Coghlan, the chief executive of business credit research firm CreditorWatch, which tracks a range of data that takes the pulse of Australian companies both big and small. But first, Jarrod is joined by CEDA Chief Executive Melinda Cilento to discuss some of the issues we're thinking about at CEDA this week.

The past 18 months have required unprecedented levels of public trust in government. During COVID, we've relied on clear and consistent guidance to protect our health and livelihoods. Yet a survey out today by public relations firm SenateSHJ has found trust in government communication has dropped significantly over the past year. So, what's gone wrong? And how can government regain this trust? I spoke with Managing Partner of SenateSHJ Darren Behar for his insights on these questions and more. But as always, first I'm joined by our Chief Economist Jarrod Ball to discuss some of the issues we're thinking about at CEDA this week.

As the Federal Government ramps up its digital economy strategy, the safety of our cyber assets is back in the spotlight. We know cybercrime is rising in scale and prevalence, and recent attacks on major infrastructure across the world show how high the stakes can be. At the same time, experts are warning of the rising cyber-espionage threat posed by state actors; the latest warning came just this week from the head of the UK spy agency MI5. So, how serious are these threats? And are Australian business and governments doing enough to protect our digital assets? For some answers to these questions, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento spoke with CyberCX Chief Strategy Officer Alastair MacGibbon. He's a former National Cyber Security Advisor and was hand-picked as special adviser on cyber security to Malcolm Turnbull when he was Prime Minister.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has just released the five-yearly Intergenerational Report. The report was delayed by a year due to COVID-19, and it finds it's the pandemic population freeze that's set to have the biggest economic impact over the next 40 years. That means productivity is going to have to do all the heavy lifting to drive our future growth and prosperity, and fund the essential services we value so much. But does the report get it right on the key issues shaping our future? To get a view on this, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by ANU demographer Dr Liz Allen, public sector governance and finance expert Stephen Bartos, and Social Outcomes Economics Consultant Nicki Hutley; she's also on the Climate Council.

CEDA's 42nd State of the Nation has come to an end, and with three days of insightful conversations under our belt, we look back on the interviews our CEO Melinda Cilento and Chief Economist Jarrod Ball led with some of this year's speakers. Speakers: The Hon. Josh Frydenberg, Federal Treasurer The Hon. Anthony Albanese, Federal Leader of the Opposition Sam Mostyn AO, President, Chief Executive Women, Chairman, Citibank; and Chair, The Foundation for Young Australians Su McCluskey, Commissioner, National COVID-19 Commission Advisory Board (concluded May 2021) His Excellency Y Kristiarto S Legowo, Ambassador for Indonesia His Excellency Vohra, High Commissioner of India to Australia Romilly Madew AO FTSE, Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Australia

After the sustainable infrastructure session at CEDA's 2021 State of the Nation conference, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball spoke with Romilly Madew of Infrastructure Australia to gain insights on trends in infrastructure since COVID-19 has hit Australia.

Tax reform and the Intergeneration Report are the hot topics in this conversation between Su McCluskey (Commissioner, National COVID-19 Commission Advisory Board) and CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento at CEDA's 2021 State of the Nation conference.

To talk about Australia's relationships with Indonesia and India, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento had a brief chat with His Excellency Y Kristiarto S Legowo, Ambassador for Indonesia and His Excellency Manpreet Vohra, High Commissioner of India to Australia.

Sam Mostyn of Citi joins CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento to speak about being less risk-averse from a policy point of view, and fostering a more diverse economy.

After a rousing speech to the crowd at CEDA's 2021 State of the Nation conference, Leader of the Opposition The Hon. Anthony Albanese stopped for a quick chat with CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento.

CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento speaks with Federal Treasurer The Hon. Josh Frydenberg hot off the stage from his keynote address at CEDA's 2021 State of the Nation conference.

Australia is great at research but struggles to capture its commercial benefits. The World Intellectual Property Organization's 2020 Global Innovation Index ranks us 13th for innovation inputs, but 31st for innovation outputs. Bridging this gap is a growing focus for the government, as part of its ambition to make Australia a “leading digital economy by 2030”. So what's holding us back? And how can we use Australian research to not only drive the economy but also tackle social and environmental challenges? For insight on these questions, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento spoke with CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall and Microsoft Australia Managing Director Steven Worrall. But first, Melinda is joined by CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball to discuss some of the issues we're thinking about at CEDA this week.

NSW has just released its five-yearly Intergenerational Report, and it's a stark reminder of the generational challenges confronting the state – and the nation – over the coming decades. The report makes it clear that as we emerge from the pandemic, federal and state governments must prioritise bold new policies on tax, housing, education and climate change to ensure higher incomes, better jobs and better services for Australians. But the pandemic population freeze means migration will be even more critical to boost our working-age population, and support the rising costs of the ageing population. To get a view on these challenges, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento spoke with Stephen Bartos. He's an expert in public sector governance and finance, and has twice served as the NSW Parliamentary Budget Officer. But first, Melinda is joined by CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball to discuss some of the issues we're thinking about at CEDA this week.

The latest GDP figures have just been released, and they show the economy has recovered to its pre-pandemic size a year since the start of the economic downturn. Given Australia's surprisingly strong recent growth, we're keen to see what's next for the recovery, in particular the impact of the lockdown in Melbourne. To get a view on the March quarter figures and how the economy is currently tracking, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball spoke with BIS Oxford Economics Chief Economist for Australia, Sarah Hunter. But first, Jarrod is joined by CEDA Chief Executive Melinda Cilento to discuss some of the issues we're thinking about at CEDA this week.

Today we’re talking about monetary policy, and in particular, the Reserve Bank’s unconventional monetary policy; what is it and is it working? We heard a bit about unconventional monetary policy after the GFC, when some central banks overseas started applying it to help with their economic recovery. But Australia didn’t join the experiment until COVID-19 hit last year. To discuss how it’s working here, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by Belinda Cheung, Director of Fixed Income and Currency Strategy at the Commonwealth Bank.

Australia’s economy has already bounced back better than expected from the effects of COVID-19, but it is clear our long-term recovery will depend on opening borders and resuming normal trade. Yet ongoing uncertainty in our trade relationship with China on the one hand, and the opportunities presented by new trade agreements on the other make it difficult to know exactly where trade will land after the pandemic. How much does Australia’s economy depend on normalising the China relationship? And are we seeing any progress in diversifying Australian trade? To discuss the role that trade will need to play in Australia’s recovery, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball spoke with Professor Peter Draper, Executive Director of the Institute for International Trade at the University of Adelaide.

In today's episode, we’re looking at Public Interest Technology – or PIT. What is it and why is it important? The concept is well established in the United States and the United Kingdom, but it’s little known here in Australia. To discuss this, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by Newgate Australia Partner Feyi Akindoyeni. She’s also a member of CEDA’s PIT advisory committee.

Last night the federal budget was handed down and it squarely takes aim at bolstering economic recovery post-COVID. Funding boosts for childcare and aged care represent some welcome changes to the government's typical budget priorities, but glaring holes in funding for climate action and growing debt leave many questions to be answered. To discuss this, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by ANZ senior economist Felicity Emmett, Equity Economics lead economist Angela Jackson, and AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver.

We’re five days out from the Federal Budget and it looks like red is the new black for the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg. He says there will be no sharp pivots to austerity next week, in a dramatic overhaul of the Government’s long-standing fiscal strategy, and that’s despite the surprising strength we’ve seen in the economy over the last six months. Instead, it’s likely to be a big spending budget. Billions are set to go to childcare and aged care to address the workforce challenges in those sectors, and help boost female workforce participation. To discuss this, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by ANZ senior economist Felicity Emmett, Equity Economics lead economist Angela Jackson, and AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver.

The Federal Budget is less than two weeks away and following widespread public pressure, it’s expected to include a range of items benefiting women. Among the measures the government is said to be considering are expanding access to childcare, and changes to superannuation. Gabriela D’Souza, Senior Economist at CEDA is joined in this episode by Rebecca Cassells, Deputy Director of Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and one of the authors of their annual Gender Equity Insights series.

In today's episode, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball and CEDA Senior Economist Cassandra Winzar talk about property taxes, in particular what some call one of the least efficient taxes – stamp duty. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, house prices are growing at their fastest pace in more than 30 years, thanks partly to record-low interest rates. Now, there are growing calls to abolish stamp duty, to help young people get on to the property ladder and encourage more people to downsize. The ACT has already taken this step, and NSW is looking into it.

In today's episode of The Greater Good, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb Country Manager Australia and New Zealand. Travel industries were hit hard by COVID-19. In the space of a few months tourism went from Australia’s fourth largest export to all but stopping, leaving many Australians without a source of income. As a leader in the short-term rental market, Airbnb and its hosts have been particularly affected by this downturn. With the pandemic winding down, the platform is now a weathervane for the recovery of the sector. While dealing with the challenges of COVID-19, Airbnb has also been facing questions about its responsibility to its hosts and the communities it operates in. Those questions have taken on more urgency since the company’s much touted IPO in December.

This episode of CEDA's Policy Snacks looks at the skills mismatch in Australia’s permanent skilled migration system, what it is, and how we can fix it. A new CEDA report has found this mismatch cost the Australian economy at least $1.25 billion in foregone wages between 2013 and 2018. To discuss this, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by CEDA Senior Economist Gabriela D'Souza, lead author of the report.

In today's episode, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by CEDA researcher and economist Ember Corpuz to look at the rising rate of female imprisonment in Australia, and what can be done to reduce it. The number of women in Australia’s prisons has been growing at a faster rate than that of men over the past decade, and while women account for a smaller proportion of the country’s prison population, the fiscal, social and economic costs of female imprisonment are significant.

We’ve known for a long time Australia’s aged care system is in crisis, from horrific reports of abuse and mistreatment, to the long waiting lists for in-home care, and figures showing high rates of malnourishment among residents. The COVID-19 pandemic has served as yet another reminder of the challenges the sector faces. Three-quarters of Australia’s COVID deaths have been in aged care. To discuss this, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by Julie Ratcliffe, Professor of Health Economics at Flinders University and a member of CEDA’s Council on Economic Policy who also conducted some research for the Royal Commission, and former chair of the Productivity Commission Peter Harris, who wrote the chapter on aged care in CEDA’s 2020 Economic and Political Overview.

When the pandemic hit last year, the economic priority for policymakers was to save jobs and help people and businesses through the financial fallout. The JobMaker policy was different though. The wage credit was designed to create jobs, to get young Australians back to work in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. But will it work? Join CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball and Professor Jeff Borland, Truby Williams Professor of Economics at the University of Melbourne and a member of CEDA’s board of directors to find out.

COVID-19 has shown us that health problems don’t happen in isolation. Our physical wellbeing often depends on our economic and social wellbeing, and vice versa. These connections are especially apparent among those living in disadvantage. As CEDA’s research shows, people struggling with disadvantage are often also experiencing problems with the law, health, and housing security. To properly deal with any of these issues, you have to address all of them. Today's guest is Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine. An expert in bringing services together as founding chief executive of Health Justice Australia, she works to connect healthcare and legal assistance, and to give people access to help for their problems when and where they need it.

Welcome to the first episode of CEDA’s Policy Snacks podcast, a series of bite-sized explainers about today’s big policy ideas. In today's episode, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by CEDA Senior Economist Melissa Wilson to take a closer look at Australia's looming fiscal cliff, and what can be done to avoid going over it.

From the Olympics to Formula 1, from cricket to the NBA, no major sport has been untouched by this pandemic. And while they’re trying to be COVID-safe, that looks different for each sport and not everyone has got it right. In today's episode, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento and CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball are joined by Hans Westerbeek, Professor of International Sport Business and Head of Sport Business Insights Group, Victoria University to take a deep dive into sport, money and COVID-19 to find out how the business and economics of sport look in the new COVID normal. **This episode was recorded prior to Victoria's Feb 12th 5-day snap lockdown

It’s been a year since the summer of bushfires that devastated much of the east coast of Australia, and 10 years since the Queensland floods. But still we hear of homes being rebuilt, and even new homes going up in disaster-prone areas. Is Australia doing enough to prevent the loss of lives, homes, and livelihoods caused by the rise in extreme weather events? In today's episode, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by President of the Australian and NSW local government associations and City of Sydney Councillor Linda Scott to discuss the role local councils play in responding to and planning for extreme weather and natural disasters. It’s the first episode in a series that looks at climate and disaster resilience.

CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by Sarah Hunter, Chief Economist at BIS Oxford Economics to discuss the state of the Australian economy, how households are still exercising caution with their savings, what the labour market is likely to look like in 2021, JobKeeper and JobSeeker, and an underlying sense of optimism despite economic uncertainty.

In today's episode, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by Dr. Stephen Kirchner of the United States Study Centre to discuss President Biden's inauguration, the incoming stimulus package, reducing the policy uncertainty prevalent under Trump, increasing the minimum wage, and the US shift on climate change.

CEDA's two part podcast series on superannuation views the recent changes to super and the Retirement Income Review through the lens of the Financial Services Council and HESTA. In part 2, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento and HESTA Head of Impact Mary Delahunty discuss how COVID has shone a light on the state of Australians' financial resilience, whether increasing the super guarantee is the best bang for Australia's post-retirement buck, Your Future Your Super, and drawing more focus to all aspects of the performance of a fund.

CEDA's two part podcast series on superannuation views the recent changes to super and the Retirement Income Review through the lens of the Financial Services Council and HESTA. In part 1, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento and Financial Services Council CEO speaks about the Retirement Income Review, striking a balance between catering for pre and post retirement financial life, the role COVID played in educating the public about superannuation, and how the 'YourSuper" tool will help keep the public informed.

Join CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball and AER Chair Clare Savage as they discuss the AER's five year strategic plan, the key priorities to get right in our energy transition, what the AER is doing to address the vulnerability of consumers, and how the states are leading the charge on energy policy.

In today's episode of The Greater Good, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by Peter Dawkins, outgoing Vice-Chancellor and President of Victoria University to speak about how 2020 has impacted Vic Uni and the broader higher education sector, how the next few years are looking for the university, and about the decline in students choosing to study economics.

Join CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball and Steven Persson, CEO of The Big Issue and Homes for Homes as they chat about how The Big Issue has been coping since COVID, how the pandemic has brought social housing and homelessness to the forefront of people's thinking, the need to develop a suite of long term solutions to poverty that resonate within the community, and how the government is tracking with social housing.

Join CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball, NSW Chief Economist Stephen Walters, and ANZ Senior Economist Cherelle Murphy as they discuss how NSW is dealing with the first deficit in a decade, the management of COVID clusters keeping NSW open, the phasing out of stamp duty, social housing, and the measures in place for women in the NSW budget.

In today's episode, CEDA CEO Melinda Cilento is joined by Dr. Paul Williams of Griffith University to discuss Labor's unexpected election win in Queensland, how the economy in the Sunshine State is holding up through the pandemic, and how the state is feeling about climate change policy.

In this episode of The Economists' Corner, CEDA Chief Economist Jarrod Ball is joined by Namali Mackay and Peter Horn of Austrade in a discussion about how trade is holding up in the UK and Europe, climate change's impact on trade deals, Australia's economic dependence on China, and the global impacts of the US election.