NEWS AND RESOURCES

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.