Follow The Money

No one knows what’ll happen at the November midterms or the next presidential election. Is the Australian government prepared for the worst-case scenario?
On this episode of Follow the Money, Dr Emma Shortis joins Glenn Connley to discuss the upcoming midterm elections in the United States, how the Trump administration has been chipping away at the guardrails of American democracy, and whether the Australian government is prepared for the possibility of disputed elections in its major alliance partner.
This episode was recorded Tuesday 21 July.
Guest: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis
Host: Glenn Connley, Senior Media Advisor, the Australia Institute // @glennconnley
Show notes:
After America: Australia and the new world order by Emma Shortis, Australia Institute Press (May 2025)
Trump administration chips away at independent media, faith in democracy, After America, the Australia Institute (July 2026)
Christopher Pyne declares AUKUS 'unstoppable', and says Parliament shouldn't vote on it, The Point (July 2026)
Trump’s tragedy: the US becomes an autocracy and the presidency, a dictatorship by Emma Shortis, The Conversation (October 2025)
Theme music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au. Subscribe to Follow the Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
Support Follow the Money & the research powerful interests fear: https://theaus.in/4vs6XeO
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Introducing The Australia Institute's new podcast series, What's the Point? with Richard Denniss.
Subscribe to the show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
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On this episode of What’s the Point?, Richard Denniss discusses how global gas industry has pulled off the greatest con in Australia’s history, and why Australians are living with the consequences. He spells out the simple steps we need to take to fix it. 

This episode was recorded on Friday 10 July.

Host: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss

Host: Anna Chang, Managing Editor, The Point // @annachang
Show notes:

A National Plebiscite for a 25% Gas Export Tax, the Australia Institute

More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, Australia Institute Press (forthcoming)

Climate Integrity Summit 2026 tickets

For more research and analysis, visit The Point.
Support Follow the Money & the research powerful interests fear: https://theaus.in/4vs6XeO
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Denniss and Amy Remeikis discuss the dramatic changes in Australia’s political landscape since Labor’s landslide election victory.
In May 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the Labor Party to a historic victory and the Liberal Party suffered its worst result since World War 2. But with the rise of One Nation at home and crises multiplying abroad, the world already looks very different to how it did at the election.
On this episode of Follow the Money, Australia Institute co-CEO Richard Denniss, Chief Political Analyst Amy Remeikis and Democracy & Accountability Director Bill Browne discuss what’s changed in Australian politics since the last election and where it might go from here.
This episode was recorded live on Thursday 9 July.
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Pre-order More Fool Me: How the gas industry tricked Australia by Richard Denniss, the latest Vantage Point essay from Australia Institute Press. Use the code ‘FOOLME’ on a four-edition Vantage Point subscription to receive a free copy of Richard’s book, Econobabble.
Guest: Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer, the Australia Institute // @richarddenniss
Guest: Amy Remeikis, Chief Political Analyst, the Australia Institute // @amyremeikis
Host: Bill Browne, Director, Democracy & Accountability, the Australia Institute // @browne90
Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett
Show notes:
Dead Centre: How political pragmatism is killing us by Richard Denniss, Australia Institute Press (August 2025)
There is no such thing as a safe seat | Fact sheet, the Australia Institute (October 2024)
Theme music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au. Subscribe to Follow the Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
Support Follow the Money & the research powerful interests fear: https://theaus.in/4vs6XeO
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

States and territories are missing out on tens of billions in revenue each year because the GST isn’t growing as promised.
On this episode of Follow the Money, Rod Campbell and Matt Grudnoff join Ebony Bennett to discuss the reasons why the GST hasn't grown as promised, how exemptions for private schools and private insurance exacerbate inequality, and how governments can ensure they’re providing the high-quality services Australians deserve.
This episode was recorded on Tuesday 7 July.
Check out the new Australia Institute podcast series, What’s the Point? with Richard Denniss. It’s available now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your favourite shows.
Guest: Rod Campbell, Research Director, the Australia Institute // @rodcampbell
Guest: Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, the Australia Institute // @mattgrudnoff
Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett
Show notes:
The cost of slow growth in GST revenue. The growing problem of short-changing the states by Matt Grudnoff, the Australia Institute (September 2025)
GST Reform: How to stop the states being short-changed by Richard Denniss, Matt Grudnoff & Dave Richardson, the Australia Institute (July 2025)
Theme music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au. Subscribe to Follow the Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
Support Follow the Money & the research powerful interests fear: https://theaus.in/4vs6XeO
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia’s flagship climate policy is failing to drive actual emission reductions.
On this episode of Follow the Money, the authors of new Australia Institute research, Dr Fergus Green and Frances Medlock, join Glenn Connley to discuss the major failures of the Safeguard Mechanism, the dodgy “carbon offsets” at the heart the scheme, and what can be done to drive down emissions.
This episode was recorded on Tuesday 23 June.
Guest: Fergus Green, co-author of ‘Safeguarding the fossil fuel industry?’ and Associate Professor, University College London // @fergusgreen
Guest: Frances Medlock, co-author of ‘Safeguarding the fossil fuel industry?’ and policy and law reform lawyer
Host: Glenn Connley, Senior Media Advisor, the Australia Institute // @glennconnley
Show notes:
Safeguarding the Fossil Fuel Industry? How Carbon Offsetting Undermines the Safeguard Mechanism by Fergus Green and Frances Medlock, the Australia Institute (June 2026)
The dodgy, so-called “offsets” that undermine Australia’s central climate policy by Fergus Green and Frances Medlock, The Point (June 2026)
Koalas Covering for Coal? Dirty Forest Offset Plan Would Mean More Fossil Fuels, the Australia Institute (June 2026)
Giant gas project earns $90m in ‘free’ carbon offsets by Ryan Cropp, Australian Financial Review (June 2026)
Here are 23 Times Carbon Offsets Were Found to be Dodgy, the Australia Institute (January 2024)
World’s biggest miner BHP backtracks on climate action with key projects put on ice, leaked documents reveal by Christopher Knaus and Adam Morton, Guardian Australia (May 2026)
Theme music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au. Subscribe to Follow the Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
Support Follow the Money & the research powerful interests fear: https://theaus.in/4vs6XeO
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.