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Aruna Sathanapally

Aruna Sathanapally

Chief Executive, Grattan Institute, Grattan Institute
Dr Aruna Sathanapally joined Grattan Institute as CEO in February 2024. She heads a team of leading policy thinkers, researching and advocating policy to improve the lives of Australians. A former NSW barrister and senior public servant, Aruna has worked on the design of public institutions, economic policy, and evidence-based public policy and regulation for close to twenty years.

Before joining Grattan, Aruna worked for the NSW Treasury for over five years, where she headed up analysis and advice across the macroeconomy division, state-owned corporations, state and commonwealth revenue, and health and justice reform. She led the 2021 NSW Intergenerational Report and led the economic analysis for the 2022 Women’s Economic Opportunities Review.

Aruna previously practised as a senior lawyer in the Civil Regulation group at the Australian Government Solicitor and then as a barrister at 12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers, specialising in cases involving complex economic evidence. Prior to returning to Australia 11 years ago, Aruna worked at McKinsey & Company’s London office with a range of private and public sector clients.

She holds arts (economics and politics) and law degrees from UNSW, where she graduated with the University Medal in Law, and two masters degrees in law and a doctorate from the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Menzies Scholar and John Monash Scholar. She has published internationally in the field of constitutional design and human rights and was appointed in 2015 as external legal adviser to the Parliamentary Joint Committee of Human Rights.

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Economy

Rotting sargassum is choking the Caribbean’s white sand beaches, fueling an economic and public health crisis

The Caribbeans sandy beaches, clear turquoise water and vibrant coral reefs filled with an amazing variety of sea creatures have long been the pride of the islands. The big three sun, sea and sand have made this...

Sierra Leone’s bushmeat markets pose serious health hazards – we studied two for six months to find solutions

You are walking through the bustling centre of Bo, Sierra Leones third largest city. Following the crowd, you turn off the main road onto a narrower thoroughfare and find yourself in an open-air market. Shelters...

Africa doesn’t have a choice between economic growth and protecting the environment: how they can go hand in hand

Heathrow Airport in the UK currently uses more energy than the entire west African country of Sierra Leone. Despite Africa accounting for less than 4% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, many of its countries face...

Spare us the talk about a wages explosion. There’s nothing wrong with lifting Australia’s lowest wages in line with inflation

What is it with the Coalition and wages? When, in the final days of the 2022 election campaign, the then opposition leader Anthony Albanese backed an increase in award wages to keep pace with inflation, his opposite...

Net zero is not just good science – it’s also a good deal for ordinary people

As the UK moves into a general election, a misinformed debate over the countrys climate transition and legally binding net zero targets risks further dividing people. Much of this debate in the UK focuses on the cost of...

Politics

Unmarred by Russian spying scandal, Austria’s far-right expected to cruise to victory in European elections

For the Freedom Party of Austria (FP), the weeks are going by like clockwork. The far-right party continues to top the polls. It is expected to clinch a comfortable victory in the European elections on 9 June with almost...

Indian election: Narendra Modi hasn’t delivered the expected landslide – where the BJP may have gone wrong

Narendra Modi may have led his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to a historic third term, but the landslide victory that many had expected failed to materialise. With half of the 640...

Iran: president’s death has set hardliners jostling for position to replace ageing supreme leader

The death of Irans president, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash in May plunged Iran into political uncertainly. Raisis death has set off an intense power struggle within the Islamic Republic. Irans consitution...

Modi’s narrow win suggests Indian voters saw through religious rhetoric, opting instead to curtail his political power

Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, had hoped for a landslide victory in the countrys six-week general election the largest display of democracy, by far, in a year of voting around the world. But with results...

Science

Eye exercises to improve sight – is there any science behind them? An ophthalmologist explains why you shouldn’t buy the hype

You may have seen advertisements claiming to eliminate the need for eyeglasses through vision therapy or vision training basically, eye exercises. These exercises include putting pressure on or palming the eye; eye...

The universe’s biggest explosions made some of the elements we are composed of. But there’s another mystery source out there

After its birth in the Big Bang, the universe consisted mainly of hydrogen and a few helium atoms. These are the lightest elements in the periodic table. More-or-less all elements heavier than helium were produced in the...

Engineering cells to broadcast their behavior can help scientists study their inner workings

Waves are ubiquitous in nature and technology. Whether its the rise and fall of ocean tides or the swinging of a clocks pendulum, the predictable rhythms of waves create a signal that is easy to track and distinguish from...

If an asteroid hit Earth and all the humans died, would the dinosaurs come back?

Many, many years ago dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Six-year-old Aga knows that a meteorite wiped them out… but could another meteorite bring them back? You can read a print version of this story...

Ancient DNA from an extinct native duck reveals how far birds flew to make New Zealand home

Ask a bird lover if they have heard of the extinct giant moa or its ancient predator, Haasts eagle, and the answer will likely be yes. The same cant be said of New Zealands extinct, but equally unique, mergansers a group...

Technology

Huawei’s Rumored Tri-Fold Smartphone Faces Advanced Software and Thermal Management Challenges

Huaweis rumored tri-fold smartphone is reportedly facing significant challenges, including software adaptation issues and chipset thermal management problems, potentially delaying its release. Huaweis Tri-Fold...

Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade: Report Identifies Key Risks for 2025 Launch

A recent report by Liquid Collective and Obol highlights significant risks associated with Ethereums Pectra upgrade in 2025, emphasizing the need for client, operator, and cloud diversity to maintain network stability and...

Crypto Community Erupts as Top Analyst Calls Memecoin Investments Gambling

Justin Bons, the founder of Cyber Capital, sparked a revolt in the crypto community by labeling memecoin investments as gambling, igniting heated debates and diverse reactions from enthusiasts. Crypto Community Reacts...

Dogecoin Developer Urges Community to Assess Investment Risks in New Warning

Mishaboar, a key Dogecoin developer, has urged traders to conduct thorough risk assessments before investing in the volatile cryptocurrency, emphasizing responsible investment practices. Dogecoin Developer Mishaboar...
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