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Kate Griffiths

Associate, Grattan Institute

Kate Griffiths is a researcher at the Grattan Institute. Kate has previously worked for The Boston Consulting Group and for the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. Kate holds a Masters in Science from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the Australian National University.

The budget is full of good news, but good news isn’t the same as good management

May 16, 2024 01:44 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

This years budget has something for everyone, with very little in the way of cuts and no new taxes. Its a classic good news pre-election budget. Whether it is too good to be true hinges on whether this budget...

Political donations rules are finally in the spotlight – here’s what the government should do

Mar 19, 2024 11:28 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Australias political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its plan. Greater...

Treasurer Chalmers has a $70 billion a year budget hole: we've found 13 ways to fill it

Apr 12, 2023 03:23 am UTC| Economy Central Banks

No one likes spending cuts and tax hikes, but on our estimate the government will soon need more of them if they are going to make a dent in looming A$70 billion a year budget deficits. A new Grattan Institute report,...

All governments are guilty of running political ads on the public purse. Here's how to stop it

Oct 11, 2022 04:30 am UTC| Politics

If you watch TV or read the paper, youve probably seen ads spruiking the achievements of the federal or state government from the next big transport project to how theyre reducing the cost of living. While some government...

$177 million flowed to Australian political parties last year, but major donors can easily hide

Feb 02, 2022 08:58 am UTC| Politics

The Australian Electoral Commission has updated its database of financial disclosure information for 2020-21. This happens once a year and is keenly watched by political observers because it includes information about...

More than half of funding for the major parties remains secret — and this is how they want it

Feb 02, 2021 13:57 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Political parties in Australia collectively received $168 million in donations for the financial year 2019-20. Today, Australians finally get to see where some of the money came from with the release of data from the...

States and territories have improved integrity measures, but Commonwealth lags far behind

Nov 04, 2018 13:11 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

This week were exploring the state of nine different policy areas across Australias states, as detailed in Grattan Institutes State Orange Book 2018. Read the other articles in the series here. When it comes to cleaning...

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Economy

Australia Extends Fuel Sulphur Relaxation Amid Iran War Supply Disruptions

Australia has extended its temporary easing of fuel-quality standards through September, as ongoing disruptions from the Iran war continue to strain the countrys fuel supply chains. Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed...

IMF Warns Middle East War to Deepen Economic Divide Across Latin America and Caribbean

The ongoing Middle East conflict is expected to widen economic inequality across Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the International Monetary Fund. While oil-exporting nations stand to gain short-term...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady Amid Iran Peace Talks and BOJ Rate Hike Uncertainty

Asian currencies traded in a narrow range on Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of further U.S.-Iran peace negotiations, while the Japanese yen slipped after the Bank of Japans governor signaled little urgency to...

South Korea's Capital Markets Rebound as Foreign Investors Return

South Koreas financial markets are staging a powerful comeback, drawing foreign investors back after a turbulent March that saw billions in capital flee. A combination of easing Middle East tensions, surging demand for AI...

U.S. and Philippines to Build 4,000-Acre Tech Hub Under Pax Silica Initiative

The United States and the Philippines are set to develop a massive 4,000-acre (1,620 hectares) industrial hub as part of a growing Washington-led effort to secure global AI and semiconductor supply chains. The announcement...

Politics

UNICEF Condemns Killing of Aid Workers Delivering Water in Gaza

The United Nations childrens agency UNICEF has expressed outrage following the fatal shooting of two contracted truck drivers who were delivering clean water to families in the Gaza Strip. The deadly incident occurred on...

Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz Amid Fragile Ceasefire and Ongoing Nuclear Tensions

Iran has temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, sparking cautious optimism in global markets. However, Tehran issued a stark warning...

Trump Teases Imminent Release of UFO Documents After Government Review

President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administrations review of classified UFO-related materials has uncovered a number of interesting documents, with the first batch expected to be made public very soon....

South Korea Denies U.S. Intelligence Restrictions Over North Korean Nuclear Site Disclosure

South Koreas Unification Ministry stated Friday it has no knowledge of any formal U.S. protest or intelligence-sharing restrictions, following media reports suggesting Washington expressed frustration over a cabinet...

Peru Election 2025: Vote Count Delays Spark Calls to Remove Electoral Chief

Pressure is mounting on Perus electoral authority amid a slow and controversial vote count following the April 12 presidential election. Piero Corvetto, head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), is facing...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

Iran’s AI memes are reaching people who don’t follow the news – and winning the propaganda war

A Lego-style Iranian military commander raps over a gangster beat: Our inbox is flooded with Americans saying they dont watch the news. They listen to our songs instead since your media is full of shit. This is the opening...

OpenAI's $20 Billion Cerebras Deal Signals Massive AI Infrastructure Push

OpenAI is reportedly set to spend over $20 billion with AI chip startup Cerebras over the next three years, marking a significant expansion of an already substantial computing partnership. According to The Information, the...

Tesla's Terafab: AI Chip Factory Eyes Taiwan's Semiconductor Talent

Tesla is actively recruiting semiconductor engineers in Taiwan for its ambitious Terafab project a fully vertically integrated AI chip manufacturing facility that aims to consolidate logic, memory, packaging, testing, and...

Japan to Subsidize Sony's Image Sensor Plant in Kumamoto with $380 Million

The Japanese government has announced plans to provide Sony with subsidies of up to 60 billion yen, equivalent to approximately $380 million, to support the construction of an image sensor manufacturing facility in...

NiSource Signs Long-Term Energy Deals with Alphabet and Amazon to Power Indiana Data Centers

NiSource, a U.S. utility company, has secured a long-term energy supply agreement with an Alphabet subsidiary to power a major data center in northern Indiana. The announcement also included an expanded partnership with...