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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.

Worrisome Signs Series

Economic pessimism has set in – but there are reasons for Australians to be hopeful

Jun 29, 2026 07:28 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Feeling gloomy about the future? Youre not alone. New data shows economic pessimism is growing in Australia, and the implications reach far beyond the hip pocket. The latest Lowy Institute poll shows a sharp decline in...

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...

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Economy

Wall Street Ends Lower as AI Selloff, Iran Tensions Weigh on Tech Stocks

Wall Street closed sharply lower on Friday, ending a two-week winning streak as investors sold technology shares amid a continued pullback in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector and renewed concerns over inflation...

Brent Oil Jumps 16% for Best Week Since April as US-Iran Conflict Fuels Supply Fears

Global oil prices posted their strongest weekly gains in months on Friday as the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran heightened concerns over global crude supply and shipping disruptions through the...

Trump Threatens Higher Canada Tariffs as Wildfire Smoke Sparks U.S. Air Quality Crisis

President Donald Trump has threatened to impose higher tariffs on Canada, blaming the country for worsening air pollution across the United States as smoke from hundreds of active Canadian wildfires spreads south of the...

AI Chip Stocks Face Valuation Pressure as Investors Shift Toward Big Tech and Software

The explosive rally in AI semiconductor stocks is showing signs of cooling as investors question lofty valuations and whether the massive spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure can continue at its current pace....

Malaysia Q2 Economy Grows 5.8%, Beating Forecasts on Strong Tech Exports and Domestic Demand

Malaysias economy expanded by 5.8% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, outperforming market expectations and highlighting the countrys resilience despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainties. According to advance...

Politics

Ralph Norman Launches South Carolina Senate Bid After Lindsey Graham’s Death

U.S. Representative Ralph Norman has announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina following the death of longtime Senator Lindsey Graham, setting up a competitive Republican primary to fill the vacant seat....

Cuban Dissident Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara Arrives in US After Prison Release

Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has arrived in the United States after completing a five-year prison sentence in Cuba, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The announcement marks a...

Ontario Premier Doug Ford Slams Trump Over Canada Wildfire Smoke Criticism

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has strongly criticized President Donald Trump for blaming Canadas forest management for wildfire smoke that has spread across parts of the United States, calling the remarks absolutely...

Iran Expands Gulf Attacks as U.S. Strikes Intensify, Oil Prices Surge

Iran widened its military campaign against U.S. allies in the Gulf on Saturday after the United States carried out a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets, marking another escalation in the...

Brazil Supreme Court Tightens Jair Bolsonaro House Arrest Ahead of Election

Brazils Supreme Court has imposed stricter restrictions on former President Jair Bolsonaro, suspending all non-essential visits to his residence for 30 days as the country moves closer to its October presidential election....

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

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...

Technology

Nationwide Data Center Protests Highlight Growing Backlash Against AI Expansion

Opposition to the rapid expansion of AI data centers spread across the United States on Saturday as activists staged 142 protests in 42 states, marking the first coordinated nationwide demonstration against the industrys...

DeepSeek Eyes $74 Billion Valuation Ahead of Planned China IPO

Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek is preparing a new fundraising round that could value the company at approximately 500 billion yuan ($74 billion) as it moves closer to a potential initial public offering...

SpaceX Eyes Pentagon AI Deal as Cloud Pricing Strategy Pressures CoreWeave

SpaceX briefly recovered some of its losses on Friday after a Wall Street Journal report said the aerospace company is negotiating a multi-billion-dollar agreement with the Pentagon to provide artificial intelligence...

Mikron H1 2026 Sales Fall 5.9% as Automation Weakness Weighs on Profit

Swiss automation and machining systems manufacturer Mikron Group AG reported lower first-half 2026 results as weaker demand in its Automation and Machining businesses offset strong growth in its Tool division. Despite the...

KAIST, Stanford Develop Self-Dressing Robot for Cleanrooms and Emergency Gear

Researchers from South Koreas Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Stanford University have developed an innovative self-dressing robotic technology that allows people to put on clothing without...