Christopher Mote

In this week’s Talking Business Analysis, RMIT economist Alberto Posso talks about wages growth and the differential between male and female wages. He observes a sizable gender gap still exists in Australia and looks at some reasons that explain this disparity.

This week’s Talking Business guest is the distinguished businessman and nuclear physicist, Dr. Ziggy Switkowski. He talks with Leon and Garry about his agenda as the incoming Chancellor of RMIT University, and explains why, in light of climate change, nuclear power is the most reliable energy source for Australia’s future.

Everywhere this week, companies have been taking advantage of a red-hot Australian dollar to engage in mergers and acquisitions. Leon and Garry talk about AMP and France's AXA SA bidding on AXA Asia Pacific, Brambles buying the Dutch IFCO Systems, OneSteel buying business from AngloAmerican, and more, plus all the latest news in this Talking Business podcast.

Commonwealth Bank raises its mortgage rate on top of the RBA’s interest rate hike. Meanwhile the inflation index for Australia is picking up. And Joe Hockey appears to be on a winner with his plans to control the banks: he and the Government are now in a game of one upmanship to bring the banks into line. Leon and Garry discuss all these headlines and more in this news podcast.

In this interview, Origin Energy Managing Director Grant King talks about his company’s plans for the future concerning the carbon tax and renewable energy, as well as the proposed hydroelectric project in conjunction with Papua New Guinea.

RMIT economist Jonathan Boymal talks about interest rate rises, retail figures and falling building approval data. He sees evidence of high consumer confidence, but also observes a degree of risk aversion and cautious selectivity in the spending habits of consumers.

In this week’s Talking Business interview, Jason Castan talks about his company Never Can Tell, an app developer for Apple’s iOS platform used in the iPhone and iPad – and one of many companies named after snippets from Pulp Fiction.

The top business story of late has been the Singapore Exchange’s bid to take over the Australian Securities Exchange. Leon and Garry examine the growing political opposition to the bid and the conditions under which the Government might approve the merger.

In this podcast, RMIT Economist Alberto Posso talks about misleading inflation figures and job market data. While the consumer price index is slightly up, utility prices have jumped and may hurt working families without some short-term government intervention.

Not even a sore throat can keep Garry away from the news desk this week. He and Leon discuss the near-certain likelihood of an interest rate rise before the Melbourne Cup, as well as James Packer's surprise sharemarket raid on the Ten Network and its consequences, plus all the latest business news in this episode of Talking Business.

Five young entrepreneurs walk into a room. None of them have ever met before. They have 24 hours to brainstorm, design, program and implement a unique web application or business – and then introduce it to the world. It’s no joke. It’s the formula that defined the latest Sydney StartupCamp. Not much sleep was had, but in the end each group’s perseverance paid off: the ten participating teams now represent ten brand new businesses.

RMIT Economist Sinclair Davidson looks at the ABS report showing only a slight decline in the total number of businesses in Australia. He criticises an Opposition proposal to rein in the banks and weighs the pros and cons of a plan for the post office to operate financial shopfronts.

Young Australians may not be disowning their mobiles or leaving Facebook in droves, but they are learning how to keep social technology in check, as a report on youth marketing suggests. The study reveals a snapshot of the four million Australians between the ages of 16 and 30 as a tech-savvy, consumerist-minded generation with a mighty purchasing power.

Talking Business is a podcast review of the Australian economy, presented by seasoned business journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker, produced in association with the RMIT College of Business. In this podcast, RMIT economist Jonathan Boymal talks about flat to declining housing and lending finance, indicating that housing will not be driving the Australian economy for some time.

In this podcast, Leon and Garry talk about the soaring Australian dollar with the NAB predicting it will hit $US1.10 in the next six months. Treasurer Wayne Swan warns that it could erode tax revenue with manufacturing, agriculture and tourism the hardest hit. Exporters are calling for government assistance to offset the impact of a strong dollar.

In this week's Talking Business interview, Leon and Garry speak with Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull, former Opposition leader and current shadow spokesman for telecommunications and broadband. He criticises the Government’s plan for the National Broadband Network as too expensive and lacking in any cost-benefit analysis. Calling the NBN an effective monopoly that will make any competition impossible, Mr. Turnbull endorses incremental improvements to the existing network as a fiscally responsible policy.

Recently, I was in the market for a good business plan for my mobile account. I found Telstra the best in terms of network coverage, so I decided to give them a call to see if they could sweeten the deal. Happily, instead of the advertised three months of credit, I was offered six months. "Yes, sign me up!" Then, the salesperson said something very amusing...

Talking Business is a podcast review of the Australian economy, presented by seasoned business journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker, produced in association with the RMIT College of Business. In this podcast, RMIT economist Alberto Posso talks to Leon and Garry about retail trade and engineering construction figures.

Australian franchises and small businesses are increasingly favoured by overseas investors, especially from China, according to a recent report. The study also highlighted the benefits of pursuing Gen Y franchisees.

In this podcast, Garry and Leon look at the Reserve Bank’s decision to keep interest rates on hold – for now. But the big four banks will give the RBA until next month to raise rates, or they say they will go it alone. In other news, the Department of Finance looks at $2.4 billion in cuts to pay for the pledges it made during its negotiations with the Independents, and the Housing Industry Association predicts a steep fall in housing starts as the federal stimulus measures fade.