Tag: Talking Business Podcast

Leon and Garry talk about how Australians should be bracing themselves for more interest rate rises, possibly four, as the RBA manages the largest minerals boom since the 19th century. Meanwhile, the Aussie dollar soars to a two-year high, and while Australia’s commodity forecaster predicts a jump in commodity exports, consumers continue to tighten their belts.

Leon and Garry talk about rising business confidence masking patchy business conditions. Consumer sentiment has dropped and fewer people are taking out loans; however, more people are using their credit cards. Meanwhile, a new report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows Australians are wealthier and living longer.

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. It features interviews with prominent business leaders and expert analysis from RMIT academics. This week, Leon and Garry talk to the general manager of Docklands, David Young, about the progress of the Melbourne development.

RMIT economist Alberto Posso talks about the latest unemployment data and the issue of remittances from migrants sending money home to their families. Download this podcast to hear his take on how remittances can shape the government’s foreign aid policy.

In this podcast, RMIT professor Kosmas Smyrnios discusses the changing face of the Australian family business. He observes the difficulties business owners are facing and the reasons why younger generations are less inclined to inherit their parents’ firms.

Garry and Leon talk about the new Labor government just scraping back into office. Download the podcast to find out how it will affect the outcomes of Australia’s credit rating, the mining tax, the NBN and more, plus all the latest in business news.

RMIT economist Jonathan Boymal talks about the balance of payments, national accounts, building approvals and retail trade trends.

In this week’s interview, Leon and Garry talk to Shannon Cooper, entrepreneur and rental guru from the startup Rentoid. He shares what drives his passion and how his company, dubbed "the eBay of renting", enables users to rent out a wide range of products and services – everything from corporate jets to Rubik's Cubes.

In this podcast, Garry and Leon talk about the surprising growth in Australian GDP and soaring gross operating profits. Confidence among Australian farmers has reached a two and a half year high with rising commodity prices and winter rains. But unemployment is rising and companies are paying out less with dividends.

RMIT economist Alberto Posso presents his findings on unemployment trends based on numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. He says that a significant challenge for a recovering economy is reducing the number of underemployed workers who have been unable to find full-time work.

Mahesh Singhi and Baljinder Sharma of Singhi Advisors, an Indian investment consultancy based in Mumbai, were in Australia recently looking for likely places for their clients to make some money. Leon and Garry spoke to them about what they had learned and what they would be telling India’s growing list of millionaires looking for overseas investment.

This week’s podcast is abuzz with news about China. Leon and Garry discuss China’s overtaking Japan to become the world’s second biggest economy and the implications for Australia.

Leon and Garry talk about the business fallout from the election, particularly for the telecommunications industry. But whoever gets to be government will inherit a sluggish economy.

Today our guest is Katherine Howlett, founder and chief executive of the Blooms Group, a Melbourne-based mortgage broker that specialises in arranging finance for Australians and other expatriates working overseas. Now 31, Katherine has been an entrepreneur and property owner for more than 15 years.

RMIT economist Jonathan Boymal talks about the low wage price increases and cost of living increases.

In this podcast, economist Sinclair Davidson looks at the latest unemployment figures. He says the rise to 5.3% is not as bad as it seems because it shows the job market is picking up with more people looking for work.

This week’s episode of Talking Business features an interview with Craig Scroggie, vice-president and managing director for the Pacific of Symantec, the world’s largest data security company. Mr Scroggie talks about the changes that technology has wrought on the world, the opportunities it has brought for business, education, healthcare, entertainment and individuals and the growing criminal practices – fraud, identity theft and more – that lurk in its darker corners and threaten us all.

In this week’s podcast: Garry and Leon talk about the RBA holding interest rates at 4.5%. Despite that, evidence suggests that inflation is building a head of steam and economists expect interest rates of 5% by the end of the year. Plus, more on housing prices, the mining boom, and Optus’ advantage over Telstra.

RMIT economist Alberto Posso looks at the rapid increase in over-65-year-olds, which is three times more than the increase in younger people. He says this will put pressure on dependency ratios and economic growth. He says cuts to immigration are bad for the economy because they will put further pressure on dependency ratios.

In this podacst, Leon and Garry talk with Michael Lawrey, Executive Director for Networks and Technology for Telstra. Lawrey talks about the promise and opportunities of fibre optic technology, what we call high speed broadband, and the changes we can expect to see as Telstra moves away from being a provider of telecommunications infrastructure and becomes a service provider, and what those services might be.