In this special episode, Momentum Media's Annie Kane sits down with Anja Pannek, the CEO of the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia, to unpack the big issues and opportunities facing the mortgage and finance broking industry in Australia.

Tune in to find out:

• Why the payroll tax issue is threatening industry and borrowers.
• The value of brokers to the economy and borrowers.
• Why she believes minimum broker education standards need to be raised.

And much more!

In this episode of the Momentum Media's Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by former secretary of home affairs, Mike Pezzullo, to unpack the precedent established by Beijing’s naval taskforce circumnavigating Australia and how to deal with more in the future.

The pair discuss a range of issues, including:

• The government’s response to, and the timeline behind the notice of the Chinese naval taskforce’s live-fire training exercises in the Tasman Sea.
• The tactical and strategic ramifications and shortfalls on display in the Australian Defence Force and government’s response to the taskforce.
• A suggested crash course program to rapidly accelerate Australia’s level of tactical and strategic preparedness within the next term of Parliament.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by Andrew Hastie, shadow minister for defence, to discuss the government’s response to the recent “gunboat” diplomacy by China.

The pair also discuss the following:

• Is the government trying to keep the Australian public calm by talking down the actions of the Chinese naval task force currently off the east coast of Australia?
• Does the Australian Defence Force have the tools and resources it needs to stand up to a great power adversary, particularly following the changes in posture and focus by the US government?
• What are the steps we need to take in order to make Australia less susceptible to coercion by a great power and build our resilience to make sure that Australia isn’t compromised in the event of conflict in the region?

Enjoy the podcast,

The Defence Connect team

On this episode of Momentum Media's Relative Return Unplugged, host Maja Garaca Djurdjevic is joined by AMP’s chief economist Shane Oliver to break down the Reserve Bank of Australia’s long anticipated rate cut to 4.1 per cent.

Is the central bank being overly cautious? What does this mean for inflation, the job market, and future rate moves? Tune in as the pair unpacks the economic and political implications of the decision – and what lies ahead for interest rates in 2025.

Listen as they discuss:

• The election timing speculation and economic uncertainties shaping the RBA’s decisions.
• Whether the RBA will continue easing, and when.
• The impact of the bank’s new two-board system on future monetary policy decisions.

In an exclusive interview with Momentum Media's financial services team members: Maja Garaca Djurdjevic and Keith Ford, shadow financial services minister Luke Howarth discusses the Coalition’s goals for financial advice.

In this conversation, Howarth shares his perspective on the current state of the sector, what a change in government would bring about for financial advice reform efforts, the prospect of super funds returning to advice, and what needs to change regarding the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort.

Tune in to hear the shadow minister’s vision for the advice profession ahead of next year’s federal election.

You’ll hear:

• What the Coalition’s plan to implement all the Quality of Advice Review recommendations means in practice.
• His plans to turn around what has been a contentious relationship between the advice profession and successive governments on both sides of politics.
• How Australia’s economy is looking following an extended period of high inflation and increased government spending.
• Whether the shadow minister is just talking a good game ahead of an election or if financial advice would be better off under a Coalition government.

In this episode of Momentum Media's Contested Ground podcast, special host Steve Kuper is joined by co-host Major General (Ret’d) Marcus Thompson and AMP’s chief economist, Shane Oliver, to discuss the latest economic data and what it means for the nation’s economic and national security.

The trio discuss the recently released Australian gross domestic product figures and the impact of Australia’s ailing economy on national security.

They also discuss:

• Australia’s collapsing productivity and the growth of record government spending on the national economy and the baked-in, long-term structural deficits that will characterise the future fiscal outlook for the country.
• The need to boost economic complexity and diversity to better prepare the nation to face the mounting geopolitical and “whole-of-nation” efforts being leveraged against Australia in this new multipolar world and how best to deliver such a monumental change.
• The urgent need for a serious national debate with the Australian public about the future of the country and its economic future and the intersection of national security.

In this episode of Momentum Media's Defence Connect Podcast, Mike Pezzullo, principal author of the 2009 Defence White Paper and former secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, joins host Steve Kuper to unpack how the Australian Defence Force can meet the demands of the nation’s uncertain security environment.

• The pair begin the podcast looking at the alternative global order, including an emerging Eurasian bloc which is seeing North Korean troops deployed in Russia and BRICS’ alternative financial system.
• They then examine geopolitical fractures between BRICS members and whether China is in an economic position to become a global hegemon.
• Pezzullo then analyses how Australia’s force structure is designed to overcome low-level threats, and why the country needs a new base level of Defence spending.
• Kuper and Pezzullo wrap up discussing efficiencies in domestic manufacturing and how technology can expedite the production of large-scale naval assets.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

In this episode of Momentum Media's Relative Return Unplugged, hosts Maja Garaca Djurdjevic and Keith Ford are joined by special guest Shane Oliver, chief economist at AMP, to break down what’s happening with the Trump trade and the broader global economy, and what it means for Australia.

Markets reacted quickly when it became clear that Donald Trump was set to win the US presidential election, with many seeking to capitalise on the expected corporate tax cuts and tariff hikes. However, messier economic conditions than in 2016 have dampened the party in some areas.

We take a look at the potential for volatility on the back of ongoing trade tensions between the US and China, whether the global economy will fare as poorly as some forecasts indicate, and how the Australian market is reacting to events both globally and locally.

Tune in to hear:

• Why tampering with the Future Fund’s mandate could be a slippery slope that ultimately compromises returns.
  Whether the government’s big-spending budgets have hindered efforts to curb inflation.
  What to expect from the Reserve Bank of Australia ahead of the upcoming federal election.