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The growth of cyber-crime is considered to be the biggest challenge facing Australian businesses.

Collectively cyber-attacks cost the economy $42 billion dollars last year, with ransomware the most disruptive type of hack, costing $3 billion.

So what is the government doing? And what can organisations do, both to lower their risk of attack, and if the hackers succeed in accessing their systems?

Guests

Nick Espinosa, Chief Security Fanatic, Security Fanatics

Dr Jay Jeong, Senior Research Fellow, University of Melbourne

Dr David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security, Griffith University

David Cullen, National Director of Advocacy, CISO Lens

Abi Bradshaw, Head of the Australian Signals Directorates Cyber Security Centre

New research suggests that the increase in vaping across Australia will cost the health system an extra $180 million each year and that’s a conservative figure.

Vaping has been framed as a way to stop smoking tobacco, however it can also be a gateway to taking it up. It’s estimated that 13 per cent of people who vape transition to cigarettes.

The Australian government has called vapes a public health menace and introduced restrictive anti-vaping policies. But are these policies intended to drive positive change giving rise to a dangerous black-market?

Guests:

Professor Louisa Collins, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Dr James Martin, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Deakin University

Becky Freeman, Associate Professor of Public Health, Sydney University

Twice a year most Australians are made to deliberately mess with our body clocks. When we go into daylight saving and when we come out.

Many of us love the longer summer evenings. What we don’t love is the sleep adjustment that makes us feel tired, fuzzy and out of sorts.

There are plenty of arguments about whether daylight saving is a good or bad thing.

So in this episode we look at the costs and benefits and whether it’s time to rethink the concept.

Guests:

Dr Thomas Sigler, Associate Professor, University of Queensland

Allison Schrager, Economist & Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute

Dr Yevgeny Mugerman, Senior Lecturer, Bar-Ilan University

Dr Jayanta Sarkar, Associate Professor, Queensland University of Technology

As we head into Easter you may have noticed the price of your seasonal sweet treats like chocolate bunnies and eggs are a bit higher than last year.

The main reason is the price of cocoa beans or actually, the price of cocoa futures. They’ve skyrocketed by more than 100% in 2024 alone and tripled over the past year.

But why is that and will we be prepared to keep paying higher prices for the sweet stuff?

Guests

Tina Angelidis: Co-Owner, Adora Chocolates

Pia Piggott: Associate Analyst, Rabobank

Professor John Dumay: Accounting & Finance, Macquarie Business School

Paul Zahra: CEO, Australian Retailers Association 

Check out the Chocolate Scorecard:

 https://www.chocolatescorecard.com/

In the country’s most expensive housing markets, family help and the ‘bank of mum and dad’ is increasingly necessary for younger people to buy homes. But could this entrench and perpetuate lasting advantage for those already part of the property-owning class?

Guests

Dr Julia Cook: Senior lecturer, Sociology, University of Newcastle

Dr Laurence Troy: Senior lecturer in Urbanism, University of Sydney

Dr Monique McKenzie: Post doctoral research associate, University of Sydney

Sophie Renton: Managing Director at social research firm, McCrindle.

Innovation sparks thoughts of tech giants, inventions and Silicon Valley. While those companies in Cupertino may be good at generating extreme wealth, they’re not so good at spreading it across the communities they benefit from.

Other places do better, particularly Switzerland, Sweden and Austria. What can we learn from them?

Guest:

Neil Lee, Author, Innovation For The Masses: How To Share The Benefits Of The High-Tech Economy