Thu 4 Jun 2026 16.00 AEST
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
With what little economic growth there is being driven by data centres, is it really a net positive for most Australians?
On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss the decision to lift minimum and award wages and what the latest GDP figures mean for Australian households.
This discussion was recorded on Thursday 4 June 2026.
Support the research powerful interests fear. Make a tax-deductible donation to the Australia Institute’s End of Financial Year Appeal before 30 June.
Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut
Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @elinorjohnstonleek
Show notes:
Australia’s GDP figures are meaningless when the boom in datacentres means destroying jobs and the climate by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (May 2026)
Clouded Future: Managing the risks of the data centre boom, Climate Council (June 2026)
Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions
We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au. Subscribe to Dollars & Sense on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
If you want to understand the limitations of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of wellbeing, then the latest figures for the March quarter are a great example. The overall picture saw the economy grow by 0.3% for the March quarter and by 2.5% for the last year. This shows slow growth but not as slow as some were predicting.
Last week’s AFR Rich List again exposed the scale of wealth concentration in Australia, revealing billionaire wealth grew by $50,000 per minute - more than the average childcare worker earns. This increase alone could lift nearly 1 million people out of poverty.
