Economics for the people (Part 1)

Ross Gittins is an Australian institution: he’s been writing economics columns for Fairfax for 40 years and has had a ringside seat to 40 budgets, 16 federal elections, and the coming and going of 13 treasurers and 8 Prime Ministers. Here he speaks to Simon Smart about his memoir, Gittins: A Life among Budgets, Bulldust, and Bastardry. Among other things, they cover the seismic changes he’s seen happen in Australian politics and society, the enduring influence his Salvation Army upbringing has had on him, and what the future of journalism might – and should – look like.