Intergenerational Warfare

The divide between generations is becoming an increasingly apparent faultline in our society.

Baby Boomers came of age during an era of unprecedented economic prosperity, but their children have become adults in a set of drastically different circumstances. Over recent decades, we’ve seen a widening gap between rich and poor, with access to the property market tipped largely in favour of older generations. The workforce has changed drastically, too, with younger people competing in a more fragmented, casualised market – one that discriminates against older workers.

Perhaps it’s time for us all to reconsider our expectations. Can we continue with an economic model that’s predicated on the idea of endless growth? And can we do it while addressing younger generations’ environmental concerns and coping with the economic challenges of an ageing population? Do younger Australians even want what the Baby Boomers have had anyway?

Host Sally Warhaft, Grattan Institute CEO and policy expert John Daley and influential banker and author Satyajit Das will explore these questions and more, in a conversation about change, market forces and aspirations.