For decades, economic success has been measured by growth. Governments celebrate rising GDP. Businesses pursue expansion. Households are often encouraged to equate prosperity with consumption and accumulation.
But what if the real challenge of the 21st century is learning when enough is enough?
That question sits at the centre of a recent Voices of the New Economy conversation with environmental activist and Post Growth Australia podcast host Michael Bayliss. Drawing on more than a decade of activism, community organising, and public advocacy, Michael explores why the idea of post-growth is gaining momentum and what it means for the future of our economic system.
The problem with endless growth
At the core of post-growth thinking is a simple observation: an economy that must expand indefinitely cannot exist on a finite planet.
Modern economies are structured around continuous growth. GDP increases are treated as the primary indicator of success, and economic policies are often designed to stimulate expansion year after year.
Yet ecological systems do not operate according to those assumptions.
Michael describes the post-growth perspective as an umbrella for exploring alternatives to growth-dependent economics. Rather than insisting on a single model, the conversation includes approaches such as:
- Degrowth
- Steady-state economics
- Doughnut economics
- Dynamic balance frameworks
- Collapse preparedness
While these ideas differ in important ways, they all start from a shared premise: prosperity must be decoupled from perpetual expansion.
Post-growth thinking does not necessarily prescribe one definitive blueprint for the future. Instead, it invites societies to begin asking what economic systems might look like if they were designed to operate within ecological limits.
Bringing the conversation beyond academia
Michael launched the Post Growth Australia podcast during the COVID lockdowns, when many public conversations and events abruptly disappeared.
Like many activists at the time, he had been building momentum through talks, film screenings, and public events. When lockdown halted those activities, the podcast became a way to continue engaging with the movement and exploring ideas around post-growth economics.
At the time, many discussions about degrowth and ecological economics were still largely confined to academic circles. The podcast aimed to make these ideas more accessible by presenting them through informal conversations with activists, researchers, and practitioners.
Over the years, the show has featured voices from across the movement, exploring how post-growth thinking intersects with topics such as localisation, community resilience, ecological limits, and social wellbeing.
For Michael, the goal has always been simple: create space for conversations that challenge the assumption that economic growth is inevitable or necessary.
Why urban planning matters more than we think
One of the most overlooked aspects of economic systems, Michael argues, is urban planning.
The design of our cities and communities profoundly influences how we live. Suburban sprawl, car dependency, and resource-intensive housing developments often lock societies into high-consumption patterns.
When communities are designed around car travel, long supply chains, and dispersed infrastructure, living sustainably becomes difficult. Everyday activities require energy-intensive systems simply to function.
But the opposite can also be true.
Communities designed around walkability, shared spaces, local food production, and social infrastructure can make sustainable living easier and more natural. Medium-density housing, community gardens, repair workshops, and shared spaces create environments where collaboration and lower-impact lifestyles become the norm.
Urban design, in this sense, quietly shapes economic behaviour.
It determines whether people are pushed toward high consumption or supported in living within ecological limits.
Activism at the local level
Much of Michael’s work has involved grassroots organising and community engagement.
From urban gardening networks in Melbourne to environmental advocacy in Albany, Western Australia, his activism has often focused on local issues that reveal broader systemic challenges.
Local planning decisions, infrastructure projects, and land-use policies may appear small compared to national debates, but they often shape real outcomes for ecosystems and communities.
Participating in community consultations, joining resident groups, and supporting local environmental organisations are all ways individuals can influence how their communities evolve.
For those interested in shaping more sustainable cities and towns, these local spaces remain powerful arenas for change.
The role of art and culture in environmental movements
Beyond policy and activism, Michael also explores environmental themes through music.
He previously performed in the band Shock Octopus, which produced songs reflecting climate grief and ecological collapse. Today he performs with Mobile Zebra, a band based in Albany that blends ecological themes with folk music.
For Michael, music offers a form of catharsis — a way to process the emotional weight of environmental crises.
Art and culture have always played a role in social movements. Stories, songs, and creative expression often help people connect emotionally with issues that statistics alone cannot convey.
In that sense, cultural work can complement political and economic activism by reshaping how societies feel about the future.
A conversation that is only just beginning
Post-growth thinking challenges one of the most deeply embedded assumptions of modern society — that economic expansion must continue indefinitely.
Questioning that assumption can feel radical, but it may also be necessary as societies confront the realities of ecological limits.
Through the Post Growth Australia podcast and his broader activism, Michael Bayliss is helping bring these conversations into public spaces where more people can engage with them.
The future of the economy may not lie in designing a perfect alternative overnight.
It may instead begin with something simpler: recognising that growth cannot continue forever, and starting to imagine what comes next.
