News & Analysis
Articles & Opinions
Is there a benefit to coming first on the ballot?
Today the AEC promised “bingo cages, blindfolds and balls” – in other words, they finalised the candidates for the upcoming federal election, and randomly decided which order they will be displayed on the ballot paper.
Never mind Liberal v Labor – right now, it’s Big Gas v the rest
Australia is one of the world’s largest gas exporters. We send around 80% of our gas overseas. More than half of the gas we export doesn’t even earn royalties or resources rent tax. We are literally giving away our gas resources.
Postal vote applications – the number 1 source of complaints during election campaigns
Have you received a postal vote application form in the mail?
Did you wonder why it was bundled with material promoting a political party?
Or why the return address was a political party HQ, not the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)?
Election entrée: Australia is a world leader in electing Independent MPs
Independent MPs are not new to Australian politics.
Election entrée: First preferences of different governments
It’s funny that we call single-party government “majority” government, because no one party or coalition has won a majority of the first-preference or primary vote since 1975.
Off the Charts
The Liberal Party’s proposed funds are just boondoggles of budgetary make believe
The announced funds are an exercise in dodgy budgeting and do nothing to properly tax Australia’s mining and gas companies.
Uni Canberra is spending big on things not needed, while cutting staff to save money
Australia’s beleaguered university sector is never far from the headlines these days. Former Labor leader and current University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Bill Shorten probably doesn’t envy his former ministerial colleagues who are currently on the campaign trail, but nonetheless, he’s in the news today. The Canberra Times reports that Shorten is announcing a new voluntary
Coal Mine Tracker
Since May 2022, the Federal Environment Minister has approved 10 new coal mines or expansions.
There are 22 additional proposals for new or expanded coal mines currently waiting for Federal Government approval.
If approved, the lifetime emissions from all 32 projects would be equivalent to keeping all of Australia’s coal-fired power stations operating for an additional 95 years.
Hunter Valley Mine Watch
No new coal mines are needed in the Hunter Valley. Avoiding dangerous climate change requires keeping coal in the ground, and with the world moving away from coal as an energy source new coal mines will simply compete with existing coal mines for a declining market.
Total coal production gap
Rehabilitation cost shortfall
HeatWatch
HeatWatch puts current Australian research about temperature increases due to global warming into context, using data from the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO.
Adelaide: HeatWatch projects up to 49 days over 35°C per year by 2090
Latest videos
Australian conservatives are falling to pieces over Trump
How climate change fuels the cost of living crisis
Actually though, what the hell is going on in the economy?
Australia DOES NOT NEED new gas projects
How come the gas industry pays no tax? Richard Denniss
Big gas is taking the piss