This Monday marks the 50th anniversary of Victoria’s Hazelwood Power Station, which in 2005 was named the most polluting operating station in the developed world. Earlier this year a toxic fire at the Hazelwood coal mine burned for 45 days! Energy technology has changed a lot since the sixties. Isn’t it time Australia’s energy sources

The problems of energy poverty are real and large. The coal industry says that “coal is the answer to energy poverty”. However, when coal companies contribute to energy poverty alleviation they ironically use alternative energy sources. Even coal companies DON’T use coal to provide electricity to the world’s poor. 

The Government is moving to lower the renewable energy target, despite strong support for investment in cleaner energy sources. Recent research by The Australia Institute shows an overwhelming 90 per cent of people want more solar power in the nation’s electricity mix. If the rainy UK can produce 5000GW of solar, why can’t Australia?

How big is the coal business in Queensland? We looked into it and it turns out it’s small business!96% of Queensland revenue is NOT from coal and 99% of people ARE NOT employed in coal.

Mining lobbyists have lately been desperate to find a way to dismiss our research into state mining subsidies. But we’re not the only ones concerned about the real costs of subsidising the mining industry. We’ve put together a little quiz – who said what about state mining subsidies?

The average mining worker pays a higher tax rate than the average mining company. Big mining. Big profits. Low taxes

Those greeny lefties at Queensland treasury at it again, making big mining and their lobbyists at the minerals councils look like they’re not being altogether honest about the subsidies they receive.

The Minerals Council has been putting out some pretty vile images about us lately, but, as usual, we like to stick with the facts. This one’s from QLD Treasury.

Dick Warburton’s Renewable Energy Review was meant to come back with a way to scrap the RET & make electricity cheaper. Instead, it found that scrapping the RET would make electricity more expensive. It went ahead and recommended the two options that will costs consumers the most. Renewable energy – too important to dick around

Over 60 economists from universities and institutions around Australia have signed a statement calling on the government to stop citing a ‘budget emergency’ in Australia. Australia does not face any present or imminent debt crisis – despite what the Government’s rhetoric would have the public believe. The language of crisis has been used to justify a

To mark their first twelve months in office, The Australia Institute has stripped the Abbott Government’s commitments down to their birthday suits to determine exactly how they are viewed in the community. It isn’t all good.

Apologising for his remarks about poor people not owning cars or driving, Treasurer Joe Hockey assured us all that he had been fighting for the most disadvantaged all his life. His budget will still impact most heavily on the most vulnerable in our community. Stop helping, Joe.

Discussing population has always been fraught in Australia, but there are some difficult questions that go along with our population growth. How can we provide housing without just increasing urban sprawl? Who is planning for the extra services we need, such as hospitals and public transport? 

….And it’s COAL, coal for Australia!!! This is the race we really can’t be proud of but we’re running ahead of other Commonwealth countries in CO2 emissions. Big mining is bringing home the coal medal for Australia in the very serious game of energy generation.

It is important to understand the impacts of deregulation – who can and can’t access higher education as it becomes more expensive, and what that can mean for our community.

With all the focus on the carbon & mining taxes last week, the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) amendments got through with little attention. If you’re not sure where you sit on FoFA, we’ve developed this handy little quiz to help you out.

Turns out, Australians love renewable energy. We really don’t like coal-fired power. And we think the government should be supporting the expansion of renewable energy, not scrapping the RET. Source:  Fighting Dirty on Clean Energy

Tackling inequality is a political choice, not an economic problem. In a country that has long prided itself on being the land of the ”fair go” the gap between those who have much, and those who have little continues to grow. The nature and extent of inequality is the choice of policy makers. We have

The Renewable Energy Target (RET) is working hard at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and in a few years the price of electricity will be lower than it would be without it. It has been blamed for energy price rises again this week but our research shows it’s being made a scapegoat. Sources: Fighting Dirty on

On top of the State subsidies that big coal gets, there’s also $4.5 billion flowing their way in subsidies from the Federal government every year. Australian coal isn’t just burning at home, it’s exporting climate change. Source: Mining the age of entitlement

The Minerals Council says mining receives zero dollars in subsidies. We’ve gone through the last six years of State budget papers to see, for the first time, how much does actually flow to the mining industry from State governments. It’s a long way from zero dollars. And it’s money that could be spent on services

Think the coal industry is vital to the NSW economy? Think again – if we were relying on coal royalties to fund schools, police and hospitals, they would run for less than three weeks!  Source: Seeing through the dust

Based on Mr Hockey’s speech to the Sydney Institute last night, his budget has failed the fairness test. Maybe he shouldn’t be making those education cuts?

Budget 2014’s winners and losers …. check out who’s doing Hockey’s “heavy lifting” 

The Commission of Audit was by business for business, based on lots of mistruths. Here are just a couple. For more info read our People’s Commission of Audit – the one that puts the type of society we want first, rather than the wish list of business.  Source: Auditing the auditors

Prime Minister Abbott is searching for savings. Treasurer Hockey says corporate welfare must cease. TAI is here to help! We’ve identified four areas where multi-billion dollar savings – more than $40 billion per annum – could be found.

Busting the CSG jobs myth. The coal seam gas industry likes to exaggerate its economic importance yet ignore community concerns about health and environmental impacts. Source: Fracking the future

How much is the gender pay gap costing you?The pay gap is stuck at 17.4% and it’s predominantly women that have time out for caring responsibilities. On average a woman earns $1.4 million LESS in her lifetime! International Women’s Day is a call to action.