The Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible technology today called on Amazon to mark its global marketing day, Black Friday, by ditching patents to increase the surveillance of its workers. According to an analysis by UNI Global, Amazon currently have patents on a range of technologies that will erode workplace privacy including: Augmented reality headsets that

New research from the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program shows that for each voter who was marked as voting more than once (accurately or otherwise), there were over 1,000 Australians who were entitled to vote but whose votes were not counted. New voter ID laws risk disenfranchising even more voters, for the sake of

The Australia Institute welcomes the decision by Victorian State Minister for Planning Richard Wynne to reject the Fingerboards Mineral Sands project proposed by Kalbar Resources. Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute, was an expert witness in the planning hearings that led to the rejection. He was called by community group Mine-Free Glenaladale. “We

The number of hours stolen from Australians by employers has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the average employee now providing eight full-time weeks of free work per year. 17 November 2021 marks Go Home on Time Day, run by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, and now in its thirteenth year. Key findings

Today’s announcement by Google of a $200 million per year technology fund is a great headline, but it is important to look behind the big numbers. Key Details: Google pays less than one per cent tax on annual earnings of about $5 billion. Simply paying tax on Australian earnings would deliver far more money to

New analysis shows that buried in the heart of the modelling for Scott Morrison’s ‘net zero plan’ is a carbon price that drives changes in new business investment, consumer behaviour and technological change. While the Morrison Government is adamant that it will not collect any revenue from this ‘phantom tax’, it will not protect consumers

Seven in 10 Australians want more legal protections for whistleblowers and say that whistleblowers make Australia a better place, finds new research by The Australia Institute and the Human Rights Law Centre. Key Findings: Over 7 in 10 Australians (71%) agree that whistleblower protections for public servants should be strengthened The vast majority of Australians

“If COP26 is judged on its ability to advance emissions reductions, then Glasgow has already moved the dial forward,” said Richie Merzian, Climate & Energy Program Director at the Australia Institute, from Glasgow. “Attempts to name and shame fossil fuels have been blocked for major fossil fuel producers in the UN, but finally a line

The Fossil Fuelled 5 examines five wealthy nations – the US, Canada, Norway, Australia and the UK – that have a widening gap between their rhetoric on climate action and their plans to expand the production of fossil fuels. The paper gives a snapshot of how each is undermining global efforts to address the climate

The Australia Institute has reviewed the Federal Government’s newly released Long-term emissions reduction plan: Modelling and Analysis. “The Federal Government’s climate modelling is like economic science fiction,” said Dr Richard Denniss, chief economist at The Australia Institute. “The claimed economic benefits come not from avoiding catastrophic climate change, that is ignored, but from a speculative $50 billion

The Morrison Government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with ‘technology not taxes’ is neither plausible nor original. New Australia Institute analysis shows that back in 1997 the Howard Government announced a similar plan, with no carbon price and no regulatory restrictions on fossil fuels, that failed to deliver more than 400 MT CO2-e of

The annual Climate Change Performance Index released today has ranked Australia last on climate policy, ranking in 64th place. Furthermore, Australia dropped four places to 58th out of 64 places overall in the index, ahead of only Korea, Chinese Taipei, Canada, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan. Australia received very low ratings for its performance across

“The Federal Government’s new Future Fuels Strategy will struggle to drive up electric vehicles sales and drive down transport emissions. Norway, the global leader on EVs, has driven the transition to cheaper, faster, and cleaner vehicles through credible policies and regulations,” said Richie Merzian, climate & energy program director at the Australia Institute. “The Prime

The COP26 Presidency has stated Monday 8 November in Glasgow will focus on the theme of adaptation, to ensure all countries enhance their resilience in the face of unavoidable climate impacts. Despite updating its National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy ahead of Glasgow, Australia remains especially at risk and lagging significantly behind other countries in

Independent think tank The Australia Institute has welcomed SA Labor’s commitment to repealing the state’s recently legislated EV Tax, if they win the next election. Key points: An EV Tax will come into force in South Australia in 2027, or when EVs make up 30% of new car sales, after government legislation passed the SA

Key Points: Overnight was a big ‘anti-coal’ day at Glasgow COP26. The UK has launched a new ‘Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement’, signed by 75 countries and non-state actors, including 44 countries. 21 countries are committing for the first time to phase out and not build or invest in new coal power, including

New research from the Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program reveals that planned new gas and coal projects in Australia would result in almost 1.7 billion tonnes of CO2e emissions annually – equivalent to building over 200 new coal power stations. This would be four times the amount of new coal power stations planned by

As Prime Minister Scott Morrison jets into Glasgow he faces renewed pressure to increase short term targets and phase out coal power. As the UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said in her COP26 opening remarks, “we need even more ambition and all nations on board, especially the highest emitters in the G20 responsible for around 80 per

The media and information industries have lost some 60,000 jobs in Australia over the last 15 years. With almost half of those jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research shows active policy supports are urgently needed to stabilise and protect the ‘public good’ function of journalism. A new report by the Australia Institute’s Centre