As new Resources and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg announces that the $5 billion Northern Australia fund could be used to subsidise coal projects, including the Adani mine in the Galilee, research shows support ranging from 65% to 78% for a policy shift.  According to a series of polls, commissioned by The Australia Institute as part

Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) of government bill estimates only 88 Australian seafarer jobs will remain under the Department’s preferred option for policy change (table below). This represents a loss of 1,089 Australian seafarer jobs, or 93 per cent of the current workforce. A submission to the inquiry into Shipping Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 by The

The Queensland Treasurer, Curtis Pitt, has brought a welcome reality check to discussion about the Adani coal mine, pointing out the danger of overstating the importance of the mine to the state’s economy.  Queensland has workforce of 2.3 million people. Adani’s own economic expert has said the mine will create around 1400 jobs, or a

The Abbott Government’s move against environmental law is an unjustified overreaction according to a review of legal action under the EPBC act by The Australia Institute. 3rd party appeals to the Federal Court have only affected 0.4% of all projects referred under the legislation.  — Download briefing paper available below — “Proper third party appeals

Since Tony Abbott took office, 101,900 more Australians are unemployed, but the Prime Minister is determined to create a new scapegoat – that of environmental legal victories – rather than face up to fundamental issues in the economy. “We’re seeing a deliberate effort from the Government to blame environmental law for job losses, despite all

A new report has exposed Australia’s wine tax system as corporate welfare, with Australians paying a billion dollars a year to subsidise the wine industry. Unlike beer and spirits, which are taxed based on their alcohol content, wine is taxed on its wholesale value. As a result, cheap wine attracts far less tax than beer

Queensland spends less on social services than the rest of Australia in per capita terms, a new report from The Australia Institute has revealed. (Table 1 below) The state is the nation’s biggest spender of public funds in one area though; subsidies for mining projects.  Currently public schools face a $268 million maintenance backlog, and

Senators Jacqui Lambie, Glenn Lazarus, Ricky Muir and Nick Xenophon will today call on the government and opposition to back broadening access to the Pension Loan Scheme (PLS) to any retirees who wish to use it. Press Conference: Senators together with The Australia Institute executive director, Richard Denniss, will be available for comment 10:45am, APH

The Guardian reported this morning International Monetary Fund calculations that world fossil fuel subsidies are running at $5.3 trillion dollars annually, or $10m per minute. In Australia, successive state and federal governments have given subsidies in the form of diesel fuel rebates, infrastructure funding and royalties discounts worth billions. TAI director of research, Rod Campbell,

The Reserve Bank of Australia today cut interest rates to a new record low of 2%, but cited surging house prices in Sydney as a concern. In the lead up to next week’s Federal Budget, the Government has ruled out any changes to generous subsidies for real estate investors, in particular the Capital Gains Tax

The latest modelling of Superannuation Tax Concession distribution shows the inequality is growing as the cost to the budget surges. $12.2 billion, 41% of all concessions, are going to the top 10% of households. $17.8 billion, or 60%, go to the top 20%. “That leaves 80% of Australians to share the remaining 40% of what

As debate continues over ‘means testing the family home’, new polling shows 1 in 2 Australians think the government should require retirees with expensive homes to fund their own retirement incomes, through an existing but little known government scheme called the Pension Loans Scheme (PLS). “The PLS is essentially a government provided reverse mortgage, but

While a large number of people take advantage of negative gearing for residential investment properties in Australia, the majority of the benefits, in dollar terms, are more narrowly focused.  A paper released yesterday by The Australia Institute showed how the benefit of negative gearing was distributed by income and aged groups. Today TAI released data

Modelling from NATSEM featured in a new report from The Australia Institute and GetUp, reveals that more than half (55%) of the benefit of capital gains discount and negative gearing goes to the top 10% of income earners.   Australia is one of only three OECD countries with this type of negative gearing regime. Working together with

Richard Denniss, Executive Director of The Australia Institute and long-time advocate of overhaul to the super tax concessions scheme, has welcomed moves on the issue by the Australian Labor Party but says it needs to be the start, not the end of the conversation. “Providing generous tax concessions to people who are already far too

New modelling by NATSEM, commissioned by The Australia Institute, shows many of Australia’s wealthiest people pay negative tax, and it’s costing the budget bottom line $4.6 billion. Report available here. Like most tax loopholes, the ability to convert ‘surplus’ dividend imputation credits to cash delivers most of its benefits to the wealthiest, with almost half

A ‘Buffett Rule’ in Australia would limit the incentive for very high income earners to use excessive tax deductions and boost government revenue by $2.5 billion per year. The findings are outlined in a report from The Australia Institute: Closing the tax loopholes: A Buffett rule for Australia, which includes NATSEM modelling of a 35%

A new research paper from The Australia Institute reveals that home ownership rates in Australia are falling across all age groups, most significantly for people in their 50’s. Middle income earners are experiencing the sharpest decline in ownership rates.  The Australia Institute attended a housing roundtable hosted by Opposition Treasurer, Chris Bowen, in Sydney on

A tax on financial transactions, known as a “Tobin” tax, could protect superannuation investors, improve the operation of Australia’s capital markets and provide a source of tax revenue of over $1 billion per year, according to a policy brief from The Australia Institute. Tobin taxes or some form of financial transaction tax are in effect in

Australia has the fastest population growth of major developed countries, and projections show a reduced infrastructure spend per capita, putting huge pressure on major cities. “Since the 2000 Olympics the population of Australia has grown by 25 per cent. In fact, since the Sydney Olympics, Australia’s population has grown more than the entire population of

The Intergenerational Report is a deeply flawed document based on deeply flawed assumptions according to Dr Richard Denniss, Executive Director of the Australia Institute. “The Intergenerational report should provide an opportunity to start a conversation about the Australia we want to have in the coming decades, instead it simply tries to scare the public into

The Australia Institute (TAI) has challenged modelling and analysis used in a report from the Certified Practicing Accountants (CPA) which argues for increases to the GST.  The CPA report assumes that the economy will grow more quickly because of cuts to taxes funded by the increase and broadening of the GST.  “The economic model used

Both major parties are right to say pensioners can’t eat their homes – but only because the government won’t let them, argues The Australia Institute. The new Social Services Minister Scott Morrison is concerned about retirees who are cash poor but asset rich. Labor Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek raised similar concerns, saying: ‘You can’t eat

New government figures reveal superannuation and housing tax breaks for the wealthy are costing the budget ten times as much as leaving the GST off fresh food. The Treasury statement also shows that the cost of one form of tax concession for superannuation is set to double. “The Abbott government says it will do anything

Research by The Australia Institute, including modelling commissioned from NATSEM has shown that ending the GST exemptions for private education and health, both of which overwhelmingly benefits higher income earners could net the Government up to $2.3 billion per year. There are a number of ways for the Government to increase revenue, such as winding

New research finds that improved connections with health services for people leaving prison and their families is a critical first step in addressing mental distress and ensuring smooth reintegration into the community.  Unlocking Care, a new report from The Australia Institute, finds that the incidence of moderate and severe mental health issues increases after release

New research from the Australia Institute finds that the health and environmental impacts of wind and solar technologies are far less detrimental than fossil fuels.  Two reports were released today, examining the impacts of, and broad public attitudes toward, wind power and solar energy. They find Australians are overwhelmingly more interested in a future fuelled

Women could be made billions of dollars better off if the Government considered gender issues when formulating the Budget, a new report from The Australia Institute reveals. Released today, The budget’s hidden gender agenda report finds that – in good times and in bad – women are getting a rougher deal than men from budget

Work/life balance worsens under burden of unpaid overtime Millions of Australian workers are losing the battle for better work/life balance due to excessive unpaid overtime and feel they have little control over how to change the situation, new research by The Australia Institute reveals. Released to coincide with today’s national Go Home on Time Day, Walking the

On any given day, 2.8 million Australians have little certainty around what time they will finish work.  That’s the equivalent of one in four workers regularly having to juggle their other commitments such as child care, social activities or important appointments, because of the unpredictability of their job. Go Home on Time Day, an initiative