Posts
Past the Pendulum: thinking inside The Cube
New research from the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program suggests new models are needed to interpret national two-party preferred polls The latest Newspoll finding a national two-party preferred swing of 5.5% to Labor has election watchers and campaigners reaching for their electoral pendulum to work out what it all means come Saturday. The Australian’s
June 2021
The Nordic Edge – Policy Possibilities for Australia
Climate and energy. Work/life balance. Mining taxes. Progress on policy issues like these is essential, and yet they have become subject to the most rancorous partisanship, the precipitation of culture wars, and have brought down governments. In The Nordic Edge, published by Melbourne University Press, a selection of Australia Institute researchers and guest authors show how
Open Letter: G7 Leaders should end not just coal, but also oil and gas finance in 2021
Originally published by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Reuters News. On June 11-13, World Leaders will gather at the G7 summit. There, they plan to adopt an agenda to “build back better from coronavirus and create a greener, more prosperous future”. We, the undersigned economists, believe that this means decisively shifting finance
11 reasons to donate to the Australia Institute’s End-of-Financial-Year appeal
We are in extraordinary times. Whether it is the economic impact of the global pandemic, the impacts of climate change, or the declining trust in our democratic institutions – the Australia Institute is leading the national debate with our high quality research and advocacy. We change minds. Every dollar you donate to the Australia Institute
May 2021
Australia Institute Budget Wrap 2021
The budget has failed to deliver any meaningful tax reform. 21 years into the 21st century we still have a tax system that looks more at home in the 19th century.
February 2021
Black Witness with Amy McQuire
Join Amy McQuire, a Darumbal and South Sea Islander journalist and author with over 13 years of experience and the Australia Institute’s 2020 Writer in Residence recipient, for a discussion her upcoming book ‘The Water Behind Us’ is a journalistic investigation into the wrongful conviction of Aboriginal man Kevin Henry. This book deals with the
The Rise of Right-Wing Extremism with Dr Anne Aly MP
Join international counter-terrorism expert Dr Anne Aly MP, member for Cowan, for a frank discussion about the rise of right-wing extremism. In conversation with Dr Richard Denniss, chief economist at the Australia Institute. Hosted by Ebony Bennett, deputy director at the Australia Institute. Part of the Australia Institute 2021 webinar series, this discussion was recorded
December 2020
Podcasts to Listen to, recommended by the Australia Institute
Here’s a list of podcasts that Australia Institute staff and our friends have been listening to and recommend.
November 2020
SA EV Tax Backlash Grows – Parliamentary Opposition Continues to Mount
The Australia Institute has welcomed the decision from the South Australian Labor and Greens parties to oppose the Marshall Government’s proposed Electric Vehicle Tax. “The Australia Institute welcomes the decision of the South Australian Labor Party and the South Australian Greens to oppose the electric vehicle tax,” said Noah Schultz-Byard, SA Director at The Australia
October 2020
Australia Institute 2020 Budget Wrap
The Economy Income tax cuts as stimulus by Matt Grudnoff The fiscal cliff by David Richardson It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World by Alia Armistead Creating jobs by stimulating business by David Richardson Research & Development by David Richardson Spending on infrastructure by David Richardson Climate & Energy Climate change, what climate change? by Richie
August 2020
Open Letter to Google
Read full text version of the Open Letter to Google below, along with response from a Google spokesperson. Open letter text as published on 20 August 2020 in The Sydney Morning Herald, in full: An Open Letter to Google — As a nation we welcomed you into our lives and have made you our home base
September 2019
Climate of the Nation 2019 wrap
The annual Climate of the Nation report has tracked Australian attitudes on climate change for more than a decade.
This is the second Climate of the Nation report produced by The Australia Institute, continuing the work of the Climate Institute (2007-2017).
April 2019
How Australia’s Environment Minister was ‘bullied’ into Adani approval by her own colleagues
The Australia InstituteFollowApr 12 In a blink and you’ll miss it move on the eve of the Federal Election, Environment Minister Melissa Price rubber stamped the groundwater management plans for Adani’s coal mine and rail project. Adani still requires further approvals before it can proceed, but the timing of this decision is a major concern: on the cusp
The Australia Institute 2019 Budget Wrap
https://australiainstitute.medium.com/the-australia-institute-2019-budget-wrap-d6c8168a3924
Rushed through the Senate when no-one was looking
You don’t announce anything you’re proud of at 5pm on Friday and you certainly don’t rush legislation you’re proud of through Parliament in the shadow of the Budget on the eve of a Federal Election. The Australia InstituteFollowApr 4 In the final sitting day before the election Senators passed a bill to greatly increase the
March 2019
LNG: The new ‘low tar’ cigarette?
Just as ‘low tar’ cigarettes were aimed at keeping people smoking, WA’s big gas export companies want to lock Australia into using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for decades to come. The Australia InstituteFollowMar 21 Image source: AAP by Mark Ogge, Principal Advisor at The Australia Institute. Remember when the tobacco industry was pushing low tar cigarettes as a
The Parliamentary Budget Office and debt
David Richardson, Senior Research Fellow The Parliamentary Budgetary Office (2019) has just published a report on net debt but is really a plea for wider use of ‘net financial worth’ as a better indicator than net debt of what it calls ‘fiscal sustainability’. They say ‘net debt is widely regarded as a key budget indicator
February 2019
Power Rule Change in Hot Demand
The Australia Institute’s Dan J Cass explains why ‘demand response’ is proving so popular with energy market operators, Australian consumers and some of our country’s biggest businesses. Weather records have been smashed as Australia continues to swelter through one of its hottest summers on record As the heatwaves hit Australia this summer, we should be watching
January 2019
Tax cuts like shooting yourself in the foot: new data shows
Instead of reloading the gun to do it again, perhaps this is a good time to reconsider whether company tax cuts made any sense at all The Australia InstituteFollowJan 25 The ABS released its detailed biennial survey of employment arrangements this week and, buried deep in the dozens of statistical tables, there was a very surprising breakdown. It
PM blames drought, but there’s been over 100 cases of maladministration in Murray Darling in less than one year
Hundreds and thousands of native fish have been killed in the Murray Darling Basin. Drought is the catalyst, but mismanagement and policy failure of implementing the Murray Darling Basin Plan is the cause. The Australia InstituteFollowJan 23 ABC report on the mismanagement of the Murray Darling Basin Since allegations of large-scale water theft were first aired on Four
Trans Tarkine Track clips
Over the summer, we have been busy recording what Tasmanians think about a whole range of issues. Tassie is cool and tourism is hot – with our state having the largest rise in visitor numbers this quarter. Whilst some in the South and East are worried about over crowding and under funding of infrastructure, the
Rebuilding Vocational Training in Australia
Australia’s manufacturing sector has been experiencing an important and welcome rebound during the last two years. The turnaround has been documented and analysed in previous Centre for Future Work research (including studies published in 2017 and 2018 as part of the National Manufacturing Summit, co-sponsored by the Centre). Ironically, the manufacturing recovery could be short-circuited
December 2018
Let’s Unpack the Government’s Anti-Corruption Watchdog Announcement
The Australia InstituteFollowDec 13, 2018 BREAKING: the government has announced it will establish a Commonwealth Integrity Commission to investigate corrupt conduct at the federal level. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Attorney General Christian Porter this morning held a press conference where they made the announcement to set up a new federal anti-corruption watchdog. Australia Institute
November 2018
New Book: The Wages Crisis in Australia
THE WAGES CRISIS IN AUSTRALIA: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Edited by Andrew Stewart, Jim Stanford, and Tess Hardy (University of Adelaide Press) Australian wage growth has decelerated in recent years to the slowest sustained pace since the 1930s. Nominal wages have grown very slowly since 2012; average real wages (after
6 key takeaways from Joseph Stiglitz’s National Press Club Address
Why would the IMF put dealing with inequality at the centre of their economic agenda? Professor Joseph Stiglitz explains in his National Press Club Address. The Australia InstituteFollowNov 16, 2018 Professor Joseph Stiglitz. (photo: Sasha Maslov) 1 // Progressive economics make more equal societies. “Why would an institution like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) put dealing with inequality
October 2018
Gas & coal power has broken down 114 times so far this year, fair dinkum.
On average, that’s one gas & coal plant breakdown every 2.6 days. The Australia InstituteFollowOct 23, 2018 Above: Yallourn W Power Station, image used under Creative Commons license. The Australia Institute’s Gas & Coal Watch has been tracking gas and coal power plant breakdowns and gas and coal power plants have broken down 114 times this calendar
The Price is Not Right — Australia’s Environment Minister and the Pacific
The Australia InstituteFollowOct 19, 2018 The Pacific Islands will potentially suffer the worst impacts of climate change Richie Merzian is The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program Director — @RichieMerzian When the lights are on and the cameras are rolling, most government Ministers know that they must at least pretend to believe in and care about the impacts of
Government way off mark for Paris Target: new analysis
When it comes to meeting the Paris Target, new analysis from The Australia Institute shows the Government is way off the mark and off-message The Australia InstituteFollowOct 11, 2018 A new report from The Australia Institute debunks the government’s claims that Australia will meet the Paris target ‘in a canter’, demonstrating total emissions have been
The Emissions Data the Government Didn’t Want You To See
The Government released it’s Quarterly Greenhouse Gas Inventory last Friday, but don’t be shocked if you missed it. The Government released its Quarterly Greenhouse Gas Inventory late last Friday afternoon, before a long weekend and the football finals, at the same time as the interim report into the banking royal commission and it was a month late. A more
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