by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 25 July 2020] With the ACT election coming this October, Canberrans are already girding themselves for the love-bombing, fear-mongering and vigorous debate that comes along with every election campaign. The press conferences, policy announcements and debates are quite enough for any person to take in. Voters shouldn’t

New research from the Australia Institute and Change the Record shows that most Australians agree children as young as 10 years old do not belong in prison, and that Australia’s age of criminal responsibility should be increased from 10 years of age to the global median of 14 years of age, or higher. The Council

New analysis from The Australia Institute shows the Government’s announcement to cut the JobSeeker supplement by $150 per week would push 370,000 Australians into poverty from September, including 80,000 children. The specially commissioned modelling undertaken after Tuesday’s announcement also shows that the cut will result in hundreds of thousands of Australians would struggle to pay

New analysis by the Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program finds that using the COVID-19 recovery funding to subsidise the gas industry would create few jobs, increase emissions and lock in higher energy prices. Key Findings Despite being the world’s largest Liquified Natural Gas exporter, less than 0.2% of Australia’s workforce works in the gas

by Richard Denniss[Originally published by Guardian Australia, 22 July 2020] In Australia, policy is far more likely to be based on feelings than facts. While there is much talk about the importance of evidence-based policy, ironically, there is scant evidence that such an approach exists. Take the government’s decision to cut the incomes of around

A new discussion paper from The Australia Institute has shown that the JobKeeper scheme is encouraging businesses to dismiss ineligible employees, meaning casuals employed for less than a year and non-resident workers have been disproportionately affected by job losses in recent months. Key findings: Of those working for a business that received JobKeeper the number

A new discussion paper from The Australia Institute has proposed a model for how the Federal Government’s JobKeeper policy could be reformed, allowing the package to be retained and improved while clawing back spending in situations where the payments are no longer needed. The proposal comprises a model that would see businesses pay increased tax

New economic modelling from The Australia Institute has shown that if the government removes the JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement in September it will be forcing more than 650,000 Australians, including 120,000 children, to live in poverty. The new report, from The Australia Institute’s senior economist Matt Grudnoff, also shows that if the supplement is cut, hundreds

An open letter to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Council, coordinated by The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program and signed by a range of energy and technology leaders, has called for an accelerated pace of electricity market reform. While Australia deals with the economic impact of COVID-19, COAG has an opportunity to

An Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report on the Murray Darling Basin has found “information relating to value for money…was limited” for water purchases worth $190 million. The ANAO found that the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment (DAWE): Did not consistently apply approved policy, planning and guidance to the assessment of all limited tender

Ahead of the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting this week, 14 expert organisations from around the globe, including the Australia Institute, have launched a COVID-19 tracker of fossil fuel and clean energy stimulus. The Energy Policy Tracker shows that the world’s 20 richest countries, who together account for 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have

A study purported to be from the CSIRO that showed that fracking was “safe for the environment” was actually overseen by the gas industry, and was based on just six of Queensland’s 19,000 coal seam gas wells, according to new analysis by The Australia Institute. The report was published by the Gas Industry Social and

[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 11 July 2020] We are in the midst of a public health and economic crisis, and the federal government is regularly making momentous and life-altering decisions, including exerting the authority of the state to limit (sometimes with good reason) basic civil liberties. Just when our need for integrity and

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has announced that it will delay the implementation of its crucial ‘five minute settlement’ rule by just three months, due to COVID-19. The Australia Institute has opposed any excessive delays to the implementation of this rule, such as those proposed by incumbent energy generators, and welcome this decision from

by Richard Denniss[Originally publishged on the Guardian Australia, 07 July 2020] Only 16 weeks ago, prime minister Scott Morrison told a bemused Australian public that he was off to the footy to see his beloved Sharks play, and only 15 weeks ago, the same prime minister berated those who went to Bondi Beach for “not

Research published today by The Australia Institute highlights that employment in gas-related manufacturing declined while gas in the Northern Territory was very cheap. Fracked gas will be far more expensive, making petrochemical manufacturing in the Territory unviable without massive taxpayer subsidy. Key findings: The NT Government’s Power and Water Corporation had large surpluses of gas

Consumer and citizen groups have significant concerns that Google’s proposed takeover of wearables manufacturer Fitbit would be a game-changer not only for how people interact with the online world but also for digital and related health markets. Regulators around the world – in particular those concerned with antitrust compliance and data privacy – must therefore

Research published today by The Australia Institute shows that fossil fuel stocks have been the worst performers in the Australian stock market over the last decade. Fossil fuel stocks have lost around half their value in the first quarter this year with the COVID crisis compared to 23% for the wider market, continuing a decade-long trend of

Rebuilding the economy means government investment, but not all public spending is equal

New research shows that Australia’s pandemic response has reduced transport emissions by over 3,000,000 tonnes (3 Mt CO2-e), due to an unprecedented drop in the consumption of petroleum fuels during April—falling by 77% for domestic aviation, and a combined 36% drop for petrol, LPG and retail diesel. The Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program has

by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberrra Times, 27 June 2020] The Morrison government did a great job managing the pandemic, but where Scott Morrison has really excelled is making the recession worse. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the Prime Minister said that “everyone with a job is an essential worker”, and more

New research from The Australia Institute has found that nearly two thirds of voters in the electorate of Eden-Monaro want the Government’s JobKeeper program extended for some or all industries beyond its current September expiry date. The Australia Institute commissioned uComms to conduct a survey of 643 residents across the New South Wales federal electorate

by Richard Denniss[Orinigally publsihed by the Guardian Australia, 24 June 2020] If conservatives really believed that the most important thing a young person could do was become “job-ready” then why are they so keen for Australia’s best and brightest students to study the works of Shakespeare and Thomas Aquinas, as part of a degree in