June 2022

Introducing ‘Civility’

featuring Peter Lewis

This week’s Burning Platforms will introduce ‘Civility’ – a new collaborative platform designed to create better public engagement. Recorded live 10th June 2022. With our regular panelists: Peter Lewis, Director of The Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology Lizzie O’Shea, Chair of Digital Rights Watch and new panelist: David Swan, Technology Editor at The Australian Special guest:

May 2022

Anthony Albanese’s government must learn from Labor’s last breakup with electoral power

by Peter Lewis

For all the tabloids’ orchestrated pompom waving throughout the election campaign, to their credit Anthony Albanese’s marriage breakup was one place they refused to go. Albanese’s standing as a divorced man in a relatively new relationship is a first for an Australian prime minister, but could also serve as a metaphor for his incoming government

Exit Poll – Living in the Lodge

The Australia Institute conducted a special exit poll, surveying a nationally representative sample of 1,424 Australians from 6pm Saturday May 21, which asked whether the Prime Minister should live in The Lodge. Key findings: • Over half of Australians (57%) agree that the Prime Minister should live in The Lodge in Canberra, compared to 20%

Salmon Inquiry Report: Comprehensive Marine Plan Now

The long-awaited Legislative Council Fin Fish Farming in Tasmania Inquiry report tabled in Parliament today, highlights the many problems faced by the industry. The Australia Institute Tasmania commends the Committee’s call for an overarching Marine Plan for Tasmania through a comprehensive stakeholder consultation, informed by assessment of environmental, social and recreational values, with a transparent

Australia’s democracy isn’t perfect, but many of you just changed the country

by Ebony Bennett in The Canberra Times

The democracy sausage has become the symbol of Australians’ trust and enthusiasm for our free and fair elections, but we have much more to celebrate than sausage sizzles (which, I will point out, are needed to help P&Cs fundraise for our underfunded public school system). Think about the thousands of people across the country who

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

This article is more than 2 months old ‘Second miracle’ or historic win from opposition? No one knows how this election journey will end

by Peter Lewis in The Guardian

On the final manic drive to the ballot box, we approach the national crossroads with justified trepidation: are we heading towards the light or is that another runaway train coming to plough us down? We pollsters and pundits (and we progressives in general) are all experiencing our own form of PTSD after the car crash

Significant Proportion of Voters Uncertain on Senate Preferential Voting

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about their Senate voting intentions and their understanding of how Senate voting works. The results show: A significant proportion of Australians remain uncertain about important aspects of Senate preferential voting: More than four in ten (43%) respondents thought that putting a 6 beside a

The explosion of political appointments to the AAT

featuring Ebony Bennett, Bill Browne and Ben Oquist

New research from the Australia Institute shows that the number of political appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal has skyrocketed. In this episode Ebony unpacks the largest and most comprehensive domestic study of the practice of cronyism in relation to appointments to a government agency ever conducted, with Ben Oquist and Bill Browne. This was

Government Agency Political Appointments as High as One in Three

A new report from the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program represents the largest and most comprehensive domestic study of the practice of cronyism in relation to appointments to a government agency ever conducted in Australia. This detailed deep dive report has investigated every single appointment made to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) since 1996

Scott Morrison’s attacks on ICAC have gone too far

by Ebony Bennett in The Canberra Times

“Intolerance of corruption is essential to the survival of our representative democracy and way of life,” said the late David Ipp QC, former commissioner of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption. Australian voters certainly appear to agree. New Australia Institute research shows that three-quarters of Australians (76 per cent) say integrity issues are more or

Higgins Polling Research Shows Landslide Support for Truth in Political Advertising Laws

New polling in the federal seat of Higgins shows a tight race between the Government and Opposition, with respondents indicating a substantial drop in the Liberal Party primary vote. “This poll demonstrates landslide support for truth in political advertising laws (92%) in a campaign which has been marred by allegations of dishonesty and misinformation,” said

Polling: Integrity a Key Issue to Voters

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about integrity’s role in the 2022 election. The results show that integrity is important to most Australians in this election. Overall, three in four Australians (76%) either say that integrity issues are more important (30%) this election than last or that integrity issues are

Facebook Revelations an Attack on Democracy

“Today’s revelations in the Wall Street Journal confirm what we suspected at the time: that Facebook’s takedown was a deliberate attack on Australian democratic institutions, deployed as a negotiating tactic to avoid paying for news content,” said Peter Lewis, Director of the Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology. “The fact that this global corporation was

Unwarranted ‘Kangaroo Court’ Attacks on Integrity Commissions Undermine Crucial Accountability Role in Our Democracy

“Attacks on integrity commissions as ‘kangaroo courts’ show a misunderstanding of the role they play in our democracy,” said Bill Browne, Head of the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program. “Every state and territory in Australia has an integrity commission, and none has turned into a ‘public autocracy’ because of it. Premier Dominic Perrottet was

Goldstein Polling Research

New research reveals that the Coalition MP for Goldstein, Tim Wilson, is under serious pressure to retain his seat according to a uComms opinion poll conducted on the 27th of April. The poll was conducted with a sample size of 855 people via telephone, with a margin of error of 3.34%. The poll is Australian

April 2022

It is time to talk about truth in political advertising

by Ben Oquist in The Canberra Times

Before a vote has been cast, one election verdict has already been delivered. The campaign has been too light on policy and too heavy on misleading scare tactics. Our democracy is suffering for it. In just the first weeks of the election campaign, we have seen heated accusations of misleading claims from all sides. Waleed

Deus Ex Machina

featuring Peter Lewis

Humans embrace technology with a child-like optimism, but what are the threats Artificial Intelligence poses our society if its impacts are not thought through? Burning Platforms dives deep into the amorality of AI with a special discussion with Professor Toby Walsh, author of the new book ‘Machines Behaving Badly’. Recorded live 29th April 2022. Regular

Allegations of Political Lies Underscore Need for Truth in Political Advertising Laws

In just the second week of the federal election campaign, voters are already seeing heated accusations of lying from all sides, underscoring the need for federal truth in political advertising laws. Key Points: South Australia has had truth in political advertising laws since the 1980s. The ACT Legislative Assembly passed similar laws prior to the

Canberra is increasingly outsourcing its national role. That needs to stop

by Ben Oquist in The Canberra Times

In the final days before the federal election was called, the new South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas came to Canberra to deliver a blistering National Press Club address. One seasoned journalist described the speech as Obama-esque. While Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese criss-crossed the country visiting the states to make local announcements in the then

New Police Powers a Threat to Civil Society: Research Submission

The Tasmanian Government’s proposed law for a police crackdown on peaceful protest has been criticised as anti-democratic and a threat to civil society, in a submission by independent think-tank the Australia Institute, Tasmania. Key points in submission: Bill undermines freedom of expression, association and assembly for the Tasmanian public Bill contains unclear, broad and discretionary

Polling: National Integrity Powers to Investigate and Deter Corruption Crucial

New polling finds that most Australians support the formation of a national integrity commission with the powers it needs to investigate and deter corruption. Key Findings: Seven in 10 Australians (69%) agree that not legislating an integrity commission represents a broken election promise by the Coalition When asked which from a list of eight powers

Are we addicted to tech?

featuring Peter Lewis

On this week’s burning Platforms we dive deep into digital addiction: are we being played? And what can we do to get ourselves off the bad stuff? Recorded live 14th April 2022 Regular panelists: Peter Lewis, Director of The Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology Lizzie O’Shea, Chair of Digital Rights Watch Dan Stinton, Managing

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