New research shows Australian workers are on average working 6 weeks unpaid overtime per year, costing over $92 billion dollars in unpaid wages across the economy. The average worker is losing over $8,000 per year or $315 per fortnight due to what researchers have branded “time theft”. 23 November 2022 marks Go Home on Time

This year’s election had the lowest turnout for a century. For the first time since compulsory voting was introduced for the 1925 federal election, turnout fell below 90%.

The latest wage rises from enterprise agreements show good improvement, but overall, workers continue to see their wages lag behind inflation

As the Tasmanian Parliament debates reforming the Electoral Act, integrity experts are urging politicians to use the opportunity to enact truth in political advertising protections, following deceptive and dangerous advertisements from the Australian Christian Lobby. Key Findings: Polling consistently finds most Australians want truth in political advertising laws, with 2021 Australia Institute polling research finding 87% of

The latest wages price index figures show that for the first time since 2013 wages grew by more than 3% in the past year.

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Business groups like the ACCI and AI Group say they want higher wages, but their recommendations for minimum wage rises show they rarely want real wages to rise

Proposed reforms to Australia’s industrial relations laws are likely to support higher coverage for collective bargaining in the national labour market, and provide a boost to stagnant wage growth according to new research from the Centre for Future Work. The report reviews historical data on the erosion of collective bargaining in Australia, and its close

Australia’s climate action again ranks in the bottom 10 of countries assessed in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023. The CCPI is an annual analysis of climate performance by countries covering 92% of global emissions, conducted by international think tank Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and CAN International. Key Points: Australia’s overall ranking moved up four

Proposed reforms to Commonwealth industrial relations laws would create more opportunities for collective bargaining to occur on a multi-employer basis, rather than being limited solely to individual workplaces or enterprises. Business groups have attacked this proposal as a dramatic change that would supposedly spark widespread work stoppages and industrial chaos.

Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine caused a massive surge in gas and LNG prices that have enabled gas companies around the world, including Australia to make record-level profits.

Major red flags in Australian grants administration must be addressed to prevent pork barrelling, according to a submission by the Australia Institute to the parliamentary inquiry into Commonwealth grants administration. Key Findings: 11 different pork-barrelling red flags were highlighted, the most significant include: funds not allocated in line with grant objectives, lack of personal consequences for Ministers

New research from the Centre for Future Work quantifies the dramatic risks faced by workers whose employers unilaterally terminate enterprise agreements during the course of renegotiations. This aggressive employer strategy, which became common after a precedent-setting 2015 court decision, would be curtailed by new industrial relations legislation proposed by the Commonwealth Government.

New polling research reveals an overwhelming majority of Australians (86%) support a government intervention in the gas industry, either through export controls, a windfall profits tax, or both. Key Findings: An overwhelming majority of Australians (86%) support a government intervention in the gas industry, either through export controls or a windfall profits tax or both.

The current tightening of monetary policy is undoubtedly having an impact. While it may take some time for the slowing of inflation to flow through to the official CPI figures – especially given the level of inflation that is being imported – the economy is set to slow drastically.

A prominent advertisement published by the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) in The Mercury today highlights the need for Truth in Political Advertising laws in Tasmania. Key Details: On 9 November 2022, The Mercury published an ad from ACL that said “Plan to criminalise parents who question their children’s wish to change gender? Likely lose government!”

In defending the Stage 3 tax cuts in parliament, Angus Taylor inadvertently highlighted the real benefits for low-middle income earners comes from Stages 1 and 2.

New research from public policy think tank The Australia Institute shows that two thirds of South Australian voters support the removal of Christian prayers from the opening of Parliamentary sittings. The Australia Institute surveyed of a representative sample of 616 South Australians in September, asking about the opening prayers and the recent addition of an

The latest enterprise agreements figures show small signs of wage growth and once again the benefits of being in a union

Tasmanian MPs will continue to debate new political donations disclosure laws, and amendments to the Electoral Act, in Parliament next week. But will our elected representatives grab this opportunity to introduce truth in political advertising laws for Tasmania?

In 2020-21 the biggest companies in Australia were able to reduce their taxable income to just 12% of their total income

E&OE TRANSCRIPT — PRESS CONFERENCE
10:30am Thursday, 3 November 2022
AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM, Sydney

The Climate of the Nation 2022 Report reveals record numbers of Australians who are “very concerned” about climate change as record floods and extreme weather continue to wreak havoc across eastern Australia, and a majority believe governments are not doing enough to prepare for and adapt to the impacts, according to the largest and longest running research program into climate change attitudes in Australia.

In the past 7 months, the Reserve Bank has increased the cash rate by 275 basis points. That is as fast as any time since the RBA became independent. Given the pace of inflation growth, the rises are not wholly without cause, but as policy director, Greg Jericho notes in his Guardian Australia column the main drivers of inflation are now easing, and wages are yet to take off. In that case, should the RBA continue to raise rates given it will only slow the economy further?

Wages are rising within the RBA’s target band of inflation but profits are soaring 7 times that rate. And yet the RBA is more concerned with rising wages than profits