Media
April 2023
With the impact of rate rises still to come the RBA is wise to pause
Perhaps as much as a third of the rate rises since April have yet to fully hit the economy
Aston By-election Explained
The recent by-election in Aston was historic, with Labor candidate Mary Doyle claiming victory. But what can we learn from these results? Political analyst Kos Samaras joins the podcast to explain. This was recorded on Tuesday 4th March 2023 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Guest: Kos Samaras, Political
Australians Unsure How to Pay for AUKUS Subs: Research
New polling research reveals Australians are confused about how to pay for the nuclear submarines as part of AUKUS. The nuclear submarines are estimates to cost between $268 billion and $368 billion. Key findings: None of the four options for meeting the cost of the AUKUS submarines were chosen by a majority of voters. 34%
Forecasts for fossil fuel production and exports – good for mining companies, bad for the climate
The latest forecast for gas and coal exports show no sign of any shift away from fossil fuels
NSW minority government is a sign of the times
Elections in New South Wales are always interesting, and this year’s has given us a week of suspense over whether the Minns Labor government would be a minority or majority government.
What the safeguard means for the climate wars
The climate wars are far from over. They will not be over until the fossil fuel industry stops waging them. While their progress has been slowed in recent years, the relentless bombardment of our future by the coal and gas industries continues unabated.
Can a stockmarket gamble pay for the housing crisis?
Australia is in the midst of a housing crisis. Record numbers of Australians are in severe housing stress and it’s not just people with rising interest rates on their mortgages. Fewer and fewer people can afford a roof over their head and more and more people are sleeping rough on the streets or in their car.
March 2023
Safeguard Amended: What Next? | Between the Lines
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Stop the fear, give workers a fair pay rise
The whole point of public-sector wage caps is to keep all wages down
Falling inflation growth should give the RBA pause
The latest monthly consumer price index figures show that inflation has peaked and is on the way down.
Safeguard Mechanism: Everything You Need to Know
On Monday, Greens leader Adam Bandt announced that a deal had been reached with the government to pass Safeguard Mechanism with some key amendments. Richard Denniss is just back from Parliament House to help explain the deal and what it means for Australia’s emissions. This was recorded on Monday 27th March 2023 and things may
Big Utes Driving Transport Pollution: Research Report
A new research report has found that favourable tax and policy treatment of fuel-guzzling utes and SUVs is driving Australia’s transport emissions. Of the top 10 most popular new vehicles in Australia, five are big utes, compared to only 2/10 in the UK. The new research identifies a range of policy options to reduce Australia’s
28 Proposed Coal Projects Would add 17.9 Billion Tonnes of Pollution: New Coal Mine Tracker Site
17.9 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution would be emitted from the 28 proposed coal mine projects awaiting a decision from Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, according to detailed analysis and the newly launched Coal Mine Tracker website from the Australia Institute. The climate impact from the pollution would be equivalent to keeping all of
The market sees the safeguard mechanism deal as a loser for mining companies
The market’s early view of the safeguard mechanism deal is bad for gas and coal mining companies
Australia Needs Stronger Whistleblower Protections
The prosecution of Richard Boyle demonstrates Australia’s whistleblowing laws are too weak, and governments are too secretive, according to the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program. Richard Boyle, a former Australian Taxation Office worker, became a whistleblower after contacting the ABC with his concerns about unethical workplace practices within the ATO. Boyle had initially reported
Safeguard Deal Caps & Cuts Pollution Despite No Ban: Hard Choices for Govt. on Gas & Coal
The Safeguard Mechanism deal between Labor and the Greens is an improvement on the original legislation but still falls short of what the world’s climate scientists, the United Nations and the International Energy Agency say is required. The package will allow new fossil fuel projects to commence. Importantly, however, it places a cap on emissions
State of Environment Report Needs $1.5m for Government to Fulfil Legal Obligations: Lawyers
Today the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) and the Australia Institute Tasmania have written to Tasmanian Treasurer Michael Ferguson requesting the release of at least $1.5 million to enable the Government to fulfil its legal obligation to produce a State of the Environment Report in the 2023-24 Tasmanian Budget.
New South Wales needs to end its addiction to the pokies
NSW has one poker machine for every 88 people – more than 10 times the amount in Western Australia
NSW Missing Out on $6.2b in Coal Royalties Compared to Queensland
Research released today by The Australia Institute estimates that NSW could have raised an additional $6.2 billion in coal royalties this financial year if it had adopted Queensland’s royalty system. While NSW households and business have been charged more for energy due to the war in Ukraine, the public has missed out on collecting additional
Final Warning
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, just released a report with a a very clear message; there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all. One of the key messages in the report is that new fossil fuel projects are incompatible with a net zero
Cement Smokescreen for Unlimited Safeguard Offsets Doesn’t Stack Up: Research
Minister Chris Bowen was today asked in Question Time by the Member for Kooyong why the Safeguard Mechanism allows unlimited access to carbon offsets, undermining any incentive for emissions cuts. The Minister’s response was “I do not accept the premise of the member’s questions. It is the case that the Government is allowing access to
Lengthy Delays Undermine Confidence in Australian FOI Process
New research reveals few Australians have confidence in Australia’s freedom of information (FOI) system, and delays in FOI processing are not in line with community expectations. Agencies and ministers are normally required to make a decision within 30 days, but three in 10 decisions are made late. There are also 957 reviews with the Office
Emissions from the 116 proposed coal and gas projects would swamp the reductions from the safeguard mechanism
New fossil fuel projects would create 24 times more pollution than what the safeguard mechanism would (theoretically) remove
Majority Support Ban on New Gas & Coal, Very Little Support for Unlimited Offsets: Polling
Polling across 5 federal electorates reveals a majority of voters support a ban on new gas and coal projects, and very few support unlimited carbon offsets to expand fossil fuels. uComms were commissioned on behalf of the Australia Institute to poll in the seats of Mackellar, Goldstein, Sydney, Bennelong and Moreton between 9-14 of March
116 New Fossil Fuel Projects = 4.8b Tonnes of Pollution, 24x Safeguard Cuts
New research shows the pollution from the 116 new fossil fuel projects in the Federal Government’s Major Project list would add 4.8 billion tonnes of emissions to the atmosphere by 2030. This increase in greenhouse gas would be 24 times greater than the 205 million tonne reduction in emissions the Government’s proposed Safeguard Mechanism aims
Let Them Eat Submarines
Despite electing a Labor government at the last federal election, Australia is about to spend half a trillion dollars implementing the Coalition’s economic, defence and climate policy agenda. It’s odd if you think about it.
Open Letter: Pressure Grows to Put Science Before Politics & Fossil Fuels
Over 50 Australian environmental and climate organisations have joined together to call on the Federal Government to listen to scientific evidence on climate change and to prevent new fossil fuel projects and expansions. The open letter, published in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times today, comes as the Federal Government continues
Let them eat subs | Between the Lines
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“The Worst Deal in All History”
The Federal Government’s recent announcement that the AUKUS deal will cost an eye-watering $368 billion sent the media into a spin, with former PM Paul Keating calling it ‘the worst deal in all history.” The deal to acquire nuclear submarines from the United States has been a bumpy process, to say the least. But what
Australia is a rich country making sub-par decisions
When former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg learned of Scott Morrison’s secret plan to spend a quarter of trillion dollars on nuclear submarines that, just two years earlier, the navy said they didn’t need, he said: “Everything is affordable if it’s a priority. This is a priority.”
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