The economy (it still exists)
For housing affordability to improve, wages must grow faster than house prices.
Oligarchy or democracy?
The Trump administration is orchestrating a colossal transfer of wealth and power to the very rich.
A rich country in a housing crisis?
To end the housing crisis, governments need to stop subsidising private investors and instead directly invest in social housing.
Tasmanian salmon: more revenue, more pollution, but always less tax
The Tasmanian salmon industry is one where the revenue earned keeps going up while the tax paid falls to zero.
Election result shows the Tasmanian salmon industry is still on the nose
Labor and the Coalition went to the election with the same policy position on Tasmania’s salmon industry: support at any cost.
Business groups want the government to overhaul the tax system? Excellent – we have some ideas.
The landslide win by the ALP has seen business groups come out demanding the government listen to their demands despite having provided them no support, and plenty of opposition, over the past 3 years.
Retail trade figures show RBA failed when it did not cut rates in April
Retail trade in the first 3 months of this year makes it clear the RBA should have cut rates in April.
What is a ‘fund’?
You’ve likely heard a lot about ‘funds’ in this election campaign; the Coalition announced a few of them and promised to make huge savings by canning funds created by the Albanese Government. Funds can be a confusing concept, so here’s an explainer.
University is expensive, especially so for humanities students
The PM and the education minister have made big noises about easing cost of living pressures for Australians with large HECS/HELP debts. But they’ve been very slow to do anything about the high cost of getting a degree in the first place.
When studying is so expensive, it’s no surprise that disadvantaged households aren’t enrolling
University is expensive and many are falling behind.
Nearly 40 years of efficiency dividends, and what have we got to show for it?
The size of the public service has been one of the sharper issues in this election campaign. But so far, the debate has been about “cuts” or “no cuts”, “working from home” or “back to the office you go”.
Your election questions answered
We discuss the latest inflation data and answer your questions about the economy ahead of election day.
5 ideas for a better Australia (missing from the election campaign)
We’re in the final days before the 2025 Federal Election. Sifting through slogans and dodging dreary debates, the team at the Australia Institute has put together a list of practical ideas that have been missing from the mainstream.
Five reasons why young Australians should be pissed off
1. Uni graduates pay more in HECS than the gas industry pays in PPRT University used to be free but is now more expensive than ever. After graduating with an arts degree a young Australian will now repay the government around $50,000. Meanwhile, Australia is one of the world’s largest gas exporters, but multinational gas
Same costs, less pay: Australia pays young workers less and makes renting harder
Junior rates make life harder for young Australians than it should be.
An election campaign helping the rich, ignoring the poor
With the election just days away, there has been a total lack of focus on the most vulnerable in our society.
April 2025
Yes, Australia can curb fossil fuel exports
We have restricted export industries in the past.
Australia already spends a huge amount on defence
The debate on defence ignores that Australia already spends more than it should.
Time to shake up Australia’s university sector
Australia’s bloated universities are plagued with scandal and struggling under the weight of their own poor governance and financial mismanagement.
At Australian unis, do you get what you pay for?
35 years after the HECS/HELP system began, university students now pay much more for much less.
Australian universities slash costs, staff and courses, while lavishing hundreds of millions on themselves
Australia’s universities spend hundreds of millions of dollars on travel, marketing and consultants, while cutting costs, staff and courses, according to new research by The Australia Institute.
Letter to the UN to assess Tasmanian salmon farm environmental damage
On Sunday in Hobart over 6,000 people protested against the harmful practices of foreign owned salmon industry in Tasmania. The Australia Institute’s Tasmanian director, Eloise Carr, spoke to rally participants about recent changes to national nature laws and how the Institute has raised this issue with the UN. Seventeen civil society organisations have written to
Five priorities for the next parliament if we want a liveable Australia
Climate and nature crises won’t pause while politics plays out.
Boys will be boys
The white men in the White House are trying to radically reshape modern America.
It’s impossible to be single and save for a deposit in Sydney – no matter how good your job is
For most people in Sydney – if you had started saving for a house a decade ago, you would be further away from your goal.
Migration is not out of control and the figures show it is not to blame for the housing crisis
Migration is not to blame for house prices rising. And neither are Australia’s borders out of control.
The talk about domestic and family violence prevention is big, the funding less so
The amount committed by both political parties to preventing domestic and family violence suggests they believe there are other, more important, priorities.
Silence on big ute subsidies as Coalition backflips on EV’s
As Peter Dutton announces a Coalition government would scrap tax breaks for people who buy electric vehicles, The Australia Institute has called for him to scrap the ridiculous tax break for people who buy big utes.
Tax tinkering a missed opportunity by both major parties
With less than two weeks to go in the election campaign, both major parties have done little to address the deficiencies in our tax system, which distort the housing market, worsen inequality, promote the use of fossil fuels and encourage damaging behavior.
Big Gas taking the piss: New research on Japanese gas giant, INPEX
New research by The Australia Institute highlights that Australia has a gas export problem, reinforcing the cross-party consensus that has emerged during the election campaign.
General Enquiries
Emily Bird Office Manager
mail@australiainstitute.org.au
Media Enquiries
Glenn Connley Senior Media Advisor
glenn.connley@australiainstitute.org.au