Real wages are down, but apparently inflation is all your fault
Wages aren’t driving higher inflation, so why do workers always seem to cop the blame?
Joseph Stiglitz on super profits, capital gains and why corporate tax is good for democracy
Inequality creates insecurity and, as the United States is demonstrating right now, that insecurity can have devasting consequences for democracy.
One Nation and Greens voters strongly support 25% Gas Export Tax: poll
New polling conducted by the RedBridge Group reveals strong nationwide support for a 25 per cent tax on gas exports, an idea supported by the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
Are record property prices on the way (again)?
On the back of ongoing tax concessions primarily benefitting the wealthiest and the government’s five per cent deposit scheme for first home buyers, Australia has just broken a new record for average home loan size.
Lopsided labour scheme a “modern slavery risk” – new analysis
A scheme designed to help the economies of Pacific Island nations while filling labour shortages in Australia is putting workers at risk of modern slavery, according to a new report by The Australia Institute.
How Australian high schools became the most expensive in the developed world
The privatisation of Australian high school education, originally led by the Howard government, has caused prices to soar.
“They rushed this”: why the Reserve Bank got it wrong by raising rates
With inflation driven by Christmas holidays and data centres for artificial intelligence, the RBA didn’t need to raise the interest rate this week, argues Matt Grudnoff.
Hasty decision inflicts more pain and will cost jobs
By its own standards, today’s decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise interest rates from 3.6 percent to 3.85 percent seems rushed and inconsistent.
New data reveals record spending ahead of 2025 election – but taxpayer funding will increase for 2028
The Australian Electoral Commission has today released its political contributions data for 2024-25, which reveals the major political parties raised and spent hundreds of millions of dollars last year.
Australian high schools the most expensive in the world – new research
As the 2026 school year gets underway, new research by The Australia Institute reveals that Australia is the most expensive place in the developed world for families to send a child to high school.
January 2026
BREAKING: Australia’s housing market still cooked
Even the Mathias Cormann-led OECD says the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing are a problem.
How Australia can chart its own course in an uncertain world
The Australian government can’t keep its head in the sand and hope the chaos of the Trump administration will just go away.
Australia is one of the richest countries in the world. Our governments act as if we are poor
Australia’s health system is in crisis and, while the tensions over funding between state and territory leaders and the Commonwealth is at an all-time high, people desperately waiting for medical help need real action, not performative posturing.
What can be done to fix the PALM scheme? | PALMed Off, Episode 4
What would it take to make the PALM scheme a genuine win-win for Australia and its neighbours?
Is Australia failing its duty of care? | PALMed Off, Episode 3
PALM visas holders do not get Medicare (outside of a trial limited to 200 people), so what happens when they are injured, get sick or fall pregnant?
Workers are people, not commodities | PALMed Off, Episode 2
Where do the thousands of people who have left the PALM scheme, but stayed in Australia, go? How do they survive without a valid visa and, more importantly, what does the future hold for them?
Modern slavery in Australia? | PALMed Off, Episode 1
In this summer mini-series, we examine the Australian guestworker program that could be putting people from Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste at risk of modern slavery.
December 2025
It’s a time for bravery
Big economic reform probably isn’t as hard as governments think.
Australia dumps its care crisis on the Pacific – new report
Skilled health workers from Pacific Island countries are being poached to plug Australia’s shortage of care workers, leaving the health systems in their home countries on the brink of collapse, according to new research.
The welfare system isn’t just on fire, it’s burning out of control
The problem with having pattern recognition is that you can always see the fires before they start.
Rate hold shows RBA uncertainty
Today’s decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to keep interest rates on hold shows the RBA doesn’t really know which way inflation is trending.
There’s a simple way to solve Australia’s “gas crisis” … and cut energy bills
With the federal government seeking a new way to fix Australia’s self-inflicted “gas crisis”, Australia Institute research shows a 25% tax on gas exports would solve the problem. The research shows a tax, proposed by the ACTU and supported by the Greens, would increase supply and cut energy bills for Australians. It would also raise around $17 billion
Liberals twist RBA remarks to sell a false narrative on public spending
Last week the Liberal Party shamefully misquoted the head of the Reserve Bank in a weak attempt to justify its criticism of government spending.
The great gas rip off: how the government can stop us all getting burned
The Albanese government could soon intervene to start fixing one of the biggest ongoing public policy fiascos in this country’s history: Australia’s rampant, uncontrolled gas export industry.
Is this growth…good?!
Rooftop solar and data centres are drivers of Australia’s economic growth, but do they really bring the same value to Australian society?
When ‘common sense’ cuts are code for a cruel con job
The greatest trick neoliberalism ever pulled was convincing people government intervention shouldn’t exist.
November 2025
This inequality isn’t inevitable
By offering generous tax concessions to property investors and making it nearly impossible to live on JobSeeker, Australian governments have being making inequality worse.
What have the scientists ever done for us?
Australian scientific discoveries have improved people’s lives and made the economy more productive – so why is the CSIRO being forced to shed workers again?
Australia’s health system is in intensive care, and the GST flatline is to blame
Australia’s health system needs intensive care, and so does the tax system that funds it.
Who needs world-changing, life-saving science when you’ve got rugby league?
If you’ve ever used Aerogard, the announcement this week that CSIRO would cut another 350 jobs should alarm you.
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mail@australiainstitute.org.au
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glenn.connley@australiainstitute.org.au