Sydney smells the stink from Tasmania
Sydney voters care about fish deaths and the impact of commercial fishing in Tasmania, according to a new poll.
We don’t need no Education
Trump has signed an Executive Order that seeks to dismantle the Federal Department of Education – but can he actually do it?
Commonwealth Budget 2025-2026: Our analysis
The Centre for Future Work’s research team has analysed the Commonwealth Government’s budget, focusing on key areas for workers, working lives, and labour markets. As expected with a Federal election looming, the budget is not a horror one of austerity. However, the 2025-2026 budget is characterised by the absence of any significant initiatives. There is
Time to clean up Australia’s failing, scandal-plagued universities
Australia’s universities are plummeting down international rankings while charging students more than ever for their degrees.
ANU’s latest scandal shows us why transparency is so important, and where to start
Governance at Australia’s universities is in a dire state.
Mythical shortages and a manufactured “crisis” – How the gas industry uses AEMO data to trick Australians
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) will this week release its annual Gas Statement of Opportunities.
Bad advice – which hasn’t aged well
Ten years after former Treasurer Joe Hockey advised Australians to get “a good job that pays good money” to buy a house, new analysis by The Australia Institute reveals just how bad that advice actually was.
Commonwealth live music inquiry: sing along with the chorus now…
The Australian Government’s latest report into the state of live music – “Am I Ever Gonna See You Live Again?” – makes some great recommendations, including for: tax offsets to be given to venues that host live music; training and education programs to help foster a love of music among young people; a rebate or
Australia’s sick housing joke
Looking to buy a house? Having a good job that pays good money probably won’t be enough.
Housing affordability crisis – Saving for a deposit forever
The dream of saving for a deposit on a house is now so far beyond most poeple that even if you have a high paying job, you still can never save enough.
Implications for ACT of High Court decision on Commonwealth v Yunupingu
On Wednesday 12 March, the High Court of Australia is scheduled to hand down a decision on the case Commonwealth of Australia v. Yunupingu (on behalf of the Gumatj Clan or Estate Group) & Ors.
Big private health insurers make huge profits… but they want you to pay more
Despite huge profit margins, the big three private health insurers keep higher and higher premiums.
.February 2025
Politics and property – how our leaders are among the privileged using legal loopholes to build their wealth
Not so long ago, former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was branded “Mr Harbourside Mansion”, a moniker bestowed upon him by his own side of politics.
Australians must be protected from diseased salmon
With an unfolding ecological disaster in Tasmania, salmon farmers have a duty to protect Australian families from diseased, dying or dead fish.
Cutting the public service saves nothing
Reducing the size of Australia’s public service is often characterised as a way to save the country money and make government departments more efficient.
The housing crisis is turning into an inequality crisis
The rising concentration of property and investment assets in the hands of wealthier Australians is making housing crisis worse and deepening economic divides.
Housing affordability is on a very dangerous path
If housing affordability keeps going the way it has over the past 20 years, an average house in Sydney will be worth 24 years of an average salary.
.What’s driving the wealth inequality crisis?
Without addressing the wealth inequality crisis, Australia’s economy and society will suffer.
While Uni Vice-Chancellors rake in millions, young researchers struggle to survive
Australia’s university Vice-Chancellors are among the highest paid in the world, while Australia’s PhD students are some of the lowest paid. That is not a sign of a healthy education system.
.95 top Australian and international artists unite to stop the destruction of one of the world’s greatest artworks
Many of Australia’s most renowned artists, writers and musicians are calling on Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to stop the destruction of one of world’s most important artworks and cultural heritage sites, the Murujuga petroglyphs in Western Australia.
Uni Vice-Chancellors keep getting richer while those who teach and research are left behind
The pay of university Vice-Chancellors has soared well beyond that of the teaching staff for no improvement in management.
.January 2025
The HAFF is a small start to tackle housing affordability, but investors still get all the breaks
Increasing the number of houses is welcome, but unless the government tackles the expensive tax breaks for investors, housing will remain unaffordable for many.
.The high pay for Vice-Chancellors does not deliver better outcomes for students
Australia’s university vice-chancellors are among the highest paid in the world, and yet all that money does not deliver better outcomes for students.
.Taxpayers Subsidising Private School Luxuries
As Australia enters a new school year, a submission from The Australia Institute highlights the growing disparity between public and private school funding, revealing that taxpayers are helping fund lavish private school facilities and the high salaries of private school principals. In a submission to a New South Wales inquiry into private school profits, the
Australia’s Gun Ownership Scorecard: A Growing Problem in Need of Reform
New findings released today reveal alarming trends in firearm ownership across Australia, showing that the number of guns in private hands has grown significantly since the Port Arthur massacre, and regulation across states and territories is failing to keep pace with community expectations. Key Findings: There are more guns in Australia than there were before the Port Arthur
Compared to the cost of protesting, buying time with a minister is very cheap
In Australia today, corporate lobbyists can cheaply access politicians in private while peaceful public protestors face draconian penalties.
“Much-needed” super changes should pass
The federal government’s stalled changes to superannuation rules would make the nation’s super system fairer, at a time when so many Australians are doing it tough.
The sad phenomenon of Australia’s unfunded excellence
In Australia, prize-winning artists, writers and musicians pay more tax than some multinational fossil fuel companies with turnover in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Australian leaders urge President Biden to pardon Julian Assange
A group of Australian leaders, including several Members of Parliament, have written to outgoing US President Joe Biden, urging him to grant a full and unconditional pardon to Julian Assange.
Killing for Country with David Marr | Summer Book Club
David Marr discusses the frontier wars and the shocking family discovery that led to his award-winning book, Killing for Country.
General Enquiries
Emily Bird Office Manager
mail@australiainstitute.org.au
Media Enquiries
Glenn Connley Senior Media Advisor
glenn.connley@australiainstitute.org.au