How would you feel if your super was invested in nuclear weapons companies? Well, in Australia, there’s a high chance it is.

On Saturday 19 October, 20 organisations, including the Australia Institute, published an open letter calling on the Rockcliff Government to acknowledge the damning findings from Tasmania’s 2024 State of the Environment Report and commit to reversing the state’s environmental declines.

It’s like an episode of Utopia or Yes Minister – just a week out from the government’s Global Nature Positive Summit, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approved three whopping coal mine extensions in NSW.

Rather than show negative gearing changes are bad, a Deloitte report cited by the Prime Minister concludes they would improve housing affordability and home ownership.

Australia is one of the lowest-taxing countries in the developed world. While it is sometimes suggested that Australian governments spend too much, the reality is that Australia raises very little tax revenue compared to similar countries. Insofar as Australian governments have a problem balancing revenue and spending, that problem lies in the level of revenue

The mining industry is now surely the biggest whinger in the Australian economy. This week it launched an all-out assault on the federal government at Minerals Week in Canberra, with chief executive of the mining industry’s chief lobby group the Minerals Council, Tania Constable, warning the government: “Undermine it at your peril.” Relative to its

This week, a private member’s bill to end native forest logging was up for debate. It sought to repeal legislation that exempts logging in much of Australia’s public forest estate from our national environment laws.

In recent weeks the Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been criticised by the opposition and some conservative economists for pointing out that the 13 interest rate increases have slowed Australia’s economy. But the data shows he is right.

If you’ve ever flicked off an email before bed, texted your boss out of hours, or received an ‘urgent’ work call after clocking off, you’ll be glad to hear some respite is just around the corner. A new right to disconnect from work, for employees in businesses with 15 or more staff, comes into force

Last week, the federal government announced plans to define menstrual products as “lifestyle-related” and exclude them from NDIS funding.

Next month, the Albanese government is due to announce its proposed changes to Australian electoral laws. It has been a long road. The minister responsible, Senator Don Farrell, had planned to introduce the laws by the end of last year.

Is government spending inflationary?

In the wake of the Reserve Bank’s latest forecasts, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is facing calls that government should cut back on infrastructure investment to relieve inflation pressures and free up workers and resources to build much-needed housing.

New Zealand’s central bank raised interest rates more than Australia and went into a recession – twice.

While Kamala Harris has restored some hope for Democrats in November, the likelihood of a Trump presidency still remains very strong. And if that happens, Australia may find itself more damaged than any other major country.

Over the next few weeks, the Reserve Bank will ponder just how strong the economy is.

My children are aged three and four. They love anything with super powers – Spiderman, vampires, Paw Patrol, everything.

The Albanese Government’s industrial policy framework – the Future Made in Australia Act (FMAA) – has finally been unveiled.

Tasmania’s Government has failed to publish a State of the Environment Report since 2009,
despite having a legal obligation to do so every five years.

Canberra doesn’t really have a fossil fuel industry, which perhaps explains why we lead the country in decarbonising our economy.

While public school funding lags, principals of private schools are paid up to four times their state system counterparts. 

The sham of Australia’s climate change policy has been made clear in the past two weeks.

Workers’ compensation and rehabilitation are amongst the most important legal issues facing the ‘gig’ economy. This reflects the potential vulnerability of these workers and their families, co-workers, and community to harsh and long term consequences from injuries. For a while, it looked like federal industrial policy might ‘solve’ the workers compensation problem by redefining ‘gig’/platform

Every single year in Australia over 200,000 tonnes of textile waste go to landfill, and more than 100,000 tonnes are shipped overseas. Australia must somehow scale this 300,000-tonne mountain of clothing if the nation is to make the textile industry circular by 2030.