Soft plastic recycling is back in supermarkets!
For many of us, the end of June will mark the return of soft plastic recycling run by the Soft Plastics Taskforce (SPT), which is made up of the three major supermarkets: Woolworths Group, Coles Group and ALDI. But this may be premature since the joint recycling strategy from the Ministry of the Environment and
Big Gas is taking the piss | Television Ad
Australia, Big Gas is taking the piss. We made this TV ad to make sure people know.
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
April 2025
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.
Dutton’s nuclear push will cost renewable jobs
Dutton’s nuclear push will cost renewable jobs As Australia’s federal election campaign has finally begun, opposition leader Peter Dutton’s proposal to spend hundreds of billions in public money to build seven nuclear power plants across the country has been carefully scrutinized. The technological unfeasibility, staggering cost, and scant detail of the Coalition’s nuclear proposal have
I’ll admit it. Dutton is spot on about one thing when it comes to gas
It’s not often I agree with Peter Dutton, but I can admit when he’s right and he’s right about two things.
March 2025
Our laws were in danger of doing what they were supposed to do – so they were changed
While all eyes were on the budget, the Albanese government gutted Australia’s environmental laws. The changes are great for the salmon industry, but terrible for endangered species and Australia’s democracy.
February 2025
Creating jobs and building a good society while meeting the global warming challenge – Doug Cameron | Climate Integrity Summit 2025
Far from costing Australians, decisive climate action will, in fact, strengthen Australia’s economy, security, community wellbeing and international influence.
December 2024
There’s nothing naughty about being poor. Why Christmas is a horrible time for kids living in poverty
The busiest shopping weekend of the year is upon us, where shopping malls become a desperate frenzy of overindulgence and waste. But spare a thought for those who can’t afford even the trimmest of trimmings this Christmas.
Coal royalties are a tiny part of the NSW Budget
The people of Australia collectively own all the resources under the ground. This means that the coal in NSW is the property of the Australian people too. Because of this, mining companies have to pay the NSW Government a “royalty” if they want to dig up and sell coal. Royalties are not taxes. They are
Can you imagine any other climate research group asking for less money?
Getting coal for Christmas is supposed to be a bad thing. But for Australia’s coal mines, all their Christmases seem to have come at once!
Salmon spin and pollution all a bit fishy
Salmon companies are ripping off Tasmania and trying to pass it off as yet another ‘jobs vs environment’ fight. This is the kind of fight that Tasmanian politicians love to have, and like performing seals, the Tasmanian government and opposition have lined up to bark and do their tricks. But the fight over salmon farming
October 2024
Australian super funds investing in nuclear weapons companies
How would you feel if your super was invested in nuclear weapons companies? Well, in Australia, there’s a high chance it is.
Inaction “not an option” after damning report into the state of Tasmania’s environment
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.
Government is ‘nature positive’ in the same way asbestos is lung positive
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.
September 2024
The gas industry is gaslighting us
Barely a week goes by without another shrill headline about a supposed gas shortage and alarmist claims that the lights will go out unless multinational companies are allowed to extract more gas.
Whenever you see these headlines or hear scary claims from the gas lobby, there are two things you need to know.
Big profits, but don’t be suckered into thinking mining dominates Australia’s economy
Mining companies love to talk about how much they contribute to Australia’s economy. But really their biggest “contribution” is their profits – and they want to keep more of those.
.The mining industry is the biggest whinger in the country
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
The logging industry should be bound by Australia’s environment protection laws just like everyone else
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.
August 2024
The billboard they didn’t want you to see
While the gas industry has been busy trying to tell you that we need more gas, we’ve been busy countering their spin with facts, especially in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. However, not everyone is as enthusiastic as we are for the message to get out. A billboard too far? We wanted to let
Fossil fuels are gobbling up construction capacity and it’s hurting at home
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.
July 2024
Should Australia ban fossil fuel advertising?
A tobacco-style ban on fossil fuel advertising would be a decisive win for Australia – and the climate.
Over 30 organisations urge the Rockliff government to release Tasmania’s decade-overdue State of the Environment Report
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.
Why Queensland is Miles ahead of the game
Canberra doesn’t really have a fossil fuel industry, which perhaps explains why we lead the country in decarbonising our economy.
June 2024
The Minerals Council REALLY wants you to feel good about coal: Spin Bin | Video
The Minerals Council recently released an ad promoting the coal industry in Australia, which uses some figures that don’t stack up.
Bring out yer dead! Amid nuke hype Tanya Plibersek approves Gina Rinehart’s gas pipeline
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has just approved a new coal seam gas pipeline in Queensland.
The Seamless scheme and developing an Australian circular textiles industry
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.
Australians buy more clothes than any other country | Video
“We are recommending a tax on fast fashion to protect Australian businesses and also protect the environment.”
General Enquiries
Emily Bird Office Manager
mail@australiainstitute.org.au
Media Enquiries
Glenn Connley Senior Media Advisor
glenn.connley@australiainstitute.org.au