May 2024
Video Report: Native Logging continues in the Great Koala National Park
An on-the-ground video investigation into native forest logging and the people trying to protect the last refuges of some of Australia’s most iconic wildlife.
“Smash and Grab”: Backwards Carbon Credits Logic Incentivises Native Forest Logging
Ongoing logging within the boundaries of the proposed Great Koala National Park threatens the survival of endangered species and contradicts conservation efforts, writes Stephen Long.
Raising jobseeker is not ‘fiscally sustainable’? Sorry, but that is flat out wrong
On Monday the Productivity Commission released its snapshot of inequality report.
Video: Why Gina Rinehart’s Wrong About the Housing Crisis | Richard Denniss on the Today Show
“Gina Rinehart and the mining industry already get out of paying excise on petrol. So I can see why she thinks everybody should avoid it.” – Executive Director Richard Denniss on Channel 9’s the Today Show.
Australians have lost 14 years of progress on living standards. A wages breakout? Please. If only
Remember all that talk about wage-price spirals? About wages driving inflation? All that worry about a wages breakout causing interest rates to rise? Ahh yes, good times.
5 Key Takeaways From The 2024 Budget
The Australia Institute’s analysis of the 2024 Federal Budget finds that while there some big numbers and good measures, there’s no meaningful solutions to issues such as inequality, housing or climate change.
‘Scattergun’ budget misses chance to tackle big issues
The government failed to make a dent in the structural challenges facing housing, social security and the climate in its pre-election budget, says Senior Economist Matt Grudnoff.
Australia budget 2024: the six graphs you need to see
A bigger surplus this year and a bit bigger deficit next year! Does it matter?
Calls for massive rate hikes and recession are cavalier: Jericho
Inflation will remain higher for longer, but a recession is not the solution, says Greg Jericho.
Fossil fuel subsidies make government priorities clear
If Australia is to use and produce more fossil fuels than we are now, the rest of our climate policy amounts to tinkering at the edges, writes Rod Campbell.
Minimum qualifications: The missing piece of aged care worker regulation
“Mandatory and coordinated accreditation would allow workers to have their skills recognised, boost job satisfaction and make the industry more attractive as a long-term career.
“The Aged Care Royal Commission has been crystal clear about the need for these reforms. It’s beyond time to deliver them.”
Those calling for higher interest rates in Australia should be careful of what they wish for
It seems that some people really want a recession.
Six ways the government can reduce inflation in next week’s budget
It is often said that the only way to reduce inflation is by higher interest rates. That’s not true – the government can also reduce inflation and cost of living pressures
The debate about inflation, interest rates, and the cost of living is broken.
Spreading fear about inflation not falling fast enough distorts the true picture
Increasing JobSeeker is possible, it’s just a question of priorities
The government has the power to make significant and long-awaited improvements to the JobSeeker scheme in this federal budget, but it has to make it a priority, says Greg Jericho.
Poverty is a policy choice – it is time for the government to choose better
If the government decided to make raising Jobseeker a priority in the Budget it would not talk about not being able to afford it, writes Greg Jericho.
.April 2024
Funding Australia’s renewable transition isn’t ‘picking winners’ – it’s securing our future
Last week Anthony Albanese finally announced the government’s major plan for the transition to a renewable energy economy.
Private schools, public subsidies: with $50k fees per child per year, how can tax breaks be justified?
Private schools are competing to see who can boast the most luxurious accoutrements, and the tax-deductions they can claim on constructing buildings are helping them do it. The Scots College is awaiting construction of its new library, which will resemble a Scottish Baronial castle. At one point, they had a hypoxic chamber for altitude simulation sports training. Newington College
Who’s hurting most from rising interest rates? It’s probably you.
Soaring house prices, high household debt and the pervasiveness of variable rate home loans mean that Australians bear the brunt of interest rate rises, says Greg Jericho.
Talk of interest rate cuts soon is optimistic – here’s why the RBA may decide doing nothing is safer
Australians are hurting from rate rises more than anyone. But that doesn’t mean the Reserve Bank is about to start cutting.
NSW government dragging its feet on koala park for “sham” carbon credits
By waiting for a carbon credit scheme to be established before delivering its Great Koala National Park, the New South Wales Government is putting the species at risk, says Stephen Long.
The carbon con killing koalas
The NSW Labor Government took office promising to create a vast koala sanctuary on the state’s mid-north coast – the Great Koala National Park. Despite the threat of koala extinction in the state, more than a year later the Great Koala National Park is yet to be established.
Video: The Right to Disconnect is NOT Bad for Productivity
The Right to Disconnect legislation being passed recently has attracted criticism from Opposition leader Peter Dutton and business groups, who say it’s bad for productivity. They may need to learn some basic maths, because they couldn’t be more wrong. Centre for Future Work Director Dr Jim Stanford explains. Research indicates the average Australian worker performs
Australia’s “stupid” surplus obsession must end
A budget surplus doesn’t mean a government is good at running the economy – we should focus on the choices they make instead, says Greg Jericho.
Whether Australia’s budget has a surplus tells us little about the government’s worth – it’s all on the choices made
We are now a month away from the 2024-25 budget. And as with all budgets, the choices made matter much more than any big numbers that get the media attention.
Labor’s pledge to depoliticise the public service is undermined by the government only hearing what it wants to hear on climate change
While last year’s robodebt royal commission exposed a shocking lack of ethics among senior ranks of the Australian public service, the systemic condition still largely seems to be regarded as an aberration.
Don’t worry about a budget surplus, care about the choices in the budget
Budget, Julia Gillard rightly said, are about choices. And those choices are a lot more important than whether or not the budget is in surplus or deficit
“It’s a scare campaign”: award wage rise won’t trigger inflation spiral
With unions calling for a five per cent increase to award wages, business groups are crying wolf over the proposal’s impact on inflation and unemployment, says Greg Jericho.
March 2024
Why the Carbon Myth Industry is bad for farmers
Jigsaw Farms, long held up as a shining star of carbon neutral farming, is no longer carbon neutral, although only just.
The academic publishing rort
As much as $1 billion in taxpayer funding may be being funnelled into the pockets of for-profit academic publishers every year, writes Dr Kristen Scicluna.
General Enquiries
Emily Bird Office Manager
mail@australiainstitute.org.au
Media Enquiries
David Barnott-Clement Media Advisor
david.barnott-clement@australiainstitute.org.au