At The Australia Institute we always aim to lead the national political debate. We publish research that sets the agenda and has genuine impact, research that never gathers dust on the shelf. We barrack for ideas, not political parties and we’re proud to say that we change minds. But we cannot do it without your

Australia’s energy policy and the Finkel review have become the centre of our national political debate, but in the discussion one issue is noticeably too often absent: climate change. The Australia Institute is pleased to launch the National Energy Emissions Audit, which tracks Australia’s emissions of greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels. The National Energy

It has taken ten years of cheap politics and bad policy decisions to deliver Australians high energy prices, high greenhouse gas emissions and low levels of reliability. Rather than listen to scientists, engineers or economists Australia’s energy policy has been shaped by lobbyists, political strategists and shock jocks. It’s hard to see how things went

Australia now holds the record for the longest period of growth without a technical recession. If this is the case then why do the vast majority of us all feel so poor? It was announced that Australia now holds the record for the longest period of growth without a technical recession. If this is the case

Key areas to assess whether the Finkel Review will give us what we need to ensure Australia has a 21st century energy system What is the Finkel Review for? The objective of the Finkel Review is to provide a blueprint for national policy, legislative, governance and rule changes required to maintain the security, reliability, affordability and sustainability

Adani have green-lit their coal mine like most millenials have green-lit buying their first home — with no finance and no contracts. So, what if the Government really did help First Home Buyers like they were helping out Adani with their coal mine? No, really. 1 // You’d get your water for free (no water bills!) The Adani mine has

There is a depressing honesty about Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. It stands in stark contrast to the hypocrisy of Malcolm Turnbull’s big talk on climate change, which is accompanied by a $1 billion subsidy for the enormous new Adani coal mine. At least Trump is

President Trump reneging on the US Paris climate commitments creates an opportunity for leadership from other countries, including Australia. A majority of Australians believe domestic action would be only more important in the event of Trump reneging on US climate action policies, according to The Australia Institute polling. “Trump’s decision to leave puts a new focus

Our team of economists and researchers have cast their eye over a range of areas — some of the ‘big ticket’ items, and some the Government were probably hoping to sneak by without anyone noticing. Listen to our Follow the Money podcast Budget Special The Australia Institute Deputy Director, Ebony Bennett, caught up with Senior Economist Matt

New polling shows Queenslanders strongly oppose state and federal subsidies for the Adani coal proposal — with the more supporters of all parties, including among LNP and One Nation voters, opposing these coal mining subsidies than supporting them. “Three times as many Queenslanders oppose taxpayer subsidies — from both federal or state governments, to the Adani mine as support

A national poll shows that 61 percent of Australians approve of a bank super profits tax. “Clearly the Australian people think those profits are extravagant and see the benefit in the banks paying back a higher rate of tax,” said Ben Oquist, executive director of Canberra-based think-tank The Australia Institute. Clearly the Australian people think

Adani’s one-off steel order of 56,000 tonnes would be less than 2% of Whyalla steelworks capacity Today’s announcement that the Adani coal project would ‘throw a lifeline’ to South Australian steel producer Arrium OneSteel is the latest piece of deception from a company known for its exaggerated economic promises. South Australians should be wary of

This week’s budget was full of good news about good economic times. The combination of favourable economic conditions and some good economic management could have been a once in a generation opportunity to build for the state’s future. Built on the back of our clean and green image, a boom in revenues has been fuelled

It’s not clear whether Adani will win its battle to build its enormous new coal mine. But what is clear is that the coal industry, and the political right, have already lost the war. The enormous subsidies required to make the Adani mine “commercial” have killed once and for all the myth that coal mining

Australia isn’t trying to stop global warming, we’re subsidising it. While here in the ACT we’re on track to source 100% of our electricity from renewable energy by 2020, in Queensland the state government is doubling down on the number one contributor to climate change – coal. Despite banks, economists and the Australian people showing

The big banks have just discovered what Australia’s unemployed have known for some time, in modern Australia it is risky to be the underdog. For the last decade, at least, Australian politics has revolved around what you can get away with, not what the country needs, and the results have been nasty. And as the

Commonwealth Treasurer Scott Morrison tabled his 2017-18 budget in Parliament House on May 9, and the Centre for Future Work’s Director Jim Stanford was there in the lock-up to analyse its likely impacts. Here are some of our main impressions and comments:

Barnaby Joyce says the federal Coalition’s desire to subsidise Adani’s Carmichael coal mine means the government will attract “some flak” from environmentalists. No doubt there will be, but he might do well to prepare for some friendly fire as well. [This article was first published in the Australian Financial Review – here] The government should expect some flak

The Fair Work Commission has ruled that penalty rates for Sunday and public holiday work in the retail and hospitality sectors should be reduced, which would reduce hourly wages on those days by up to $10 per hour. Business lobbyists predict this will spark a hiring surge in stores and restaurants, as employers take advantage of lower wages to extend hours and ramp up operations. The economic logic of this claim is highly suspect, however – especially in light of the fundamental factors which truly limit employment in these sectors (namely, the sluggish growth of personal incomes). 78 Australian economists have signed a public letter debunking these job-creation claims, arguing that the FWC’s decision will lead to more inequality, not more employment.

Two days after demanding $48 billion worth of tax cuts, BCA president Grant King warned us that “if we don’t make changes, if we don’t get on top of the budget deficit, debt is going to be rising and it will be a burden for generations to come”. [This article was first published by the Australian Financial

On April 1, Australia will surpass the Netherland’s old record to mark the longest unbroken expansion of real GDP in modern history. While this result permits much chest-thumping on the part of some politicians, we should never assume that there is an automatic correlation between GDP growth and the well-being of people, society, and the environment.

1/ Giving business a $50 billion dollar tax cut means $50 billion dollars less for schools, hospitals and other government services.  Giving business a $50 billion dollar tax cut means $50 billion dollars less for government services like schools and hospitals. Treasury modelling even assumes these company tax cuts will be matched by cuts to

This was first published in EcoGeneration online on 8 March 2017 and in the print edition. The common view of invention is that it is unexpected. The people who do it are extraordinary individuals. There are risk takers but also naturally creative geniuses. Ancient Archimedes came up with his theory of buoyancy by his spontaneous

This was first published in EcoGeneration online on 20 Jan 2017 and in the print edition. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull put innovation on the national agenda when he defeated PM Tony Abbott in the leadership spill, in September 2015. Turnbull said “We have to recognise that the disruption that we see driven by technology, the

Are there any economic rationalists left in the Australian business community? Where are the fiscal conservatives when you need them? [This article was first published in the Australian Financial Review – here]  Hard headed budget hawks are missing in action when it comes to our governments giving a $1 billion subsidy to help build the

The Coalition Government is still paying a heavy price for Tony Abbott’s “ability” to simplify complex policy issues down into three-word slogans. His promise to “stop the debt” worked a treat for him in opposition but it made him look a failure as Prime Minister when debt grew rapidly on his watch. [This article was

The Fair Work Commission unveiled its long-awaited decision on penalty rates for Sunday and holiday work this week. Penalty rates for most retail and hospitality workers will be cut, by up to 50 percentage points of the base wage. Hardest hit will be retail employees: their wages on Sundays will fall by $10 an hour or more. For regular weekend workers, that could mean $6000 in lost annual income.

‘How conservatives can lead on climate action in the age of Trump’ Republican Congressman, Bob Inglis, National Press Club address: We’re in the midst of 2 weeks of travel in your magical land. We’ve been in Sydney where we enjoyed the beauty and the fun of the beach at Manly, the Circular Quay precinct, productive

In Australia as a guest of Canberra-based think-tank The Australia Institute, former Republican Congressman Bob Inglis had initially assumed that climate change was nonsense. From South Carolina’s Republican heartland, Bob Inglis tells Adam Morton in a Fairfax interview: “I didn’t really know anything about it except that Al Gore was for it, and, as I

In a post-truth world, the ability of an industry to generate its own “alternative facts” is likely to be an asset in the short term and a liability in the long term. Indeed, for those who crave certainty and value continuous disclosure, the willingness of some firms to move well beyond simply putting a positive spin on