“Unfair, unethical, reckless” – education reform in 2014 Threatened tax increases another impact on equality Community and environment or big mining? TAI in the media Infographic “Unfair, unethical, reckless” – education reform in 2014 Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s sweeping higher education reforms have stirred a hornet’s nest of controversy. So far Labor, the Greens, and

The Renewable Energy Target (RET) is generally considered as having a target that will mean 20 per cent of electricity is generated from renewable sources by 2020. The Warburton RET review modelled five options for changing the RET and recommended two. The first is what is known as “grandfathering” the RET. This is a process

An economic case for destroying the Reef? Renewable energy’s age of uncertainty About those driving comments… What budget emergency? TAI in the media Infographic An economic case for destroying the Reef? The Great Barrier Reef is under threat – according to scientists, UNESCO and at least one ice cream company. Plans to dredge new ports,

Senator Day claimed on Sky News that: “evidence from around the world is that if you want more revenue, and I’m not suggesting we give them any more revenue, but if they want more revenue, they should lower taxes and not increase them.” [15 August 2014] Day has previously cited examples to support this theory from Sweden,

If you’d like to give a presentation on the economics of mining, get in touch with us and we can give you the background information you need.

Gas fields covering NSW farmland and forests are approved largely on the basis of the claims they make about jobs and economic benefits. The gas industry employs some people and generates economic activity, but often not to extent claimed by industry advocates. This fact sheet will assist with arguing against the industry’s shonky economics.

Coal mines on NSW farmland and forests are approved largely on the basis of the claims they make about jobs and economic benefits. Coal mines certainly employ some peopleand generate economic activity, but often not to extent claimed by industry advocates. This fact sheet will assist with arguing against the industry’s shonky economics.

Warkworth modelling – you get out what you point in Queensland coal train wreck Sydney mining economics workshops TAI in the media Infographic Weekly updates from TAI Warkworth modelling – you get out what you point in The Warkworth coal mine case, run by the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO and supported by The Australia Institute

Treasurer Joe Hockey has said “the poorest people either don’t have cars or actually don’t drive very far in many cases.” The Treasure also said that the fuel excise is a “progressive tax”. The Treasurer defended his statement saying “I can only get the facts out there and explain the facts, how people interpret them

Earlier this week, data released by Treasury under a Freedom of Information request, were published in the media that showed Treasury predictions the Abbott Government’s budget measures were likely to hit lower income households harder than higher income households. In response, Treasurer Joe Hockey said “higher income households pay half their income in tax”. Check

Ideology over evidence hurts the unemployed Housing a right or a commodity? Is it gender or Gina defining inequity Infographic Ideology over evidence hurts the unemployed In another triumph of ideology over evidence, the government announced on Monday that it was expanding the work for the dole scheme. Fresh from its victory over the carbon

Employment in renewable energy is difficult to determine. Figures are persistently disputed as being inflated or underestimated, depending on which stakeholder is asked. For example, when Liberal MP Mark Coulton defended the controversial Cobbora Coal Mine near Dunedoo against calls from Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon to abandon the project in favour of renewable investment, he

The nanny state of childcare Axing the taxes Financial planners free again TAI in the media Infographic Weekly updates from TAI The nanny state of childcare  The anticipated Productivity Commission report into Childcare, flagged before the last federal election by Tony Abbott to negate childcare affordability as an election issue was released this week. Not surprisingly,

Recent reports from the ABC and in the Australian, including a map of selected mines have outlined heavy job losses in Australia’s coal sector, specifically claiming that ten to twelve thousand jobs have been lost in the last two years. Labour force data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) does not support this claim.

Did we lose our head over axing the tax? Dodgy economic modelling in NSW – an endangered species? Warkworth rerun ANZ hoaxer Jono Moylan awaits his sentence TAI out and about Did we lose our head over axing the tax? The carbon price has been repealed. After two years, the government’s own figures estimate it

When you buy a car or a house, no-one really believes the salesman or the real estate agent when they tell you you’re getting a great deal. You know you need to do your own research and shop around. How about financial advice? Most people assume that financial advisors act in their best interest, and

Fighting dirty on clean energy The price of inequality Playing minor chords to major effect RET-boy! TAI in the media Infographic Weekly updates from TAI 1. Fighting Dirty on Clean Energy The big fossil fuel generators are keen to water down or scrap the Renewable Energy Target (RET). They’re the biggest losers from a policy that

The Government intends to change the indexation of the Age Pension from September 2017. If their legislation passes through the Senate, the pension will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), (the same as Newstart). At the moment the pension is indexed to the higher of the CPI, the Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost

The Prime Minister continues to claim that “The RET is very significantly driving up power prices,”. He has made this claim in the past and linked the Renewable Energy Target (RET) to energy costs going up. Despite an existing regulated review process, based on this claim the Prime Minister established an additional review of the

Mining the Age of Entitlement Childcare costs increase Frightbats for equity Temporary reprieve for welfare recipients Infographic Mining the Age of Entitlement Money you’ve spent on one thing is money you can’t spend on another. Money the States pay to mining companies is money they can’t invest in essential services, infrastructure, and other things you

In Mining the age of entitlement: State government assistance to the minerals and fossil fuel sector The Australia Institute has detailed the extent to which Australian states and territories underwrite the profits of private companies in the minerals and fossil fuel sector with public money. The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has responded to this

Plain packaging for cigarettes was introduced in Australia in 2012. The Australian newspaper has reported that sales of cigarettes have in fact increased. The ABC program Media Watch has refuted this claim. The program argued that ‘the rise in wholesale cigarette sales figures is almost certainly explained by retailers trying to beat a rise in

Meet David – he donates to The Australia Institute. He’s a psychologist and economist from Melbourne, and he particularly likes our work on equity. We love David because not only does he believe in progressive ideas; he’s also willing to fund them. David wants to post us a cheque for $10,000 as his End of Financial

Seeing through the dust: Coal in the Hunter Valley economy Help us defend the Renewable Energy Target Divestment Campaign Gathers Momentum Winter Clearing of Leard Forest for Open Cut Coal Stopped Infographic Seeing through the dust: Coal in the Hunter Valley economy Today The Institute released new research on Hunter Valley Coal. The major finding

While the Hunter Valley produces and exports large volumes of coal, it is no longer the “bedrock” of the Hunter Valley economy that it once was. The Hunter now has a more diversified, modern economy. Almost 600,000 people live in the Hunter Valley region*, with 343,000 living in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie urban areas

Electricity prices can be divided into retail and wholesale prices. Retail prices is that paid by consumers and the wholesale electricity price is the price generators receive for electricity produced. The renewable energy target (RET) affects both of these. The RET requires electricity retailers to buy renewable energy certificates (RECs) to ensure they have sourced

Uncle Sam’s crazy education deals Mining for good government Life expectancy and the age pension Youth unemployment TAI in the media Infographic Weekly Updates from TAI 1. Uncle Sam’s crazy education deals When Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s vision for a deregulated tertiary education system was outlined in the 2014-15 Budget, its details weren’t a surprise.

The government announced in the budget that people aged under 30 will have to wait up to six months to receive Newstart payments. The Treasurer expects them to have a job despite the fact there has never been 100% employment  and youth unemployment is higher than it is for everyone else. The budget papers predict

The Imaginary Crisis The Budget Blow By Blow The Devil Is In The Detail TAI In The Media Infographic The Imaginary Crisis When the previous government introduced a resource rent tax on the miners to fund a range of government services and income support for low income earners, it was called ‘class warfare’. In last

Following the 2014 federal budget, support provided to older Australians through the age pension will be reduced while superannuation tax concessions will continue to rise. This will further increase the disparity between elderly Australians as well as the cost burden on the federal budget. Prior to the federal budget the cost of superannuation tax concessions