Who: “We take more refugees per head of Australian population than any other nation in the world. We take either the second or third most in absolute terms, depending on how you calibrate your calculation” Chris Bowen. The claim: Australia takes the most refugees per capita and takes the second or third most in absolute terms. The facts: The  UNHCR

Who: “The Australian public now have certainty, Australians demand to know that the prime minister they elect is the prime minister they get and that is underlined by these reforms.” Kevin Rudd The claim: A change in caucus rules means that a popularly elected Labor party prime minister cannot be challenged from within his or

Who: “Abolishing the carbon tax will take $5,000 off the price of the average new home.” Tony Abbott. The claim: The carbon tax has increased the cost of an average new home by $5,000 and removing the tax will decrease the price by $5,000. The facts: The claim is based on a July 2011 report from the Housing Industry Association (HIA); “research

Who:“We are now the largest Indigenous employer in Australia” Mitch Hooke, Chief Executive of the Minerals Council of Australia. The claim: The mining industry is the biggest employer of Indigenous Australians. The facts: Data for Indigenous employment by industry from the 2011 census shows the mining industry employed four per cent of the Indigenous workforce.

Who: “If there is more gas, the basic rules of supply and demand will work. If there is more gas then the prices will become competitive.” Cheryl Cartwright, Chief executive of the Australian Pipeline Industry Association. The claim: The removal of restrictions on Coal Seam Gas (CSG) will result in increased production which will cause

Who: “Australia is one of only eight countries in the world that has a AAA credit rating from all of the three international credit rating agencies.” Penny Wong. The claim: Australia is one of only eight countries with a AAA credit rating. The facts: There are eleven countries in the world that have a AAA

Who: “There really are not enough wealthy people to make a jot of difference. So I have worked it out, let’s think about the top one per cent, if you imposed a 75 per cent average tax rate, ok, not a marginal tax rate, this is horrendous. … You would only raise between 20 and

Who: “Everything Labor has done has made it easier for the big 4 banks to make bigger profits off the backs of consumers.” Adam Bandt. The claim: The Labor Government has made it easier for the big four banks to increase profits. The facts: A formal deposit insurance arrangement was introduced at the time of the global

Who:  “The people coming here by irregular maritime arrivals (arriving by boat) are not people fleeing persecution…They’re coming here as economic migrants… We need a tougher, more hard-edged assessment.” Bob Carr “Recent spike in Iranian immigration, which is overwhelmingly middle-class Iranians… who are coming to these shores as economic migrants” Bob Carr The claim: The

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Who: “Labor has invested more in health care than any previous government…This means more beds.” ALP website. The Claim: The number of hospital beds has increased under the Labor government. The Facts: In absolute terms hospital bed numbers have increased under Labor. However, this figure does not consider the increase in the population over time.

Who: “Do we really need 20,000 more public servants in Canberra today than we had at the end of the Howard era?” Tony Abbott. The Claim: The public service has grown by 20,000 people in the last 5 years. The Facts: Tony Abbott has overstated the growth in the Australian Public Service (APS). The APS has

It’s that time of year again when we appeal to your generous nature, your love of progressive ideas and your support for ‘research that matters’ …. and your ability to claim it back as a tax deduction! For us, it’s an opportunity to show you what can be achieved and why we think Australia needs

Who: “A Coalition Government will deliver one million new jobs over the next five years and two million new jobs within the next decade.” From the Liberal Party’s ‘Our Plan Real Solutions for all Australians’. The Claim: The implication is that generating 1,000,000 new jobs in Australia over five years and 2,000,000 over 10 years

Who:  “The path back to surpluses, debt reduction and a strong, prosperous economy must be through cutting wasteful spending, rather than on increasing taxes or introducing new ones.” “Australia must live within its means.” Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey. The Claim: The government needs to cut back its spending and get the budget into surplus

Who: “We are still putting more into student income support, the week by week payments, than have ever been paid to students at university before.” Julia Gillard. The Claim: Under a Labor government Youth Allowance payments are higher than they have ever been. The Facts: While it is true that the Youth Allowance payment is

Who: “Under Labor crime is out of control in Western Sydney” Liberal party facebook page. The claim: Crime has increased under the Labor government and is now out of control. The facts: Crime in Western Sydney is not out of control, it has remained stable or reduced in the last five years. Furthermore, street crime

Who: “The mining sector is Tasmania’s major employer after significant growth in the past two years, Deputy Premier Bryan Green says.” The Mercury. The Claim: The mining industry is a major employer in Tasmania creating a significant numbers of jobs. The Facts: According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the mining industry is a relatively small employer in

Who: “Many mining companies say they will no longer do business in Australia once this tax and the subsequent emissions trading scheme are introduced.” Senator Alan Eggleston. The Claim: The carbon price will destroy the mining industry in Australia. This claim has been made by many people in the mining industry and on the coalition

Who: “Everybody knows we were the bedrock of getting Australia through the global financial crisis.” Mitch Hooke, Chief Executive of the Minerals Council of Australia. The Claim: The mining boom saved Australia from the global financial crisis. The Facts: While Australia did not go through a recession during the GFC, the mining industry did. Discussion

Who: “..more people illegally arrive in Australia on another boat.” Scott Morrison. The Claim: That the people who arrive on boats seeking asylum are breaking the law. The Facts: Asylum seekers who arrive by boat in Australia are not illegal. Under the UN Refugee Convention, which Australia has signed, they have the right to seek asylum

Who: “The rest of the world [is] not going anywhere near carbon taxes or emission trading schemes.” Tony Abbott. Mr. Abbott has also claimed that Australia has “the world’s biggest carbon tax”. The Claim: That no other country has a scheme to place a price on carbon and Australia has the world’s biggest tax. The

Between the lines is the Institute’s selective analysis of the policies and politics affecting the wellbeing of Australians. This edition looks at the Resource Super Profits Tax, government advertising and missing out on government assistance.

Facts Fight Back Dr Richard Denniss Foreign aid works Tim Costello Getting the research that matters to the people who matter Mark Ogge The truth about the gender pay gap Anne Summers A culture of resistance Kerrie Tucker Trouble with childcare David Baker Paid to pollute Matt Grudnoff Big business in Australia David Richardson Early

This presentation provides a summary of key findings from research by The Australia Institute into the economic impacts of the mining boom. It gives an overview of the Australian mining sector, including levels of employment, foreign ownership and subsidies, and looks at the consequences of the boom for non-mining industries like agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and

Hockey’s war on entitlements Government inaction on antibiotic resistance exposed Mining’s not so special Events Recent Publications Recent Media Hockey’s war on entitlements “They are barely bigger than a toilet cubicle. Yet these depressingly cramped spaces serve as a kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom, pantry and everything in between for their cooped-up inhabitants.Those unfortunate enough

Hockey’s war on entitlements “They are barely bigger than a toilet cubicle. Yet these depressingly cramped spaces serve as a kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom, pantry and everything in between for their cooped-up inhabitants.Those unfortunate enough to live in these urban slums range from the elderly and unemployed to low-income families and singletons.Their location? Hong Kong. One

Government inaction on antibiotic resistance exposed “Unless we solve the problem of antimicrobial resistance to drugs, we will be facing a post-antibiotic era where things as common as a strep throat infection or a child’s scratched knee could once again kill.”  Margaret Chan, Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO), 2012 The discovery of antibiotics was

“They are barely bigger than a toilet cubicle. Yet these depressingly cramped spaces serve as a kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom, pantry and everything in between for their cooped-up inhabitants.Those unfortunate enough to live in these urban slums range from the elderly and unemployed to low-income families and singletons.Their location? Hong Kong. One of the richest cities

  Politics in the Pub – Andrew Leigh MP – 27 March Andrew Leigh is the federal member for Fraser, an economist and an author. Andrew’s latest book ‘Disconnected’ highlights that political parties and unions are struggling to keep their members; sporting participation and cultural attendance is down; we are less likely to attend church