Media Releases
Rushed changes to federal political donation laws could hinder, not enhance, democracy
With the Albanese Government announcing it will attempt to rush through major changes to Australian elections, democracy experts at The Australia Institute warn that any changes should increase the competitiveness of elections, and not make the playing field more uneven for new entrants.
No way to treat family: Pacific Labourers overtaxed and exploited
Fruit pickers and meat workers who fill chronic labour shortages in Australia are being overtaxed and exploited, new research from The Australia Institute has found.
New SA political donation laws: An undemocratic process which will not increase trust in politicians
The South Australian Government will today introduce legislation for a partial ban on political donations – replacing them with huge taxpayer-funded handouts to political parties and MPs.
Albanese government rewards foreign company for driving endangered species towards extinction
The Albanese government has today announced it will spend more than $21 million of taxpayers’ money directly on propping up the salmon industry, which does not appear to have paid any corporate tax since 2019-20.
Unplugged: NSW government EV Strategy failing, as sales fall
The NSW government’s latest push to get motorists to buy electric vehicles is failing, according to new research from The Australia Institute.
Approving Woodside’s 50-year gas export extension will wreck the climate, destroy priceless Indigenous art and drive up WA energy bills
The Western Australian government’s decision to approve a 50-year extension of the mega-polluting North West Shelf gas export terminal would send energy prices through the roof for WA households and businesses.
Consulting clean-up: Parliament recommends sweeping changes after multiple scandals
A multi-party Parliamentary Committee has concluded that major reform is needed to address glaring problems in the audit, accounting and consulting industry, in a report released on Thursday.
How much does Westpac contribute to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter? Much less than you might think.
Westpac may have recorded a 7-billion-dollar profit in its latest financial accounts, released yesterday, but its contribution to the iconic rescue helicopter which bears its name and logo is much less than most people think.
Climate change driving insurance premiums adding to cost of living pressure and inflation
Climate change is driving an enormous increase in the cost of insurance with premiums massively outpacing price rises for nearly all other goods and services, making it unaffordable for many Australians.
Gas companies export $36 billion of gas from Queensland, pay zero tax … again
Global energy corporations exporting coal seam gas from Queensland paid no company tax – again – in 2022-23, on $36 billion of income.
The crushing cost of a university education: Hungry, sleep-deprived students loaded with debt
A new report shines a light on the skyrocketing cost of a university education in Australia, with students skipping meals, living in poverty and forced to work full time while also studying full time.
October 2024
NACC needs urgent reform
The National Anti-Corruption Commission is at the crossroads.
Carbon credit trickery: more credits will lead to more emissions — and more climate damage
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has approved the further development of new ways for big polluters to buy carbon credits, which would enable them to keep polluting and, in fact, pollute more. Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese looked Pacific leaders in the eye and promised real action on climate change. Today, the
Our broken super and pension systems condemn retirees to poverty
Australia’s “broken” superannuation and pension systems are condemning a growing number of retirees to financial misery in their sunset years. More than one in five Australians live in poverty when they retire. And that number is growing. With housing affordability at an all-time low, many Australians now face the brutal double whammy of going through
Minister shows lack of leadership again, as endangered species faces extinction
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has, once again, delayed making an important decision to save the endangered Maugean skate in Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Profiting from pain: how the big 4 banks cash in on battling borrowers
Australia’s big four banks make more than $200,000 profit from an average Australian home loan.
Queensland election: A clear message to Federal Labor
Queensland voters have sent a clear message to Federal Labor – Popular progressive policies win over a large number of voters.
What’s the big idea? Australia Institute Launches Publishing Imprint
The Australia Institute is launching its own publishing imprint, Australia Institute Press.
Top Australian scientists unite in defence of science on Maugean skate
An ancient and endangered skate (related to rays and sharks), which can only be found in a remote corner of western Tasmania, could be wiped out by salmon farming, prompting an extraordinary warning from some of the nation’s foremost marine scientists. 14 Professors and five Fellows from the Australian Academy of Science are among more than
On your bike. Policies to increase rates of active transport
A new report by The Australia Institute shows that less than 1% of federal road funding goes towards infrastructure for active transport like bikes and scooters.
Miles government policies popular with Queenslanders: poll
As opinion polls suggest the Miles Labor Government is closing the gap on the Liberal National Opposition ahead of this Saturday’s state election, new research from The Australia Institute reveals most Queenslanders support cost of living, environmental and reproductive rights policies. The research follows existing Australia Institute polling research which finds most Australians support proven
Transparency Summit blows the whistle on Australia’s culture of secrecy
Integrity experts, academics and parliamentarians gather in Canberra today for the Australia Institute’s Transparency Summit: Secrecy is not security, held in collaboration with the Human Rights Law Centre, Whistleblower Justice Fund, Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom and Transparency International Australia. The Transparency Summit connects those have been stonewalled – and explain why open government and public access to information is
Net more white collar crooks by giving whistleblowers a slice of the criminal pie
Employees who expose rip-offs like price gouging, tax evasion, wage theft, collusion or insider trading would be rewarded with a slice of the millions of dollars they help recover under reforms proposed by the Australia Institute.
Experts warn WA Government of gas price threat from Woodside’s export extension
New Australia Institute analysis shows that Woodside’s North West Shelf (NWS) Extension proposal represents a major threat to WA’s domestic gas market. The proposal is seeking approval from WA Environment and Energy Minister Reece Whitby. Today The Australia Institute is joined by two former WA premiers, Carmen Lawrence and Peter Dowding, and oil and gas
Australia can make speeding fines fair with proportional model: Report
Making traffic fines proportional to drivers’ incomes, as is done in Finland, is a fairer system according to a new report from The Australia Institute, supported by Uniting Vic Tas and Financial Counselling Victoria.
Latest report on failure of offset program supports move from net zero to real zero
An academic report released today outlining the failure of carbon offsets has found Australia’s biggest carbon credit method is barely removing any greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. The report adds to the significant body of independent analysis demonstrating that Australia’s carbon credits are not effectively storing or avoiding carbon emissions, and when used as carbon
NACC Paladin finding raises more questions than answers
A report by the National Anti-Corruption Commission into payments to a former Department of Home Affairs official by a company with a lucrative contract with Home Affairs raises more questions than answers. Bill Browne, Director of the Australia Institute’s Democracy and Accountability Program, says the report is disappointing when it comes to transparency and public
SA Government secrecy over proposed changes to electoral laws a bad sign for trust in politics
The South Australian Government has refused to disclose submissions to its consultation into proposed changes to electoral law.
Asian groups call on Australia to stop new fossil gas projects
Non-government organisations from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have signed an open letter urging Australia to stop new fossil gas projects. The letter was published as a full-page advertisement in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times, coordinated by The Australia Institute. The groups say that Asia’s energy systems are shifting to use more
“Nature Positive” summit can’t conceal nature negative policies
A full-page advertisement published this morning by the Australia Institute warns that government policies and actions are overwhelmingly “nature negative” despite the NSW and Federal governments co-hosting the world’s first “Global Nature Positive Summit” in Sydney today. Published this morning in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times, the advertisement highlights that Environment Minister
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