Media Releases
Leading scientists call for 25% tax on gas exports to make Australia a scientific powerhouse again
70 leading Australian scientists have signed an open letter calling for increased science funding and a 25% tax on gas exports. Australian science is in crisis: According to the Australian Academy of Science, Australia’s science system is going backwards, risking national capability, driving talent overseas and eroding our global competitiveness. 800 jobs have been cut
Stop dodgy koala-for-coal carbon offsets deal
Federal Parliament should disallow a controversial new method for making carbon credits, according to a working paper released by the Australia Institute today. The working paper by University College London Associate Professor Fergus Green takes aim at a proposal by the NSW government to sell carbon credits in return for creating a national park to
Youth mental health decline coincides with increased economic pressure: new report
A new report from The Australia Institute has found young Australians’ mental health has declined sharply. The decline coincides with increased economic pressure faced young Australians, especially around housing, education, health costs and income support. Since 2001, tertiary education fees have increased by 150%, rent and out-of-pocket medical expenses have doubled, while minimum wage rose by
Time to give Pacific workers a fair go – new poll
A new poll conducted on behalf of The Australia Institute reveals overwhelming support to improve the living and working conditions of Pacific Islander workers in Australia.
July 2026
War profits for Woodside, war prices for ordinary Australians
Woodside has reported a revenue jump of nearly 30 per cent to $6 billion over the past three months, with the company branded “one of the Australia’s biggest winners” from the war in the Middle East. Dr Richard Denniss, co-CEO at The Australia Institute, said the soaring war profits of Woodside and other gas exporters was an opportunity for
Dodgy carbon credits under fire on all fronts
The NSW government’s decision to bar coal and gas companies from buying carbon credits generated by the Great Koala National Park is yet another blow for Australia’s chaotic carbon credit system.
Gas tax a ‘no-brainer’ for Labor
A gas export tax, as proposed by the ACTU and supported by The Australia Institute, would raise an estimated $17 billion a year that could be invested into services like health, disability care, aged care, and education.
Chronic underfunding of public schools driving families to expensive private schools – new poll
New polling commissioned by The Australia Institute reveals more than a third of parents who send their children to private schools would have chosen a public school if the public education system was better funded.
Over $104 billion lost to gambling since Murphy Review
New research by The Australia Institute shows that Australians have lost over $104 billion to gambling in the three years since the Murphy Review released its final report into the harms of online gambling. Today the Albanese Government is expected to introduce legislation in response to the Murphy Review. If passed, it will introduce certain
June 2026
Koalas Covering for Coal? Dirty Forest Offset Plan Would Mean More Fossil Fuels
The Federal Government’s new carbon credits method for ‘protecting’ native forests will allow fossil fuel companies to greenwash their climate pollution and expand coal and gas production, according to the Australia Institute. A new carbon accounting method, proposed to fund the creation of the Great Koala National Park in NSW, pits forest and biodiversity protection against acting on climate change,
Fire ants to kill thousands of pet cats and dogs: new report
If fire ants are allowed to spread across Australia, thousands of pets could be killed and households could be hit with costs of over $1 billion each year, according to new research by The Australia Institute. The invasive species, originally from South America, has been detected in several states, with Queensland so far the worst affected.
Safeguard mechanism failing to drive actual emission reductions – new research
Australia’s flagship climate policy, the Safeguard Mechanism, is failing miserably, according to new research by The Australia Institute.
Government’s $653 million KPMG splurge could hire an army of public servants
As scandal-prone consulting firm KPMG fronts a parliamentary inquiry today, The Australia Institute has calculated that the government’s $653 million in contracts with KPMG could instead employ 2,200 public servants for two years.
Rates on hold. Maybe the RBA finally gets it …
Today’s decision to keep interest rates on hold reveals that maybe, just maybe, the Reserve Bank finally understands the unnecessary pain it has inflicted on Australian families, according to economists.
Slow, expensive and complicated. Regional SA women forced to travel to Adelaide for abortion care – new research
New research by The Australia Institute reveals South Australians living in rural and regional areas face poor access to abortion services, with just 2.7% of abortions conducted in country health facilities.
72 billion reasons to hold a plebiscite on a gas export tax
The Australia Institute is calling on the federal government to hold a national plebiscite on a gas export tax.
Australia’s low-budget cultural revival has flopped – the sequel needs less dialogue, more action and a realistic budget
Australia’s National Cultural Policy, Revive, launched with great fanfare in 2023, has failed, according to a new submission to the federal government.
New push to outlaw lies in NSW politics ahead of next election
Dishonest political campaign advertisements – like those falsely claiming a party will introduce a new tax or cut a government service – could be outlawed in time for next year’s NSW election, if a new petition is successful. The petition to the Legislative Assembly is calling on the NSW Parliament to implement truth in political advertising laws, like those
How to put a roof over the heads of thousands of Australians sleeping rough, couch surfing or living in their cars
With the number of Australian households at risk of homelessness surging towards a million, it’s estimated that governments will need to build 47,000 social and affordable homes each year – at a staggering cost of $18 billion annually.
Australians support stronger whistleblower laws, while Labor drags its feet
New polling conducted for The Australia Institute reveals 9 in 10 Australians support stronger legal protections for whistleblowers.
If the Howard government had implemented Angus Taylor’s tax indexation policy, Australians would be $147 per week worse off now – new analysis
New analysis by The Australia Institute reveals that if the Howard Government had introduced the current Liberal policy of indexing tax brackets to inflation to counter bracket creep, Australians would be paying significantly more tax today.
May 2026
Australians told to take the bus as mining diesel use soars
New research reveals that mining companies use 8 billion litres of diesel per year, while the government is urging ordinary Australians to take the bus and pump up their tyres to save fuel.
NACC resignation an opportunity for much-needed fresh start
The resignation of Commissioner Paul Brereton is an opportunity for the National Anti-Corruption Commission to make a fresh start under new leadership, according to transparency experts.
Doubling down on secrecy. Government delays releasing FOI documents about FOI changes to avoid scrutiny in Senate Estimates
In an ironic act of secrecy, a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request by The Australia Institute has exposed how the Attorney General’s Department deliberately avoided scrutiny of the government’s bungled attempt to change the nation’s FOI laws.
No wonder the rich are complaining. New research reveals that revenue equivalent to a quarter of Australia’s GDP flows through trusts.
With changes to the way trusts are taxed soon to be introduced to parliament, new research by The Australia Institute reveals that revenue equivalent to almost a quarter of GDP now flows through trusts.
There’s nothing more fair dinkum than getting a fair return for Australia’s gas
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on The Australia Institute to be “fair dinkum” about its calls for a 25% gas tax. Today, The Australia Institute has taken out full-page advertisements in newspapers around the country to remind the Prime Minister that there’s nothing more fair dinkum than getting a fair price for Australian gas to pay for essential
SA fracking ban backflip “senseless and unnecessary”
The Australia Institute has taken out a full-page advertisement in today’s Adelaide Advertiser to remind South Australians that Premier Peter Malinauskas’ decision to overturn the state’s ban on gas fracking is not only irresponsible, but also unnecessary. Co-CEO of The Australia Institute, Dr Richard Denniss, said everyone from former Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to current One Nation
Can’t tax illegal tobacco, won’t tax gas industry – new budget analysis
Australia may be awash with illegal tobacco, but the federal government still collects more tax from smokers than it does from the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT), according to new budget analysis by The Australia Institute.
Coles guilty of fake discounts, but it shouldn’t be the only corporate giant taken ‘down, down’ for gouging Australians
The Australia Institute welcomes the Federal Court’s finding that Coles has misled Australian shoppers by promoting fake discounts on everyday grocery products.
A plan to fix the National Electricity Market
The National Electricity Market (NEM), the system which connects more than 80% of Australians to one electricity grid, needs a fundamental overhaul according to a new report by Professor John Quiggin, published by The Australia Institute.
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