Queensland spends less on social services than the rest of Australia in per capita terms, a new report from The Australia Institute has revealed. (Table 1 below) The state is the nation’s biggest spender of public funds in one area though; subsidies for mining projects.  Currently public schools face a $268 million maintenance backlog, and

Most Australians agree universities should avoid investments in fossil fuels, according to the first national polling on the topic released today by The Australia Institute in a new report. The polling also shows university decisions to avoid fossil fuels may boost donations from alumni, while also encouraging people with superannuation to consider low carbon funds.

The Guardian reported this morning International Monetary Fund calculations that world fossil fuel subsidies are running at $5.3 trillion dollars annually, or $10m per minute. In Australia, successive state and federal governments have given subsidies in the form of diesel fuel rebates, infrastructure funding and royalties discounts worth billions. TAI director of research, Rod Campbell,

“For 27 of the last 30 years, Australian Governments have needed to engage a crossbench or convince the opposition to pass any legislation.” – Richard Denniss A new book, Minority Policy: Rethinking Governance When Parliament Matters, explores the influence of marginal parliamentarians in Australian Politics. It will be launched by Senator Nick Xenophon and Clive

The Intergenerational Report is a deeply flawed document based on deeply flawed assumptions according to Dr Richard Denniss, Executive Director of the Australia Institute. “The Intergenerational report should provide an opportunity to start a conversation about the Australia we want to have in the coming decades, instead it simply tries to scare the public into

Leading anti-corruption experts say that the lack of proper regulation of lobbying is a major corruption risk. They called on whoever forms government in Queensland to ensure that all lobbyists are included in the lobbying register, and for full disclosure of lobbying meetings.  Corruption fighting heavyweight, former ICAC Commissioner the Hon David Ipp AO QC,

Twenty two prominent QLD legal and civil society organisations have taken out a full page add in today’s Courier Mail newspaper calling on all parties elected to the new parliament to their election commitment to honour their the principles of accountability and good governance put forward by The Honourable Tony Fitzgerald AC QC. The letter

Richard debated Stephen Galilee, the head of the NSW Minerals Council on 7.30 NSW regarding their recent attack on our research into mining subsidies. This material sheds light both on our approach to our research and the disingenuous approach taken by the NSW Minerals Council.

The Australian Institute says the Minerals Council members – the large, mostly foreign-owned, mining companies – should explain the attacks on The Australia Institute. The Minerals Council has claimed that The Australia Institute is being directed by a political party. This is untrue and defamatory. The Minerals Council should immediately desist from making such claims

Last week was another big week for The Australia Institute. You might have seen that we launched another major research report, Mining the Age of Entitlement, this time on the $17.6 billion worth of  taxpayer support that State governments have given the mining industry. You might have seen Ben Oquist’s name mentioned in relation to

Age of entitlement lives on: Report exposes billions in government handouts to mining State governments are providing billions of dollars in subsidies to the minerals and fossil fuel industries, a new report by The Australia Institute (TAI) has revealed. The report exposes the massive scale of state government assistance, totalling $17.6 billion over a six-year

Most Australians aren’t aware of a trade deal which could risk environmental laws, increase the cost of medicines and enable corporations to sue Australian governments, according to a new survey by The Australia Institute. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is currently under negotiation and establishes a free trade area including Australia, the United States of America,

National Party constituents will be hardest hit by the federal Coalition’s plans to repeal the low income superannuation contribution, according to new analysis by The Australia Institute. The Australia Institute examined 2011 census data to estimate the number of workers earning $37,000 or less who will to be affected by the cut. The findings show

Thousands of private sector jobs will be lost and Canberra could go into recession if the Coalition follows through on its promise to cut 12,000 public service jobs in the capital, according to a new analysis by The Australia Institute. It remains unclear whether the Coalition plans to make all of the job cuts in

Kevin Rudd’s return as Prime Minister is winning Labor the youth vote, but nearly a third of young Australians remain undecided, according to new research by The Australia Institute. The survey of more than 950 people aged 17-24 asked respondents about their voting intentions, whether they vote the same way as their friends and family,

The federal government should do more to protect agricultural land from coal seam gas mining, according to a new report commissioned by The Australia Institute. The research, released today, was untaken by the Australian Network of Environmental Defender’s Offices. It identifies areas of the Constitution of Australia which would allow for national reforms to protect

The Commonwealth government has the power to protect Australia from the negative impacts of coal mining and coal seam gas and shouldn’t pass responsibility to the states, according to new research commissioned by The Australia Institute. The research, released today, was untaken by the Australian Network of Environmental Defender’s Offices. It identifies areas of the

The Opposition’s pledge to create jobs in Tasmania could be undermined by its plan to reduce the size of the public service, a new analysis by The Australia Institute reveals. The analysis shows Tasmania could lose more than 200 jobs under the Opposition’s planned public service job cuts. The Australia Institute used historic separation rates

Jobs for young people, housing, marriage equality and university funding are the top issues for young Australians ahead of the federal election, according to research by The Australia Institute. The new survey of more than 800 people aged 17-25 asked respondents to nominate the top five issues that would be likely to sway their vote.

More than half of Australians do not trust commercial media, new research by The Australia Institute has found. The new survey of more than 1400 people asked respondents to rate their trust in the ABC and commercial media on a scale from ‘do not trust’ to ‘do trust’. “Many Australians rely on information provided through

More than a million young Australians feel no political party best represents the needs of young people, according to research by The Australia Institute. The new survey of more than 800 respondents aged 17-25 found 47 per cent believe no party best represents them. “This should act as a warning to our politicians that it’s

Young Australians rate trust as the most important factor influencing their vote in the federal election, but more than a third haven’t decided who to vote for, according to research by The Australia Institute. The new survey of more than 800 respondents aged 17-25 found 32 per cent didn’t know or wouldn’t say who they

Australians oppose gambling advertisements during live sport more than advertising for alcohol, a new survey by The Australia Institute reveals. The Australia Institute’s Executive Director Dr Richard Denniss said that nearly two-thirds of Australians oppose the advertising of gambling during sport, while around half oppose alcohol promotion. “It’s been obvious for a while that many

Twenty years of government inaction could lead to curable illnesses like tonsillitis again becoming a massive threat to human health, as the rise of anti-microbial resistant bacteria (aka “the superbug”) threatens to take us back to our pre-antibiotic era, a new paper by The Australia Institute reveals. Culture of Resistance: Australia’s response to the inappropriate

Launch of the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility Despite the fact that Australians have more than one trillion dollars invested in superannuation most have virtually no idea where that money is invested or how those responsible for managing investments are voting at company AGMs. Speaking ahead of the inaugural meeting of the Australasian Centre for

The risk of loneliness increases for those in the community raising children, either as a single parent or as part of a couple, a new study from The Australia Institute has found. All the lonely people: Loneliness in Australia 2001-2009 reveals that three in ten Australians experienced loneliness in that period and that the number

Many workers who are given mobile phones and laptops by their employer feel obliged to work overtime, new research by The Australia Institute reveals. The research on the increasingly blurry boundary between work and life was conducted for this year’s national Go Home On Time Day, which will be held on Wednesday November 30. Now

Two thirds of Australians are in favour of the government taking action to ensure competition on the internet, new research by The Australia Institute reveals. Despite this, and the boom in online retail being fuelled by consumers’ desire for choice, a surprising number of people are less concerned about a lack of diversity online than