Research from The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program has found the Liddell power station to be a major contributor to the unreliability of the NSW grid. 53 breakdowns & failures of gas and coal generation have been tracked by the Climate & Energy Program’s Gas and Coal Watch between December 2017 and March 2018.

Polling of the electorate of Solomon released today by the Australia Institute shows a majority support keeping the NT fracking moratorium in place. Results: 53% total support for keeping in place the fracking moratorium, to 38% opposed. 58% do not trust the NT and the gas companies to implement and enforce all recommendations from the

Emissions have increased now for three years in a row, since the repeal of the carbon price. Energy emissions are now at record highs, as revealed by the National Energy Emissions Audit. National polling released today by the Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy program shows only 25% of Australians believe the country is on track

Polling released today by The Australia Institute shows strong support for reviewing the environmental approval for the Adani mine in the Prime Minister’s seat, as well as the seat of Brisbane. On the evening of 5th March ReachTEL surveyed 676 voters in Wentworth and a 747 voters in the electorate of Brisbane, with a series

Federal Ministers and officials have helped Adani in attempts to secure funding from foreign governments – not once, but twice in 18 months. New documents from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), requested under FOI by the Australia Institute, show in 2017 Adani asked for a “letter of support” to be sent to

30 of Australia’s most respected scientists and energy experts have signed an open letter, published by the Australia Institute today, calling on the Northern Territory and Federal Governments not to allow fracking in the Territory to proceed under any circumstances. The Fracking Inquiry found that a single gas field that would increase Australia’s emissions by

Adani “may have been negligent” when it failed to disclose its CEO’s links to four earlier environmental offences, according to documents released under Freedom of Information.  [FOI brief in PDF below] Adani’s CEO in Australia, Mr Janakaraj, was an ‘executive officer’ of a Zambian mining company when it was charged with polluting a river and

The Australia Institute’s submission to the NT fracking Inquiry has found that fully exploiting the Northern Territory’s shale gas resources could result in emissions equivalent to sixty times Australia’s total current annual emissions, equivalent to 130 new coal power plants operating for 40 years. The submission also finds that the inquiry failed to follow its

3600 MW, or 14% of coal and gas generation failed during the February 2017 heatwave. Report calls for the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) to require “heat safe” back-up for coal and gas plants. New analysis released today by The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program shows that coal and gas failed to provide energy security

The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy program has released the latest electricity update of its National Energy Emissions Audit, covering October and November. Written by respected energy analyst Hugh Saddler, the Audit shows that Australia’s energy system is in transition, regardless of the political turmoil the change is creating. [Full report] “Brown coal generation continues

Research released today by The Australia Institute highlights the difficulties that the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) presents to agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors of the economy. [Full report see PDF below] The NEG looks to reduce emissions in the electricity generation sector by 26% by 2030, in line with our Paris target of 26 to

A new ReachTEL poll of over 2,181 Queenslanders, commissioned by The Australia Institute, has found strong support for Queensland parties choosing to veto a federal subsidised loan for the Adani coal project. To accompany the polling (full results in PDF below), The Australia Institute has also released new research on the economic case for the

Few electorates will be clear winners if the Adani coal mine goes ahead, new research from The Australia Institute reveals. A limited export market means that Galilee Basin coal projects like the Adani coal mine could come at the expense of Bowen and Surat Basin coal projects. A report released today by The Australia Institute

An FOI request from The Australia Institute has revealed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has “several hundreds of pages” of documents relating to Ministers and officials making formal representations to foreign financiers to back the Adani project.  “With ‘several hundreds of pages’ of relevant documents across multiple parts of the Department of Foreign

Media release 24 October 2017  The Australia Institute released a new briefing note showing that Australia’s emissions are rising rapidly, in contrast to the United States, China and the rest of the world. “The government has completely failed to put in place a suit of policies that will reduce our emissions,” said senior economist at The

New polling three key Liberal seats of Warringah, Wentworth and Kooyong on the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) policy shows voters overwhelming support pricing carbon, would be more likely to support a NEG that achieves 50% renewable energy, and do not think the NEG will lower electricity prices and back the States keeping their own renewable

A new report from The Australia Institute shows that the Minerals Council of Australia’s coal advocacy is out of all proportion with its members’ interests The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) represents companies that mine a wide range of minerals, yet delivers three times more media coverage for coal than for any other mineral. Analysis

New polling of 1,421 Australians, released today by The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program, shows voters would prefer to see governments increasing energy conservation rather than building new power stations. A recent report by Dan Cass explains that demand response allows energy consumers to sell ‘negawatts’ of reduced demand into the National Electricity Market,

The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program says the demand response pilots announced by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) will reduce electricity prices for consumers. “ARENA and AEMO have taken action to deliver security through innovation, something that should be welcomed by all sides,” Australia Institute executive director,

The Australia Institute’s new Climate & Energy Program has today released national polling showing 78% support for a Clean Energy Target (CET). 72% of Liberal and National Party voters support a CET. Just 11% of respondents did not want a CET. “The public, industry, investors and experts are all crying out for some policy direction,”

A new national poll on gas issues shows voters overwhelming support state fracking moratoriums and blame exports for gas price rises. A survey of 1,421 Australian residents, conducted by The Australia Institute through Research Now between 17 and 26 September 2017, showed twice as many support (49%) a moratorium on fracking than oppose it (24%).

Polling of over 1,000 voters in the Deputy Prime Minister’s electorate of New England shows strong support for renewable energy investment over coal. The results were similar in the electorate of Hughes, currently occupied by one of the most pro-coal members of the Coalition, Craig Kelly. “60 per cent of voters in New England think

The first major report from The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program evaluates the energy policies required to meet Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets set by the Abbott government and pledged at the international climate summit in Paris. The Climate & Energy Program was launched following the transfer of the Climate Institute’s intellectual property

A new ReachTEL poll, commissioned by The Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy Program, asked residents of the electorates of Hunter and Shortland about energy policy, including government investment in coal, renewables and the Liddell coal power station. Strong majorities in the coal electorates (61% and 57%) preferred government investment in renewables than in coal (32%

The Australia Institute has released a scathing criticism of economic modelling in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Glencore’s zinc mine expansion. “Glencore claim up front that the expansion of McArthur River would generate taxes and royalties of over $1.5 billion,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director of The Australia Institute. “But it’s not until you

The Australia Institute is today releasing a new FOI showing that the CSIRO pays membership fees to the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) of $10k a year. The CSIRO is an associate member of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), the mining lobby group known for its forceful campaigns against effective action on climate change.

New research released today by the Australia Institute shows that the mining industry is dominated by foreign corporate interests that are spending hundreds of millions of dollars influencing our political process. The report finds that: Total revenue of mining lobby groups over the last 10 years is $524,150,431, with the Minerals Council of Australia accounting

The Palaszczuk Government risks a voter backlash as it breaks a clear election promise which ruled out subsidising the Adani coal project, according to a new report from The Australia Institute. First, the Queensland government is ultimately responsible for a $1bn subsidised loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF). Secondly, the Queensland government has

The Australia Institute has released a report Electricity Costs which finds that electricity prices have increased at three times the rate of CPI. The report finds that companies have been ‘gold-plating’ financial assets and passing those costs onto consumers. [Full report see attachment below] “All in all we find that the additional direct and indirect

The Australia Institute has released new research showing that the development of Adani and other Galilee basin mines would reduce NSW coal royalties by over $10 billion to 2035. [Full report in PDF below] The Institute’s calculations are based on analysis by well-known coal analysts Wood Mackenzie, commissioned by the Port of Newcastle, the world’s