New report identifies ‘virtual power plants’ could provide energy security faster and cheaper than new power stations, echoing parts of the Finkel review that have been largely ignored. “Australian governments can fight all they like over what new generation capacity to build. Regardless of who wins, none of it will be built for years, while

New polling of seven electorates belonging to senior Cabinet Ministers, including the Prime Minister, reveals strong opposition to a federal subsidised loan for Adani’s coal project, and support for instituting a moratorium on new coal mines. The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to conduct surveys of 4,712 Australian residents across the electorates of Wentworth (Turnbull), Cook

Media release 24 June 2017 The Climate Institute has selected The Australia Institute to take on remaining funds and intellectual property from the disbanding organisation. “I am  pleased to announce that, following the closure of The Climate Institute on 30 June, its significant remaining funds and intellectual property will be transferred to The Australia Institute,

The Australia Institute has outlined the key challenges for the Finkel Review.  The objective of the Finkel Review is to provide a blueprint for national policy, legislative, governance and rule changes required to maintain the security, reliability, affordability and sustainability of the national electricity market. The objective of a policy instrument such as a LET

Following pressure from Australian civil society organisations, Australia’s export credit agency, Efic, has shelved plans to lend Australian taxpayers’ money to the Boikarabelo coal project in Limpopo Province, South Africa. While Efic has not ruled out future funding of this project and other overseas coal mines, Senate Estimates were told last week that Efic does

A well designed Low Emissions Target (LET) could be the basis for the needed integration of climate and energy policy in Australia according to Canberra-based policy think tank The Australia Institute. “The key will be to ensure any scheme accelerates the transition away from coal and does not lock in support for fossil fuel generators,”

A new report by The Australia Institute provides in-depth analysis of the proposed Hume Coal project, finding that it could damage the economy of the Southern Highlands region in NSW. The Southern Highlands economy is based on service industries with mining accounting for just 2 percent of employment in the region. Compared to NSW as

African white elephant, a report released today by Jubilee Australia and The Australia Institute examines the proposal for Australia’s export credit agency to fund a coal mine in South Africa. The tax payer-backed Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, known as Efic, is considering a loan to develop the Boikarabelo coal project in Limpopo Province, South

The Palaszczuk government has reportedly made a deal to give away $320 million dollars-worth of the state’s coal, for free, to an Indian mining giant.  The Adani project and government assistance: $320 million dollars in free coal in the form of a reported ‘royalty holiday’ deal. $900 million dollar subsidised loan to build a coal-only

Following media report that the Queensland Government and Adani are negotiating a discount on the royalties the company would pay to extract the state/s coal resources, The Australia Institute has calculated the potential cost of a ‘roylaty holiday’ to the taxpayer. The Courier Mail reported that the government and Adani working on this deal: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

Steel order of 56,000 tonnes would be less than 1% of Whyalla steelworks capacity. Today’s announcement that the Adani coal project would ‘throw a lifeline’ to South Australian steel producer Arrium is the latest piece of deception from a company renowned for breaking its big economic promises. Canberra-based think tank The Australia Institute, which has

The Australia Institute has made a submission to the Northern Territory’s inquiry into fracking and unconventional gas development. The Canberra-based research organisation finds that fracking would reduce energy security and could represent a net economic loss to the Territory. Energy security would be reduced because the NT already has plenty of conventional gas to cover

New polling shows that more than twice as many Australians (56%) support moratoriums on fracking as oppose them (20%), despite concerted lobbying from the gas industry to allow them further access to land. The poll, conducted by The Australia Institute, asked respondents if they support or oppose state bans on fracking. Question: Some states and

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has acknowledged the need for a key reform in the 5-minute settlement rule, but in the same statement said it does not plan to implement the rule change for 3 years. The ‘5-minute rule’ would help address price spikes and load shedding by changing market price periods. This would

New polling shows that despite a concerted campaign from sectors of the federal government and coal and gas industries, public support remains very high for renewable energy, and for the strengthening of state and federal targets.  The poll, conducted by The Australia Institute through Research now, asked a representative sample of 1420 Australians about renewable

‘5-minute rule’ identified as key to immediate and responsible fix for peak-load issues. The Australia Institute has today published an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for three market reforms to address the ‘energy trilemma’: security, cost and emissions. The letter appears as a full-page advertisement in the Australian Financial Review. Prominent signatories of

ReachTEL polling for The Australia Institute of Dickson, the seat held by Peter Dutton, has shown strong support for Labor’s renewable energy target and opposition to government backing of the Adani coal mine.   Polling of the marginal Queensland electorate showed very strong opposition to subsidies going to the Adani Carmichael mine project. [FULL RESULTS IN

As the $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) considers a $1 billion concessional loan to foreign coal company Adani, a new report from The Australia Institute raises major concerns about the NAIF’s political independence, governance, resourcing and public transparency. Widespread media coverage during December that NAIF had ‘conditionally approved’ the $1 billion proposal was

New polling of Dawson, the seat held by George Christensen, conducted by ReachTEL, commissioned by The Australia Institute, shows support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party at level pegging with the LNP at 30% of the primary vote. Issue-based questions in the same poll revealed strong support in Dawson for an increase to the renewable

The Australia Institute says Turnbull must discuss coal with Jokowi Indonesian President Joko Widodo will visit Australia this weekend, as The Australia Institute releases new research on Indonesian energy policy. The Institute has called for coal, energy and climate to be on the agenda for talks with President Widodo. Australia and Indonesia are the world’s

As the mining boom ends, the mining clean-up boom is beginning. New research from The Australia Institute released today shows that there is minimal information available to the public on how the clean-up is progressing. The report, Dark side of the boom: What we do and don’t know about mines, closures and rehabilitation in New

New polling conducted by ReachTEL for The Australia Institute of the electorates represented by Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott reveals strong opposition for cutting the tax rate, particularly for larger companies. Both electorates registered more support for increasing the company tax rate than cutting it. In the Prime Minister’s electorate of Wentworth 43% supported an

The Australia Institute have today published an open letter to the Prime Minister outlining the unasked and unanswered economic questions regarding the Adani Carmichael mine proposal and its potential public subsidisation of $1 billion. The letter appears as a full-page advertisement in the Australian Financial Review. The questions put: 1 –  Will the Adani mine

Australians don’t want their money funding infrastructure for coal and gas companies under the $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), national polling released today reveals. The NAIF will spend $5 billion of public funds in Northern Australia on infrastructure that is unable to attract commercial financing, which could include subsidising the controversial Adani Carmichael

The Australia Institute has assessed the proposal for a $5 levy on iron ore in Western Australia. The policy should be supported as a pragmatic alternative to a resource rent tax. The analysis finds that if the $5 levy had been imposed on relevant production over the last five years it would have raised $11.5

Australians favour international law to determine Timor maritime boundary between Timor-Leste and Australia, even if that delivers Timor-Leste a substantial share of the oil and gas in the Timor Sea. The poll of 10,271 residents across Australia showed 56.5% support for establishing a maritime boundary in accordance with current international law, with only 17% opposed

A new report by the University of Melbourne Energy Institute has found that unmeasured methane leakage and fugitive emissions from unconventional gasfields could cause Australia to fail its Paris climate commitments. The report, commissioned by The Australia Institute, found that: Several major potential sources of methane emissions are assumed to be zero under Australia’s accounting

Gas industry funding and direct involvement in research committees of GISERA, the research body that conducts research on social and environmental impacts of CSG, is potentially compromising the scientific independence of CSIRO. The five main Queensland gas companies provide the lion’s share of funding to the Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA) – the Gas Industry Social

1,473 South Australians were asked if they supported a Victoria-style ban on gas fracking in their state. Twice as many (47%) support a ban than are opposed (23%). 30% were undecided. The polling was conducted on 30 August, as Victoria introduced its ban and in the weeks following the furore around energy prices in South

The Australian government’s settlement with the owners of a coal ship represents another subsidy to the coal industry. With the government settling for $39.3 million while estimating clean up costs of $140 million, the difference represents a cost to taxpayers and or our environment of over $100 million. It’s not clear whether the Australian government