Media Releases
December 2024
Extreme heat fans flames of inequality
New research from The Australia Institute shows that older, sicker and lower-income Australians are at greater risk during heatwaves (days over 35° Celsius).
November 2024
Tide of public opinion supports stopping fish farming in Macquarie Harbour
One year on from the commencement of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 reconsideration of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour, new research released by The Australia Institute today shows a majority of Australians continue to support stopping fish farming where it risks the extinction of the Maugean skate.
Electoral reform impasse provides opportunity for real scrutiny – which voters demand
The breakdown in talks between the government and Coalition over major changes to Australia’s electoral laws provides the perfect opportunity for further scrutiny of the proposed changes.
WA Labor approval of Woodside North West Shelf extension would permanently increase energy bills
A decision by the Western Australian government to approve Woodside’s 50-year North West Shelf (NWS) Extension would add up to 4.3 billion tonnes of emissions to the atmosphere and lock in exposure to high global gas prices indefinitely, increasing energy costs for WA households and businesses.
South Australian electoral experiment deserves much closer scrutiny
With the South Australian House of Assembly considering dramatic changes to electoral law this week, The Australia Institute warns the process has been rushed and the legislation is compromised and unfair.
Pay up: Australians say it’s time big polluters paid for the damage they do to the environment
A vast majority of Australians (70%) believe the nation’s biggest polluters should pay for the damage they do to the environment and the role they play in climate change.
Millions of Australians plant a seed for a healthy life and a healthy planet
From the humble backyard vegetable patch to herb gardens on the kitchen windowsill – 9 million Australians are now growing their own food, according to new research from The Australia Institute, in partnership with Grow It Local.
Australians overwhelmingly support the right to peaceful protest
After a weekend which saw 170 people arrested for briefly delaying ships at the world’s biggest coal port, new polling research by The Australia Institute reveals the vast majority (79%) of Australians support the right to protest.
Visa rules risk modern slavery for Pacific workers
Over 30,000 people from Pacific Island nations and Timor Leste work in Australia on temporary visas as part of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) visa scheme, which a new report calls “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery”.
Go Home on Time Day 2024: Exposing the $91 billion rip-off smashing exhausted Aussie workers
Despite new Right to Disconnect laws coming into force earlier this year, new research reveals Australians are still working an average five weeks’ unpaid overtime each year.
New polling reveals overwhelming opposition to rushing through political donation laws
New polling by The Australia Institute reveals more than four out of five voters believe proposed changes to Australian electoral laws should be reviewed before they are introduced to parliament.
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
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