The media and information industries have lost some 60,000 jobs in Australia over the last 15 years. With almost half of those jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research shows active policy supports are urgently needed to stabilise and protect the ‘public good’ function of journalism. A new report by the Australia Institute’s Centre

To coincide with the G20 Summit in Rome 30-31 October, and COP26 in Glasgow which begins 31 October, the Australia Institute has placed several full-page advertisements to ask world leaders not to let Prime Minister Scott Morrison cheat on meaningful climate action. Building on research showing a lack of evidence that the Federal Government is

Key details: The Morrison Government has introduced a bill to Parliament to change the requirements for voters, to show identification on polling day. This is a well-used tactic to disenfranchise voters – particularly young voters, Indigenous voters, and voters with no fixed address. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has previously described multiple voting as “by

The passage of the EV Tax through the South Australian Parliament with some, but not adequate, compensatory support for the fledging electric vehicle sector is regrettable, The Australia institute has said. While important improvements were made to the EV Tax package in South Australia, including a six-year delay to the tax’s implementation and temporary purchase

New research from independent think tank The Australia Institute has found the level of State Government funding offered to incentivise the uptake of EVs in South Australia falls well short of what is on offer in other states. An additional $70 million of funding, effectively tripling the $36 million currently being offered, would be required

The Morrison Government’s Net Zero by 2050 deal is a fraud while the Government plots to double coal exports, open vast new gas fields and prop-up coal generated power. Furthermore, the budgetary cost of persuading the National Party to support Scott Morrison’s net zero target are trivial compared to the costs to the economy of

39 prominent Australians have signed an open letter co-ordinated by the Australia Institute, calling on Parliament to pass truth in political advertising laws that are nationally consistent, constitutional and uphold freedom of speech.

The budgetary cost of persuading the National Party to support Scott Morrison’s net zero target are trivial compared to the costs to the economy of delaying new investment according to a new Australia Institute analysis of economic modelling. The Business Council of Australia recently released modelling by Deloitte Access Economics of the economic benefits of

The National Integrity Committee welcomes the tabling in the Senate today by Senator Rex Patrick of Helen Haines’ Australian Federal Integrity Commission Bill to establish a Federal Integrity Commission. Recent events have highlighted the urgent need for a well-designed commission, with the powers of a standing royal commission and with safeguards against misuse of those

With the impacts of climate change already being felt in the Northern Territory, new research shows the Northern Territory Government’s draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Offsets Policy should be abandoned or at least heavily revised. A submission from The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program shows that the proposed offset system would undermine existing NT Government

Climate of the Nation 2021 Benchmark Report – Tasmanian supplement Amid the Tasmanian Government’s announcement to legislate net zero by 2030, new research shows Tasmanians have expressed their support for stronger action to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of global warming (61%, compared to 55% nationally), and six in ten (62%) oppose any

New research has revealed a fundamental failure in accountability surrounding the process of how Australia decides to engage in armed conflict overseas. In Australia, the decision to engage in armed conflict is taken by the Executive government without reference to the Parliament. Research by The Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability and Security & International Affairs

The Australia Institute has welcomed SA Labor’s strong opposition to the SA Government’s Electric Vehicle Tax during debate in the Lower House today and has called on the Parliament’s Upper House to reject the flawed policy. “The State Government’s deeply flawed EV Tax will pull the handbrake on the uptake of EVs and effective climate

In the lead-up to Glasgow COP26, concern about climate change is at an all-time high (75%) and 8 in 10 Australians (82%) support the phase-out of coal fired power stations, according to a new benchmark report released today by the Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program. Launched by Chris Bowen MP, the Shadow Minister for

State governments trialling home quarantine need to take active steps to ensure they are not crossing a new frontier in the surveillance of citizens by using Facial Recognition Technology, warns the Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology. This follows reports that in several states police have accessed COVID check-in data to undertake routine law enforcement activities.

A television advertisement which will begin airing nationally from Monday shows that without addressing the rapid expansion of gas and coal, any Net Zero by 2050 target is a fraud. Building on research showing a lack of evidence that the Federal Government is serious about emissions reduction, the advertisement identifies that while the Government plots

The Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology has backed Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s proposal for a high-level review of the public health impacts of Facebook’s business model, calling for a Royal Commission into the company’s impact on Australian users. Evidence from an internal whistleblower to the US Senate this week has exposed how Facebook’s leadership

New research from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work confirms that workers in casual and insecure jobs have borne the lion’s share of job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic – both the first lockdowns in 2020, and the more recent Delta-wave of closures. Key Findings: Since May, workers in casual and part-time jobs have

New analysis from the Australia Institute shows that over $1 billion is spent by the Federal Government every year on consultancies, which often do not release the results of their work to the public; these funds could have created an additional 12,000 jobs in the public sector. Key Findings: The Federal Government spends over $1

The Tasmanian Government’s proposals to make political donations and election spending more transparent are a step in the right direction, but the new laws do not go far enough. The legislation still leaves Tasmania with the weakest regulation of third-party campaigners, such as industry lobby groups, of any state or territory in Australia. The proposed

The National Integrity Committee is deeply concerned about the recent changes made by the South Australian Parliament to the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Act 2012. As we all well know corruption in public office is insidious, well hidden, and erodes trust in our public institutions. We unreservedly endorse the need to ensure that reputations are

The Australia Institute has welcomed the Senate Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation decision to recommend that the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Amendment (2021 Measures No. 2) Regulations 2021 be disallowed. The Committee, chaired by Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, outlined concerns which include that the regulation lacks clarity, would give the Charities Commissioner a

The Federal Government should move urgently to implement the recommendations of a new ACCC report into the monopoly dominance of Google in the advertising. The Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology said understanding and regulating the hidden power of Google to collect and combine user data from multiple sources was a critical piece in addressing the

Fundamental questions of integrity have been raised by the Australia Institute and the Australian Conservation Foundation in regards to the Emissions Reduction Fund’s avoided deforestation method. Rather than investigate the method in question, the regulator has sought to discredit the analysis, and revealed an alarming lack of understanding of its own methodology. A full statement

Over 60 leading scientists and experts have published an open letter in the NT News, co-ordinated by the Australia Institute, calling on Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner to fulfill his commitment that all emission be fully offset or gas fracking should not go ahead. Chief Minister Gunner has committed to faithfully implement all the

One in five carbon credits issued by the Federal Government’s $4.5 billion Emission Reduction Fund (ERF) do not represent real abatement and are essentially ‘junk’ credits, according to new research by the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program. Key Findings: Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated by the ‘avoided deforestation’

The Australia Institute conducted a survey of 1057 residents across the ACT on the evening of 3rd August and found 63% of Canberrans support extending the light rail to Woden, with 32.9% opposing. The question as it was put: Question: The ACT has had light rail between Gungahlin and Civic since 2019. There are now

The announcement of a High Court legal challenge against Victoria’s controversial EV Tax means that the consideration of similar legislation here in South Australia should be delayed, The Australia Institute says. “This EV Tax has been a terrible idea from the beginning and now there is a serious legal cloud hanging over its constitutionality,” said

“To say the very least, the government’s decision to acquire a nuclear-powered submarine from the UK is problematic,” said Allan Behm, director of the international & security affairs program at the Australia Institute. “For those Australians familiar with the role of submarines in Australia’s defence planning there is a kind of inevitability in the Morrison

The key take away from the OECD report is that Australia’s tax system is not adequately addressing Australia’s rising inequality or revenue challenges. “The OECD says Australia does poorly when it comes to inequality. Reducing income tax or company tax rates would only serve to exacerbate this inequality. Expanding the GST would hurt poorer people;