Media Releases
June 2019
Men will get almost twice the benefit from later stages of unlegislated income tax cuts as women: new research
The final stage of the Morrison Government’s unlegislated income tax plan, stage 3(a) favours males by a ratio of almost two to one, according to a new distributional analysis from The Australia Institute’s senior economist Matt Grudnoff. The Morrison Government is yet to legislate the additional tax cuts announced in the 2019-20 Federal Budget,
Australia can Follow Finland to Reverse TAFE and Training Crisis
Australia should consider whether it wants a higher education and vocational training system more like that of Finland or more like the USA, according to a new report from The Australia Institute’s Nordic Policy Centre. The report, co-authored by Professor Andrew Scott, Emeritus Professor Tor Hundloe and Mr Shirley Jackson, shows Australian vocational training is
Budget Warning for State Gov: Voters Reject Service Cuts, Privatisation
New research from The Australia Institute has found that two out of three voters want the State Government to make up the $517 million GST shortfall announced in the Federal Budget by increasing taxes on wealthier South Australians and property investors. The least popular way for the government to balance the books in its upcoming
Queensland facing more climate chaos
New research shows that Queensland is set to experience more climate chaos, including more summers with a dramatic increase in extreme heat days – like in Brisbane, where days over 35C would go from a historical average of two per year, to up to 45 days per year by 2090. The report, written by The
May 2019
New Analysis: Over 50% of Stage 3a Tax Cuts Benefit to go to Highest Income Earners
New income distributional analysis from The Australia Institute senior economist Matt Grudnoff shows the Morrison Government’s proposed Stage 3(a) income tax cuts announced in the 2019-20 Federal Budget, to come into effect 2024-25, will overwhelmingly benefit high-income earners with over 50% of the benefit going to the top 20% of taxpayers, while the bottom half
Renewables key to Australia’s energy future
New research shows that ongoing investment in renewable energy generation by companies and households continues to reduce Australia’s electricity sector emissions, even without adequate national climate and energy policy. The Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program has released the latest National Energy Emissions Audit for the electricity sector, analysing the electricity sector over the previous
Cross-Industry Pressure Builds for ‘Demand Response’ Energy Reform
A broad range of Australian business and industry representatives have written a letter supporting changes to the country’s energy rules that would allow demand response aggregators to enter the National Energy Market. The proposed change would allow companies to pay households, farms and businesses to reduce their use of energy, instead of turning on more expensive
Taking way too much credit
$18 billion dollar gamble on climate action loophole The Government’s reliance on dated carbon credits to extinguish over half of its Paris Agreement target might not be authorised, forcing it to purchase last-minute international permits or drastically reduce emissions to cover huge gap. New analysis by the Australia Institute identified numerous legal, diplomatic and
62 Experts Urge Next Parliament to Make Climate Action a Top Priority
62 scientists and experts have signed an open letter to the next Parliament of Australia, calling for whichever party that wins Government this Saturday to make urgent action on climate change a top priority for the 46th Parliament of Australia. Prominent signatories of the open letter include: Nobel Prize winners Professor Peter Doherty AC and Dr.
Liberals Losing Grip on ‘Better Economic Manager’ Title: Young People Overwhelmingly Rate Labor Better
The Liberal Party is losing grip on their ‘better economic manager’ brand recognition with young voters (18-34 year olds) overwhelmingly rating the Labor Party as the better economic manager in Government. Key Findings: o Young people rated the Labor Party better economic managers in government than the Coalition. 44% aged 18-24 rated the Labor
New Analysis: Brian Fisher Modelling Climate Outlier
The recent modelling of climate action produced by Brian Fisher is a complete outlier compared to an analysis of over 20 recent modelling exercises and Treasury models, according to new research from the Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program. An extensive comparison of 18 recent modelling reports and three Treasury models of climate action in
Polling: Voters Still Think Coalition Will Cut Company Tax for Big Business
Almost four in ten voters think that a re-elected Coalition Government would try to cut company tax for big business, even after being explicitly told the Coalition Government had announced they would no longer pursue big business company tax cuts. Respondents were told that last year then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that the Coalition Government
Dawson Climate Assessment: Heatwaves, Droughts, Floods and Fires to worsen
The electorate of Dawson could suffer devastating climate impacts unless emissions are cut, and climate change is brought under control. The Australia Institute Climate Assessment for Dawson released today has found that, if emissions continue to rise, by 2070 the electorate of Dawson is projected to experience: Up to more than twice as many heatwave
Key independents back 4 steps to fix Murray Darling
New research from The Australia Institute highlights four steps governments can take to improve the management of the Murray Darling Basin: Emergency water allocation to the dairy industry Develop policies to ensure diversity in Basin agriculture A federal Royal Commission or federal ICAC investigation Pause the Basin Plan The Institute’s proposal has been backed by
Herbert Climate Assessment: Heatwaves, Droughts and Floods to worsen
The Australia Institute’s new Climate Assessment for Herbert has found the electorate could suffer devastating climate impacts unless emissions are cut and climate change is brought under control. If emissions continue to rise, by 2070 the electorate of Herbert is projected to experience: A single heatwave could last up to over 50 days Up to
#Watergate’s water mates
The Australia Institute has released new analysis of the controversial $80 million water deal between the Department of Agriculture and Water under then-Minister Barnaby Joyce and a company domiciled in the Cayman Islands. The analysis shows the close collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and the company selling the water, Eastern Australia
Capricornia Climate Assessment: Heatwaves, Droughts and Floods to worsen
The Australia Institute’s new Climate Assessment for the electorate of Capricornia has found the electorate could suffer devastating climate impacts unless emissions are cut and climate change is brought under control. If emissions continue to rise, by 2070 the electorate of Capricornia is projected to experience: Up to twice as many heatwave days per year
Shorten pips Morrison for most recognised leader
The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,426 Australians between April 11-18 April 2019, about which current and recent Ministers and Shadow Ministers they have heard of. Key Findings: Bill Shorten (77%) has pipped Scott Morrison (75%) as most recognised leader Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack is recognised by 28% of voters, while
Polling: Millennial, Gen Z Climate Fears May Swing Key SA Seats
New research from The Australia Institute has found that young voters and their strong interest in tackling global warming could be a significant factor at the next election in South Australia, across both the Lower House and the Senate. More than half (55%) of South Australians aged 18 to 24-years-old ranked policies around tackling climate
Health Costs Outpace Inflation
Out-of-pocket health costs have skyrocketed compared with all other prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index, shows new analysis by The Australia Institute. The analysis using ABS data shows that health costs have more than doubled the rise in CPI with a 24 per cent increase in health costs compared with 11 per cent
More Dodgy Climate Modelling with Flawed Assumptions
New analysis of the new BAE economics modelling by Brian Fisher released today, highlights that it is based on numerous flawed assumptions which cast serious doubt to the validity of the claims contained. Key Findings: Fisher’s results are contradicted by a large economic literature. The Australia Institute has identified 17 reports from the last five
Polling: Labor Ahead on Energy Policy But Many Undecided Voters Up For Grabs
The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of Australians about which major party policies they thought would be better for reducing emissions, lowering electricity prices and energy reliability. “Interestingly, while Labor is very clearly ahead with voters when looking at which major party has the best policies on addressing emissions, Labor also leads on
April 2019
Apology from AEC Required After Giving Wrong Information on New Senate Voting Rules
The Australia Institute is calling for an apology and explanation from AEC Commissioner Tom Rogers after the Commissioner gave wrong senate voting instructions to listeners of RN Breakfast on the morning pre-polls open for the 2019 Federal Election. With early voting for the federal election starting today, Monday 29 April, mass public confusion still exists
Analysis: Regional Winners and Losers from Government Tax Plan Revealed
All five Tasmanian electorates are among the biggest losers of the Government’s income tax cut plan, inner-city electorates in Sydney and Melbourne are the biggest winners, and South Australia and Central & North Queensland get at least 30% per capita less than electorates in Sydney and Melbourne. The analysis by the Canberra-based think-tank’s senior economist
Solar surges as large-scale rooftop takes off
New research shows that medium to large rooftop solar systems are taking off, contributing with other solar and wind energy to the jump from 10% to 15% of the energy supplied to the grid over the last year. The Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program has released the latest National Energy Emissions Audit (The Audit)
Analysis: $130 billion per year benefit to GDP by avoiding climate change
Unless national action is taken to meet the Paris Target to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees, Australia’s GDP faces a hit of an average of $130 billion per year according to a new briefing note by The Australia Institute. The analysis released today by the Canberra-based think tank shows that the current
Debugging Watergate: interpreting official responses
The Australia Institute has today released analysis of official responses to the Watergate scandal surrounding Murray Darling water purchases, covered by The Project, Guardian and other outlets. The analysis finds that official responses are misleading and in some cases incorrect: The Prime Minister’s claim that the record water purchase was covered in a Senate inquiry
Declare War on Global Warming, Say SA Voters as Climate Election Looms
New research from The Australia Institute, released just weeks out from the Federal Election, shows that a majority of South Australian voters want the government to mobilise all of society, “like they mobilised everyone during the world wars”, to tackle global warming. The state-wide polling also found that a majority of South Australians support a
New Analysis: $77 billion goes to those earning over $180,000
New Australia Institute modelling shows that at least $77 billion of the lost revenue from the Morrison Government’s top-end tax cut plan will benefit those earning more than $180,000, and $64 billion of that figure will go to those who earn over $200,000. The Government has claimed that the difference between its tax cut plan
Poll: North/South Divide on Climate Action Exposed as Political Myth
The much-hyped ‘North/South divide’ on climate action is a political misconception, according to new research from The Australia Institute. The research shows that the majority of Australian voters across states and poltical allegiance are concerned by climate change, and want the Government to mobilise on the issue, “like they mobilised everyone during the world wars”. Key
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