Prominent economists and public service experts will gather in Parliament House for a The Australia Institute’s Revenue Summit on Wednesday 17 October. This initiative of The Australia Institute will see some of Australia’s leading experts discuss new ways Australia could efficiently and equitably increase public revenue to strengthen both our public finances and our future

A television commercial will begin airing on commercial television tomorrow, putting further pressure on the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and its members regarding the BCA’s false emissions reduction claims. The commercial features research from The Australia Institute exposing the BCA’s false claim that a 45% emissions reduction target would be ‘economy wrecking’ and highlights

The repeated nature of the use of the Opera House sails to project night-time images that are potentially inconsistent with the design of the building or its values requires the matter to be referred to the Federal Environment Department under s68 of the EPBC Act, according to analysis by The Australia Institute. The Australia Institute

The Australia Institute’s National Integrity Committee of retired judges and corruption fighters today welcomed Dr Kerryn Phelps announcement of her support for a National Integrity Commission. The National Integrity Committee published a design blueprint for a National Integrity Commission, which includes a broad jurisdiction and strong investigative powers, including public hearings. Former Victorian Court of

Community interests in the Lower Darling are being sacrificed for the profits of big corporations, according to new research by The Australia Institute. The report, Trickle Out Effect, shows the $13 billion dollar Murray Darling Basin Plan is facilitating the flow of money to powerful agribusiness at the expense of local communities, native title holders,graziers, downstream

The process for ABC Board appointments, including the appointment of the Chair, needs reform in order to depoliticise future appointments and protect the ABC’s independence. The Australia Institute has put forward five recommendations on how the appointment of the new Chair of the ABC Board and future Board appointments could be reformed. The report recommends

The Australia Institute’s National Integrity Committee of former judges and corruption fighters is today meeting in Sydney to launch their Implementation Plan for a National Integrity Commission.  In the lead up to the Wentworth byelection, the committee has written to candidates calling for support from all parties of its plan to establish a federal corruption

A television commercial will begin airing nationally from 1 October, which features research from The Australia Institute exposing the Business Council of Australia’s (BCA) false claim that a 45% emissions reduction target would be ‘economy wrecking’. Building on research that shows no evidence to back the BCA’s ‘economy wrecking’ claim, the advertisement identifies that Australia’s electricity

The Government is way off the mark and off-message when it comes to meeting the Paris target, new analysis from The Australia Institute shows. The new report debunks the government’s claims that Australia will meet the Paris target ‘in a canter’, demonstrating total emissions have been increasing since 2014 and without major policy measures or

A majority of Australians believe the Royal Commission into Banks and Financial Services has uncovered more wrong doing (70%) and is most important for Australians (65%) compared to the Royal Commission into Trade Unions, according to new polling from The Australia Institute.  Meanwhile, almost a third of Australians (31%) believe the Royal Commission into Trade

New Australia Institute research shows that extremely hot days (over 35 degrees) could triple in Gladstone by 2070. The number of extreme heat days in Gladstone has already increased from 2.6 days per year in the 1960s to 6.5 days per year this century. This increase has now exceeded extreme heat projections for the year

The number of days over 35 degrees has nearly doubled in Rockhampton over recent years, and is forecast to triple again in the absence of strong policy response to climate change, according to new research from The Australia Institute. The Australia Institute’s Heat Watch initiative shows Rockhampton is expected to endure 29 days over 35

The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to poll the federal seat of Hume (690 respondents) on the evening of 10 September. Key Findings: Liberal primary vote crashes to 39.7% (down from 53.83 at 2016 federal election) 47.8% think the National Energy Guarantee should include an emissions reduction target (39.3% No) 63.7% support a moratorium on building

Over 50 scientists and experts, including former Australian of the Year Professor Fiona Stanley AC, Carmen Lawrence, former Premier of WA, Professor Peter Newman AO, WA’s 2018 Scientist of the Year, and Ian Dunlop, former Chairman of the Australian Coal Association and Shell executive, are urging the Western Australian Government to permanently ban fracking in

The Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy Program has released the latest National Energy Emissions Audit electricity update (The Audit*) for September 2018. The Audit shows the new surge of renewable generation coming online are the only thing currently helping reduce energy prices – with renewables now making up a record breaking 19.7% of the National

The number of Australians concerned about climate change has reached a five-year high, increasing to 73% (up from 66% in 2017) according to a new benchmark report released today. The annual Climate of the Nation report has tracked Australian attitudes on climate change for over a decade. This is the first Climate of the Nation

Research by The Australia Institute examines the fundamental conflict of interest that underlies the Gas Industry Social and Environmental Alliance (GISERA), making it an inappropriate organisation to undertake research to evaluate the social and environmental impacts of unconventional gas development.  Key points include: GISERA is an alliance between the five largest unconventional gas companies operating

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has today received a rule change request to reform the National Electricity Market (NEM) to open it up to competition from demand response. This would make it easy for households and small businesses to receive payment for reducing their energy usage during periods of peak demand, helping to balance

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s unprecedented $443.3 million dollar Government grant is being invested with banks that fund the expansion of the fossil fuel industry, contrary to the Foundation’s stated goals. A new report released today from The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy program and Future Super shows the Foundation’s grant, which was paid upfront

New research from the Australia Institute and Prosper Australia shows Government could use existing housing schemes to reduce the cost of secure long-term housing by as much as 52%, at no extra cost to the budget. The report shows that the government can create more secure long-term forms of residency, insulated from changes in market

Canberra’s innovative Land Rent Scheme has been singled out in new research from the Australia Institute and Prosper Australia that shows if applied nationally, Government could significantly reduce the cost of secure long-term housing. Currently the scheme sees over one-thousand Canberra households saving more than $9 million in housing costs per year, at no cost

The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to poll the federal seat of Wentworth (886 respondents) on the evening of 27th August.  Key Findings: Liberal Party primary vote crashes to 39.6%, compared to 2016 election 62.3% primary vote (-22.7%) Liberal primary vote lower still (34.6%) when potential independent candidates named Majority of voters (62.5%) think Australia should move

The Australia Institute welcomes the defeat of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enterprise Tax Plan No. 2) Bill 2017 in the Senate. “We welcome the defeat of the Government’s big business company tax cut legislation in the Senate,” said Ben Oquist, executive director of The Australia Institute. “Congratulations to Labor, the Greens, and Senate crossbenchers Senators

The Australia Institute surveyed 1,557 Australians between 27 March and 7 April 2018 about which Commonwealth Ministers they recognised. Respondents could select any number of Ministers from a randomised list of the full cabinet, or “none of the above”. Download the polling brief for full details.  Nearly all Ministers are recognised by a third of respondents

The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to conduct a survey of 1,093 residents across Western Australian households on the evening of 13th August 2018. Key Findings: 2PP Liberal 55%, Labor 45% 28.6% of West Australians said they would consider voting for One Nation in the Senate, though One Nation primary vote stands at 7.5% (HoR) and

South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland all miss out on company tax cuts with only 11% of beneficiaries headquartered in those three states, analysis of Department of Finance data and ATO statistics reveals. The Australia Institute has today released new analysis of a list compiled by the Department of Finance and distributed to crossbench senators outlining

New analysis by The Australia Institute’s Revenue Watch initiative shows the company tax cut would represent a $39.5 billion gift to the big four banks over the first decade of the cut. Furthermore, new polling also released today shows a majority of voters (61%) think the Senate should block the company tax cuts for large

With the company tax debate in full flight, The Australia Institute will be hosting a special Revenue Summit, Wednesday 17th October 2018. This initiative of The Australia Institute will see some of Australia’s leading experts discuss new ways Australia could efficiently and equitably increase public revenue to strengthen both our public finances and our future

The Australia Institute has released new analysis by Chief Economist Dr. Richard Denniss showing that the purported $150 price reduction likely to flow from the NEG will be rendered meaningless if the government proceeds with new policies to adjust future electricity supply via the so-called ‘NEG plus’. “The NEG modelling concludes power prices will be

The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program has released the latest National Energy Emissions Audit electricity update (The Audit*) for July 2018. The Audit shows that current NEG modelling will effectively create an investment cliff for the otherwise booming renewables sector, with no investment in further renewable energy generation after 2021. Key findings show: Renewables