The Victorian Government’s decision to ban fracking is based on sound economic and energy policy.   Queensland’s experiment in unconventional gas has demonstrated that the economic benefits promised by the gas industry largely failed to materialise, and there has been an enormous downside to other industries.   Arguments that the gas is needed have rung hollow as Australian domestic gas demand

Statewide polling shows Tasmanians want the fast growing industry of intensive fish farming to be better monitored and regulated. New polling of 1,310 Tasmanians conducted by ReachTEL for The Australia Institute shows 70% support for establishing an independent watchdog on intensive fish farms and 61% support for an independent investigation into the impacts of the

Comedian Corinne Grant, former Liberal leader John Hewson, award winning author Anna Funder, and businessman John Menadue AO join a list of 32 prominent Australians signing the open letter. The letter reads opens quoting the Business Council of Australia from their submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Adequacy of the Allowance Payment System for

As Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull prepares to deliver an address regarding ‘budget repair’ his government is proposing unprecedented austerity for the poorest Australians but generous tax cuts for the wealthiest companies and individuals. At the heart of the PM’s plan to repair the Commonwealth Budget is a plan to slash the budgets of Australia’s poorest

New polling shows very low support for Government policy to cut welfare benefits by removing the clean energy supplement. The poll of 1,310 residents across Tasmania showed 60% opposed cutting Newstart, while just 25% supported the move. (see poll below) “There has been mounting evidence of the inadequacy of the unemployment benefits.  To cut them

A new centre for progressive organisations is opening in Canberra later this year. A joint initiative between The Australia Institute and Ethical Property Australia, the centre will provide work and meeting space for organisations working for a more socially just and environmentally responsible Australia. — Video — “Canberra is the home of our democracy, and

Analysis by The Australia Institute of The Banker’s survey of the top 1000 banks around the world showed Australia’s banks make the highest profit as a share of GDP.  Table 1 – Bank Profit share of GDP%  Rank bank profit share of GDP % 1 Australia 2.9 2 China 2.8 3 Sweden 2.6 4 Canada 2.3 5

New research released by the Australia Institute today shows that government moves to cut unemployment benefits will put recipients at 32% below the poverty line . The research also highlights staggering inequality in Australia where the 10 richest Australian families have the same wealth as the poorest 3.9 million Australians combined. “At the time of

A new report from The Australia Institute explores what the petroleum industry can do to simultaneously pursue its financial interests and the interests of the global climate. The report, written by Australian National University Emeritus Professor Andrew Hopkins, outlines four key areas where the oil and gas industry’s interests align with the global goal of

The report examines 6 highly controversial QLD resource projects and reveals a pattern of political donations, remarkable access to ministers, unaccountable lobbying, cash for access, and the revolving door between the bureaucracy and industry. All of these projects received extraordinary outcomes including policy changes, project approvals and even legislative changes.   The report also highlights the strong connection of these companies to QLD

Extreme price spikes in the South Australian electricity market sees gas generators taking advantage of a market failure at the expense of businesses and households. The Australia Institute’s report from 2013, Cooking up a price rise, accurately predicted that export parity pricing would drive up domestic gas prices. Meanwhile, South Australia has one of the

The Australia Institute has today released analysis on the likely fate and budget impact of key Turnbull Government policies. The table shows where common ground exists and reveals a number of policies which are unlikely to pass the new Senate. “Key opportunities exist for the Turnbull Government to work with, rather than against, the new

87.7% of respondents in a post-election poll say the Senate should pass ‘truth in political advertising’ legislation. Only 5% of respondents in the survey of 2875 voters did not support legislation so that political parties and candidates could be fined for false and misleading advertising in the same way companies are. “It would seem wise

Previously unreleased polling shows that almost three quarters of the federal electorate of New England support Australia gradually transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2030. In comparison, the Shenhua coal mine is rejected by a majority of National Party voters and almost two thirds of voters overall. Dan Cass, strategist at The Australia Institute, said,

The coal industry has always been a minor employer in Queensland. At its peak it employed fewer people than the arts and recreation industry, but in recent years has shrunk further, shedding 10,000 jobs in Queensland and now representing less than 1 percent of the state’s workforce. “Our Research shows that the coal industry makes

New report identifies the progress of electricity storage technologies, which have become highly competitive on price as well as being popular with the public.  “The combination of batteries paired with variable renewable energy such as solar and wind can now provide security of electricity supply, with zero emissions,” Australia Institute strategist and report author, Dan

New research from Canberra based think tank The Australia Institute has exposed a serious funding hole in the Government’s company tax cut modelling. “Our research has uncovered that the Treasury commissioned modelling finds a $3.9B gain in government revenue because multinationals suddenly and voluntarily begin to pay more tax because the company tax rate drops 5 percentage points.  It is

Polling has been released which shows that more than four in five voters in the federal electorate of Indi support Australia gradually transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2030. “There is overwhelming support for renewable energy across the political spectrum in Indi. 85% of voters are in support of renewables, with only 9% against,” Strategist

New research, based on US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data, shows that the proposed company tax cut would see the Australian tax system delivering billions of dollars to the US Treasury. Australia and the US have a foreign tax treaty to ensure company profits are not double taxed. This arrangement means that companies pay the

The Australia Institute has modelled the distribution of income tax cuts announced in the 2016 Budget. Using census data indexed to 2015, the modelling shows the percentage of income earners who would reap the full benefit of moving the second-top tax threshold cut-off from $80,000 to $87,000. “This tax cut is highly selective, with very

The Australia Institute conducted a national opinion poll of 1412 people between 29 February and 8 March 2016 through Research Now, with nationally representative samples by gender, age and state or territory to gage support for state level renewable energy targets. The results show very strong support for state level targets, at 76 per cent nationally,

The Coalition Government’s business tax plan would deliver $7.4B to the big 4 banks. “Cutting company tax rates delivers a massive windfall to an already highly profitable banking sector,” Executive Director Australia Institute, Ben Oquist said. “It makes no economic or budget sense to deliver the big 4 banks a multi-billion dollar tax break when

As the Turnbull Government prepares to deliver tax cuts for high income earners and highly profitable corporations, including large banks, the latest data shows those living on government assistance are slipping further below the poverty line.  Professor Ronald Henderson delivered a major report to the government in 1973, which established an absolute poverty line, often

A report analysing cutting the budget repair levy and giving high income earners a tax cut to compensate for bracket creep, as touted by Treasurer Scott Morrison, finds the measure would exacerbate the revenue problem and not deliver growth.  New polling in the report also showed that the vast majority of Australians were not able

A new report models a progressive traffic fine system, based on the Finnish model, for South Australia.  Progressive traffic fines, based on income, rather than flat fees, have been successfully implemented in Scandinavia. The Australia Institute has released a report looking specifically at how the policy could be adopted in South Australia. The report, From

New report shows service industry jobs growth outstripping mining job losses. Despite record job losses in the mining sector, employment in Queensland is growing strongly with service industries leading the way, according to a new report released today by The Australia Institute. Queensland’s service industries were standout performers in recent years, and are expected to

Top economists and community leaders have signed an open letter calling on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to not to cut taxes at this time – especially not on company profits. The letter, published as a full-page newspaper advertisement, is signed by Former Reserve Bank Governor Bernie Fraser, ACTU National President Ged Kearney, Former WA Premier

Between 29 February and 8 March 2016 The Australia Institute conducted a national opinion poll of 1412 people, through Research Now, with nationally representative samples by gender, age and state or territory.  The poll asked “Which, if any, of the following government ministers have you heard of?” Names of politicians names were presented, in randomised

A ReachTEL poll of 1077 South Australian’s shows opposition to a nuclear waste dump at 48.5% and support at 37.2%. (Full results below) Final submissions to South Australia’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission closed on Friday. “A nuclear waste dump remains unpopular, despite some recent high profile support and renewed focus with the Royal Commission,”

New polling released by The Australia Institute shows that a majority of Australian voters (63.4%) want Tony Abbott to retire, including half (50.9%) of Coalition voters. “Across all demographics, gender and voting intentions the electorate think the former prime minister should retire,” said Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Ben Oquist. “While that is obviously