Media Releases
December 2011
Clive Palmer’s new QLD mine to hit Victorian and South Australian manufacturing
The China First mine proposed for Queensland is so large that even the economic impact statement prepared by the mine’s proponents finds that it will drive more than $1.2 billion worth of manufacturing offshore, cause 3,000 job losses and result in higher housing costs and a less equal distribution of income. Dr Richard Denniss, Executive
November 2011
Government’s surplus fetish reveals poor priorities
The announcement today of a $20 billion dollar hole in the budget is a storm in a teacup and only proves that the government’s pursuit of a surplus has more to do with politics than economics, according to The Australia Institute’s Executive Director Dr Richard Denniss. “Australia’s GDP is more than $1,400 billion per year,
History suggests undertakings to protect Foster’s brand might be worthless
The history of takeovers in Australia suggests that the undertakings SABMiller PLC gave to retain Foster’s iconic Australian identity are likely to be worthless, according to The Australia Institute. SABMiller PLC, the foreign buyer, has undertaken that: •Operations will remain in Australia •Production facilities will not be moved offshore •Foster’s iconic brand portfolio will be
Beware of bosses bearing gifts: National Go Home On Time Day 30 November 2011
Many workers who are given mobile phones and laptops by their employer feel obliged to work overtime, new research by The Australia Institute reveals. The research on the increasingly blurry boundary between work and life was conducted for this year’s national Go Home On Time Day, which will be held on Wednesday November 30. Now
October 2011
Sick Australians forgoing medication as out-of-pocket expenses mount
Australians are paying more than $1 billion each year in out-of-pocket expenses for GP visits, pharmaceuticals, pathology and diagnostic testing despite Medicare’s pledge to provide ‘fair and affordable’ health care, a new study by The Australia Institute reveals. The study also confirmed that many Australians are forgoing treatment, with almost a quarter of survey respondents
September 2011
Mining industry ads work, but fewer manufacturing workers do
Public perceptions of the size and significance of the mining industry to the Australian economy are radically different to the facts, a new survey by The Australia Institute reveals. When asked what percentage of workers they believe were employed in the mining industry, the average response was around 16 per cent, when according to the
August 2011
Search engine market power poses risk to online competition
Two thirds of Australians are in favour of the government taking action to ensure competition on the internet, new research by The Australia Institute reveals. Despite this, and the boom in online retail being fuelled by consumers’ desire for choice, a surprising number of people are less concerned about a lack of diversity online than
Direct Action will need more public servants than the Department of Climate Change
The Australia Institute today called on Opposition Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey to outline how many public servants they will require to administer their ‘direct action’ climate change plan, in light of his comments about disbanding the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Mr Hockey has said that the Coalition is considering disbanding the Department
July 2011
Address by Dr Richard Denniss to the National Press Club
I’ll start with a confession. I would like to confirm that like my esteemed colleague I am not, and have never been, a climate scientist. I am an economist who has watched the way we develop policy for many years. And I am also a citizen, an employer, and a father who on a regular
Direct Action expensive and ineffective
The Coalition’s proposed Direct Action Plan to combat climate change is likely to cost $11 billion per year, require hundreds of new, highly-trained public servants to administer it and would still be unlikely to achieve any meaningful abatement, a new analysis by The Australia Institute reveals. The Direct Action Plan is a form of competitive
Lazy’ workers not to blame for productivity slump
The mining industry, not Australian workers, should be shouldering the blame for Australia’s flagging productivity growth, according to a new analysis by The Australia Institute. In a speech last night Dr Martin Parkinson, the new head of Treasury, quoted figures showing that Australia’s annual productivity growth slipped from 2.1 per cent in the 1990s to
May 2011
Aussie consumers put price first in retail battle of bricks versus clicks
The online retail boom is overwhelmingly being driven by people wanting to save money despite concerns it hurts local jobs, a new paper by The Australia Institute reveals. The rise and rise of online retail confirms many of the assumptions made about consumer attitudes and behaviour in relation to online shopping. 85 per cent of
Tobacco companies using brand recognition to gouge $500 million per year from customers
The threat by big tobacco companies to slash cigarette prices if the Government presses ahead with its plan to legislate for plain packaging is proof that smokers in Australia are being ripped off to the tune of $500 million per year, according to analysis conducted by The Australia Institute. “The tobacco companies are saying that
Surplus fetish costing taxpayers
The bipartisan obsession with returning the federal budget to surplus has provided a convenient distraction from the genuine debate which is needed in Australia about when we will invest in infrastructure and social welfare, according to a new paper by The Australia Institute released today. Surplus fetish: The political economy of the surplus, deficit and
Banking report lets the big four off the hook
The Senate Economics Committee report into the banking sector, released today, is a disappointing missed opportunity to initiate much-needed reform to rein in the power of Australia’s big four banks which exploit their market power at the expense of consumers and small businesses, according to The Australia Institute. Senior Research Fellow David Richardson said the
April 2011
Survey results – New Zealand food waste
In October 2009 the Australia Institute conducted an online survey of 1,807 main grocery buyers in Australia and New Zealand. Respondents were asked about the food they throw out and their attitudes and behaviour in relation to food waste.
February 2011
Carbon price architecture looks good, but proof will come in construction
The announcement today that the Gillard Government and the Greens have agreed on the broad architecture of a carbon price mechanism for Australia is a welcome sign of progress on what has been a long march towards a comprehensive approach to tackling climate change in Australia, according to The Australia Institute. The Australia Institute’s Executive
ATM fees cost consumers $750m
Australian consumers are still spending more than $750 million per year on ATM fees despite attempts by the Reserve Bank to reform the ATM system, a new paper by The Australia Institute reveals. The price of disloyalty: Why competition has failed to lower ATM fees finds that while an overwhelming majority (82%) of Australians believe
Bank watch: CBA interest costs differ from evidence to Senate inquiry
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s half year report released today shows that interest expenses have increased but by substantially less than official interest rates, an analysis by The Australia Institute has found. This is in contrast to evidence the bank provided to the Senate Economics Committee in December that their interest expenses were increasing by
Bank super profits tax must be on Tax Summit agenda
Confirmation today that Treasury has considered a banking super profits tax is further evidence of the need to discuss such a proposal at the Tax Summit to be held later this year, according to The Australia Institute. Recent polling by the Institute found 81 per cent of Australians want the idea of a bank super
January 2011
Australians struggle to recognise State flags
Nearly one in two Australian adults cannot identify their State or Territory flag, according to new survey results released by The Australia Institute. The Australia Institute’s Deputy Director Josh Fear said the survey results add an extra dimension to the recent push by Former Australians of the Year to change the national flag. While 52
Survey results – ‘Made in Australia’ labelling
In October 2010 the Australia Institute conducted an online survey of 1294 Australians. Survey respondents were asked questions about a range of social issues, including their views on the labelling of products made in Australia. A media release commenting on these findings is also available.
Meaning of ‘Made in Australia’ unclear to most Australians
Three in four Australians are confused about the meaning of the term ‘Made in Australia’, despite a new advertising campaign to encourage people to buy locally-produced goods. Survey results released by The Australia Institute show that people’s desire to buy Australian made is often not matched by their understanding of how to do so.
Survey results – attitudes to voluntary euthanasia
In November 2010 the Australia Institute conducted an online survey of 1,294 Australians. Survey respondents were asked questions about a range of social issues, including their views on voluntary euthanasia.
December 2010
Common sense prevails in superannuation shake up
The Australia Institute today welcomed the Government’s shake up of the superannuation system. “Common sense has finally prevailed,” said the Institute’s Deputy Director Josh Fear. “The overwhelming majority of super fund members want more simplicity not more choice. Since the Howard Government introduced Choice of Fund in 2005, many people have been forced to make
Australians want bank super profits tax on the agenda
Eighty-one per cent (81%) of Australians believe that the idea of a banking super profits tax should be discussed at next year’s Tax Summit, according to a new opinion poll conducted by The Australia Institute.
Australians planning to waste hundreds of millions this Christmas
Last year six million, or one in three, Australians received one or more Christmas presents that they never used or later gave away, a new survey by The Australia Institute reveals. Asked about their Christmas gift habits, more than one in four respondents also expect that some of the presents they give this Christmas will
More to come on banking reform?
The Government’s announcement of its much anticipated banking reform package is only a small step on the long journey towards a better deal for the customers of Australia’s banks, according to The Australia Institute.
Nuclear power stations from the Sunshine Coast to the Central Coast?
Proponents of a new debate about the role of nuclear power stations in Australia should start with a discussion about their location, said The Australia Institute.
November 2010
Today is national Go Home On Time Day
Today is national Go Home On Time Day – the day Australia bucks the trend of working the longest hours in the western world and says no to last-minute meetings and unpaid overtime.
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