Media Releases

August 2023

Tasmanian government backflips on measures to protect depleted fish species

by Eloise Carr

The Australia Institute Tasmania is calling on the Tasmanian government to keep in place protections for depleted fish populations. The Tasmanian government has today announced a backflip on planned measures to rebuild depleted fish populations managed under the Tasmanian Scalefish Fishery. Instead, the government has reopened consultation on the rule changes until September 25 and

Australia’s true unemployment rate lies hidden beneath the surface

The unemployment rate used by the Reserve Bank to help publicly justify policy decisions – including increases to interest rates – is based on strict and outdated definitions that significantly underestimate the actual number of people looking for work, according to new research released today by the Australia Institute.

Australia at risk of exclusion from renewable manufacturing boom

Australia risks being left out of lucrative new markets for renewable energy-related manufacturing unless government provides an urgent, domestic response to match powerful incentives introduced by the U.S and several other industrial nations. The finding is published in a new report released today by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, as part of the

July 2023

Leading Civil Society Organisations Publish Open Letter Calling for Long Overdue Political Finance Reforms

Australia’s leading civil society organisations have today published a full-page ad in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Australian Financial Review and Canberra Times newspapers, calling for long overdue political finance reforms to make politics fairer and more transparent.

80-plus Groups Worldwide Demand End to Greenwashing Maugean Skate Extinction with Farmed Salmon Accreditations

More than 80 organisations from around the globe are calling for the accreditation schemes, Best Aquaculture Practices and GlobalG.A.P., to immediately revoke their ‘sustainability’ certifications from farmed salmon and trout raised in waters adjacent to the World Heritage Area, Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania. The demand comes as federal and state government workshops are held in Hobart

Australians Identify Corporate Profits – Not Wages – as Major Driver of Inflation

Research conducted by the Australia Institute reveals Australians understand that the current rise in inflation has not been driven by wages growth, contrary to the single-minded focus of the Reserve Bank on labour costs over the past two years. The Australia Institute surveyed Australians about their views on the causes of, and solutions to, inflation,

Polling: Migrants & Young People Most Likely to Support Voice

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1004 Australians about their attitudes towards the upcoming referendum to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Key Findings: A majority of Australians (52%) say they will vote “Yes” to alter the Constitution to

States and Territories Could Foot the Emissions Bill for Beetaloo Basin

State and territory energy ministers meeting in Tasmania today may be asked to pay the cost of offsetting emissions from proposed fracking operations in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin. This proposal comes as the Federal Government looks for ways to fulfil a commitment made during the Safeguard Mechanism negotiations to fully offset all emissions from Beetaloo gas development.

Ban Gambling, Alcohol, Fossil Fuel Ads in Sport: SA Voters

by Noah Schultz-Byard

New research from public policy think tank The Australia Institute shows that the majority of South Australians support banning gambling, alcohol and fossil fuel advertising during sporting events and in sporting broadcasts in the state. The findings are the result of a survey of 604 South Australians, undertaken by The Australia Institute between 15 May

June 2023

RBA finally admits role of corporate price hikes in inflation

The Reserve Bank of Australia has finally acknowledged that corporate price hikes play a role in Australia’s inflation woes. The latest meeting of the RBA board noted that “some firms were indexing their prices, either implicitly or directly, to past inflation. These developments created an increased risk that high inflation would be persistent, which would

Federal government under legal obligation to protect Maugean skate

The Australia Institute Tasmania has written to federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, urging her to intervene and end salmon farming in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, which is threatening the endangered Maugean skate. The letter asks the Minister to review the decision to greenlight expanded marine farming operations. The decision was made more than a decade ago

Truth in political ads, election reform welcome, but devil is in the detail

The Australia Institute welcomes the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters’ interim report for its inquiry into the conduct of the 2022 election, in which Australia Institute research and recommendations are cited often. The committee recommends: A lower donation disclosure threshold ($1,000, down from over $15,000) and real-time disclosure of donations. Caps on political donations

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