Laws which impose extreme penalties and jail time for peaceful protest have been rushed through the South Australian lower house in what democracy experts have described as an alarming threat to civil liberties.

The Australia Institute will join a growing number of state and national organisations, independent scientists and Tasmanians, demanding an immediate halt to salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour. The Maugean skate is teetering on the brink of extinction according to scientists from the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), who this week took the extraordinary

As the PwC scandal continues, new research shows significant public concern about the relationship between the consulting industry and government, with an overwhelming majority of Australians (80%) supporting a ban on government contracts for companies that leak information and breach public trust; greater parliamentary scrutiny of the industry; and reduced outsourcing for core public sector

A range of high-profile politicians, former military leaders and academic experts have signed an open letter calling for a Parliamentary Inquiry into the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal, appearing in full-page ads today in the Australian Financial Review.

The costs of a controversial gas project off the Northern Territory coast will increase by between $500 million and $987 million over five years due to new Australian climate policy, according to estimates by The Australia Institute. The Barossa gas project, proposed by Santos for waters 285km north of Darwin, is particularly affected by recent

Federal Budget 2023-24 has delayed solving Australia’s structural revenue problem, deferring any change to the Stage 3 tax cuts ($254b over 10 years) or fossil fuel tax credits ($9.4b in 2023-4) until at least May 2024, before the next federal election. The decision to delay revenue reforms leaves the Budget ill-equipped to meet the needs

The overnight resignation of PwC’s CEO as a result of the ongoing tax avoidance scandal reflects the need for structural reform to the way the Government engages large consulting firms to perform core government work, according to integrity experts at the Australia Institute. Experts have reaffirmed their recommendations to the senate inquiry into consultancies and

New research shows fossil fuel subsidies over the forward estimates have increased to a record breaking $57.1b, up from the $55.3b forecast in 2022. As the federal budget approaches, future fossil fuel subsidies will cost 14 times the amount invested in the Australian Disaster Ready Fund, and more than the amount spent on the Australian

In an extraordinary press conference in Darwin today, the NT Deputy Chief Minister denigrated 96 leading scientists and experts who had this morning called the NT Government to respect climate science by halting fracking expansion in full page ads, by suggesting ‘those people be a bit more practical and level-headed’, while announcing the NT would

96 leading Australian scientists and experts have called for the Northern Territory Government to follow the science and ban unconventional gas development because of its unacceptable impact on the climate. Signatories include many of Australia’s leading climate scientists including Professor Emeritus David Karoly, Professor Emerita Lesley Hughes and Professor Matthew England. Scientific experts also include

The Australia Institute Tasmania has called for stronger measures to address depleted fish stocks and prevent future overfishing in a detailed submission on the Tasmanian Government’s Draft Harvest Strategy for Wild Fisheries. The recommendation of ensuring fish levels stay at 48% of unfished biomass is in line with CSIRO recommendations that guide Commonwealth fisheries strategies.

Consulting firms who leak confidential information and breach public trust should be barred from winning Government contracts, according to a submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the integrity of consulting services. Appearing today at the Senate Inquiry into consulting services, experts from the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability program will warn that the over-use of

New research from the Australia Institute shows that eight in 10 Australians (80%) agree that the Federal Government should spend more money to directly build affordable housing in the Budget. The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about their attitudes toward the Federal Government’s response to the housing crisis. Key Findings:

A 7% National Minimum Wage rise for low paid workers would help tackle the rising cost of living for those on award wages while having a virtually undetectable impact on economy-wide prices, new research from leading economists at the Centre for Future Work has found. The data comes as the Fair Work Commission deliberates about

New national research shows a majority of voters feel positive about switching Australian homes away from gas and moving to full electrification, as cost of living and climate concerns continue to rise. The report, based on a nationally representative survey of Australian households undertaken by The Australia Institute and SEC Newgate, reveals very little opposition

“While it’s good to see Australia move incrementally forward, the longer we delay setting real fuel efficiency standards the harder it will be to meet our 2030 target,” said Noah Schultz-Byard, SA Director at the Australia Institute. “When you start from behind, as Australia is on EV policy, you can’t catch up by going slower

New analysis reveals rural and regional communities will get the least from the Stage 3 income tax cuts, with experts warning the package will widen economic inequality between the city and the bush and reduce revenue for essential rural health, education and community programs. 5 of the bottom 10 ‘biggest losers’ from the Stage 3

Public opinion backs science, as Government continues to side with salmon industry

Despite the stated policy goals of State Governments, Australia is in the slow lane when it comes to electrifying our bus fleet with only 0.2% of buses electric, or 200 out of 100,000. Experts are calling for greater policy ambition and investment to meet climate goals, reduce air and noise pollution, reduce road congestion, and

Inequality has been on steroids in Australia over the last decade with new data revealing the bottom 90% of Australians receive just 7% of economic growth per person since 2009, while the top 10% of income earners reap 93% of the benefits. The data shows a radical reversal on the long term trend from the

New polling research reveals Australians are confused about how to pay for the nuclear submarines as part of AUKUS. The nuclear submarines are estimates to cost between $268 billion and $368 billion. Key findings: None of the four options for meeting the cost of the AUKUS submarines were chosen by a majority of voters. 34%

A new research report has found that favourable tax and policy treatment of fuel-guzzling utes and SUVs is driving Australia’s transport emissions. Of the top 10 most popular new vehicles in Australia, five are big utes, compared to only 2/10 in the UK. The new research identifies a range of policy options to reduce Australia’s

17.9 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution would be emitted from the 28 proposed coal mine projects awaiting a decision from Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, according to detailed analysis and the newly launched Coal Mine Tracker website from the Australia Institute. The climate impact from the pollution would be equivalent to keeping all of

The prosecution of Richard Boyle demonstrates Australia’s whistleblowing laws are too weak, and governments are too secretive, according to the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program. Richard Boyle, a former Australian Taxation Office worker, became a whistleblower after contacting the ABC with his concerns about unethical workplace practices within the ATO. Boyle had initially reported

The Safeguard Mechanism deal between Labor and the Greens is an improvement on the original legislation but still falls short of what the world’s climate scientists, the United Nations and the International Energy Agency say is required. The package will allow new fossil fuel projects to commence. Importantly, however, it places a cap on emissions

Today the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) and the Australia Institute Tasmania have written to Tasmanian Treasurer Michael Ferguson requesting the release of at least $1.5 million to enable the Government to fulfil its legal obligation to produce a State of the Environment Report in the 2023-24 Tasmanian Budget.

Research released today by The Australia Institute estimates that NSW could have raised an additional $6.2 billion in coal royalties this financial year if it had adopted Queensland’s royalty system. While NSW households and business have been charged more for energy due to the war in Ukraine, the public has missed out on collecting additional

Minister Chris Bowen was today asked in Question Time by the Member for Kooyong why the Safeguard Mechanism allows unlimited access to carbon offsets, undermining any incentive for emissions cuts. The Minister’s response was “I do not accept the premise of the member’s questions. It is the case that the Government is allowing access to

New research reveals few Australians have confidence in Australia’s freedom of information (FOI) system, and delays in FOI processing are not in line with community expectations. Agencies and ministers are normally required to make a decision within 30 days, but three in 10 decisions are made late. There are also 957 reviews with the Office

Polling across 5 federal electorates reveals a majority of voters support a ban on new gas and coal projects, and very few support unlimited carbon offsets to expand fossil fuels. uComms were commissioned on behalf of the Australia Institute to poll in the seats of Mackellar, Goldstein, Sydney, Bennelong and Moreton between 9-14 of March