October 2022

Climate Safeguard Mechanism Risks Safeguarding New Gas & Coal: Submission

The Australian Government’s Safeguard Mechanism is at risk of safeguarding new gas and coal projects and driving increased demand for low-integrity carbon credits without extensive reform, according to a submission from leading public policy think-tank the Australia Institute to the Federal Government. To avoid increased reliance on low-integrity carbon credits, a more affordable and simpler

September 2022

Win for Tassie Environment as Government Agrees to State of Environment Report

by Eloise Carr

The Australia Institute Tasmania commends the Planning Ministers decision to direct the Tasmanian Planning Commission to produce a State of the Environment (SOE) Report by June 2024. Following research and advocacy from the Australia Institute, the EDO and other groups, the Minister for Planning Michael Ferguson MP has recognised the importance of SOE Reports, that

Safeguarding the ability to increase emissions

featuring Ebony Bennett and Polly Hemming

Labor’s climate bill cleared the Senate last week. It’s a pretty modest bill, and doesn’t include any measures to actually reduce emissions in the private sector. That’s where the Safeguard Mechanism comes in – which is a voluntary scheme that affects the nation’s biggest industrial emitters, and is the Government’s main policy it will use

We pay billions to subsidise Australia’s fossil fuel industry. This makes absolutely no economic sense

by Richard Denniss in The Conversation

Fossil fuel subsidies from major economies including Australia reached close to US$700 billion in 2021, almost doubling from 2020, according to new analysis by the International Energy Agency and OECD. These subsidies are expected to keep rising in 2022 as governments worldwide attempt to use fossil fuel subsidies to shield customers from the high energy prices caused

August 2022

So-Called Biodiversity Certificates Scheme Another False Solution to Tackling Environmental Crisis

The Labor Government has today announced the creation of a biodiversity certificates scheme which would see the conversion of Australia’s ecosystems into a new type of tradeable credit that would be traded to ‘compensate’ or ‘offset’ damage to the environment. “The Government’s announcement of a new ‘biodiversity certificates scheme’ raises concerns of more false solutions

Fight for climate peace starts now

by Ebony Bennett

AS PEOPLE gathered for the electric vehicle summit in Canberra yesterday, the hope in the air was palpable. But despite the Albanese government’s rhetoric, the so-called climate wars are far from over. In reality, the fight for meaningful climate peace is only just beginning. The policy struggle now is not between Labor and the Coalition,

A Dumping Ground for Inefficient Cars

featuring Ebony Bennett

New research by the Australia Institute shows that $5.9 billion in fuel costs would have been saved and emissions equivalent to a year’s worth of domestic flights would have been avoided, if robust fuel efficiency standards were adopted in 2015. This was recorded on Wednesday 17th August 2022 and things may have changed since recording.

The First Fortnight of the 47th Parliament

featuring Ebony Bennett and Bill Browne

We are nearly at the end of the first sitting fortnight of the 47th Parliament, and it has been a packed agenda. This week we’re unpacking quick recap of how much things have changed in this new Parliament, and what changes are likely on the horizon. This was recorded live on Wednesday 3rd August 2022

RTI Documents Released: Complete Disregard for Law & Environment by Tas Government & Planning Commission

A complete disregard for the law by the Tasmanian Planning Commission and a lack of oversight by the Tasmanian Government, has been revealed by the release of documents via a Right to Information request by the Australia Institute Tasmania. The latest Federal State of the Environment Report paints a grim picture of why these reports

Australia Should Lead at Nuclear Weapons Conference as Tensions in Pacific, Europe Escalate: Report

As tensions in the Pacific and war in Europe continue to escalate, Australia could play an important global role in reducing the spread and threat of nuclear weapons at an important upcoming conference in New York, according to a new research report. The Australian Government has been urged to adopt 4 key policy goals to

July 2022

Ignoring warnings of Europe’s extreme heatwave locks Australia into a worst-case scenario

by Mark Ogge in The Guardian

The unprecedented heatwave and fires engulfing Europe might seem a long way away, but they are a frightening portent of what’s in store for Australia. Britain has just experienced its highest temperature ever, extreme conditions and fires are sweeping Spain, Portugal, France and Greece. This is just the latest in a string of extreme events

Follow the Money LIVE!

For this special live episode of Follow the Money, the panel will be discussing: A New Agenda for a New Parliament: Climate Action, International Affairs & Integrity – Yes Please! bringing together diverse knowledge on all fronts of climate & energy, international & security affairs, and integrity issues. This was recorded on Wednesday 13th July

Australia’s farcical climate policy: market forces to cut emissions and subsidies to destroy carbon sinks

by Richard Denniss

Climate change often gets blamed on market failure, but government failure plays a pretty big role as well. Not only do Australian governments spend more than $11.6 billion per year subsidising fossil fuels, at the same time the Federal Government spends billions paying some landholders to grow more trees, state governments perversely continue to subsidise

June 2022

A Gas-Led Catastrophe

featuring Ebony Bennett and Mark Ogge

Last week, the Australian Energy Market Operator (or AEMO) suspended the National electricity spot market after it became ‘impossible to operate’ amid projected energy shortfalls. On today’s episode, we’re unpacking how we got here, and how to fix it. This was recorded on 21st June 2022 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia

‘We want to be part of that movement’: residents embrace renewable energy but worry how their towns will change

by Dan Cass in The Conversartion

Amid soaring energy costs, the new Labor government is working to deliver a A$20 billion pledge to rebuild and modernise Australia’s electricity grid. It will help deliver a plan for 122 gigawatts of new renewable energy in the National Electricity Market by 2050, eventually replacing coal generation. The transition will bring significant social, economic and environmental change. Electricity generation

Energy ministers should boost economic benefits to host communities to smooth renewable energy transformation: report

A new report argues that energy ministers will need to increase the benefits to regional communities that host large-scale solar, wind and transmission infrastructure if governments want to ensure continued support for renewable energy. The report is published by the Australia Institute and the Sydney Environment Institute and will be launched by independent NSW MPs

Phasing out Fossil Fuels with Adam Bandt [webinar]

featuring Ebony Bennett and Richie Merzian

Australia cannot solve the climate crisis while we keep opening new gas fields and coal mines. In this episode we’re listening back to our webinar with Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP for a discussion about how Australia can rapidly transition to a clean energy economy and move beyond fossil fuels. This was recorded on Thursday

Australians Pay the Price for fossil fuel dependence while coal and gas exporters make windfall profits

Skyrocketing energy prices across Eastern Australia are almost entirely a result of Australia’s dependence on fossil fuels. Coal and gas exports have linked domestic energy prices to global prices, exposing Australia to volatile global prices. Producers are now making windfall profits from both Australian and global consumers. Gas prices have reached record levels across eastern

Gaslighting Australia

by Richard Denniss in The Monthly

Local gas suppliers aren’t in crisis – soaring prices are going according to plan The Australian gas industry isn’t in crisis; it’s in heaven. Its profits and share prices are rising even faster than its greenhouse gas emissions, and everything is going according to the plan it has been working on for more than a

May 2022

Surge of Support for Electrifying Vic Buses: Research

Transitioning Victoria and Australia’s bus fleets to zero emissions by 2030 must be a central component of any credible transport decarbonisation strategy, according to a new research report from the Australia Institute. The report, Next Stop: Zero Emissions Buses by 2030’, has been launched with new polling revealing the overwhelming majority of Victorians (71%) support

Clean hydrogen is Dirty Marketing: FOI & Polling

Documents obtained under freedom of Information show the Victorian Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project, that uses brown coal to make hydrogen, is unlikely to meet its claimed emissions reductions of 1.8 million tonnes, and is more likely to increase emissions by up to 3.8 million tonnes, the equivalent to adding up to 735,000 cars

General Enquiries

Emily Bird Office Manager

02 6130 0530

mail@australiainstitute.org.au

Media Enquiries

Glenn Connley Senior Media Advisor

0457 974 636

glenn.connley@australiainstitute.org.au

RSS Feed

All news