It’s easy to avoid a hard question by simply saying the government “should” provide more money to the universities. But there’s a long list of things the Morrison government should do: extend the JobKeeper payment to casuals and temporary residents; permanently boost unemployment benefits; provide support to the arts and entertainment industry; introduce a carbon

New research from The Australia Institute has found that more than three in four Australians (77%) support states closing their borders to interstate travel. The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,005 Australians about their view on state border closures on 27-28 May. Key Findings: More than three in four Australians (77%) support

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy recently issued a directive that going to work with the ‘sniffles’ is ‘off the agenda for every Australian in the foreseeable future.’ But with millions of workers without access to paid sick leave, government plans to lift restrictions on economic activity could risk dangerous and costly outbreaks. 

New research from The Australia Institute has found that more than one in two Australians agree that the Government should double funding for the Australia Council for the Arts to help support the arts during COVID-19, and the majority of Australians (62%) agree that online streaming services should be subject to similar Australian content obligations

by Ebony Bennett[Originally published by the Canberra Times, 16 May 2020] This week, the federal government announced Australia’s biggest monthly rise in unemployment since the Australian Bureau of Statistics started publishing labour force statistics, shooting up to 6.2 per cent from 5.2 per cent just a month earlier. But, in a classic case of expectations

by Richard Denniss[Originally published on Guardian Australia, 13 May 2020] The government is telling us that if we don’t open up the Australian economy soon, we will do lasting harm to it. But the forecasters at Treasury and the Reserve Bank are relying on economic models that assume the deeper the recession we have, the faster our

by Richard Deniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 11 May 2020] Would you prefer to double your salary or to double the rate at which it will grow in the next few years? Personally, I would rather a high-income that’s growing slowly. But the Morrison Government is telling anyone that will listen that we

Bank bashing is always popular in Australia and it’s by no means confined to one side of politics. It was the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull who introduced the big bank levy and gave us the royal commission into misconduct in the financial services industry. And, just last week, Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg reportedly “slammed” the big banks for being slow to process loan applications from small businesses waiting to receive their share of the promised $130bn jobkeeper wage subsidy payment.

by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in The Canberra Times, 03 April 2020] It’s not every day I get up at 6am to talk about inequality with a Nobel Prize winner, but hosting the Australia Institute’s Economics of a Pandemic webinar series afforded me that opportunity this week. Before dawn on Thursday, Professor Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University, joined

Government is the most trusted source of information relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the institution most trusted to lead the world out of the current economic crisis, new research from The Australia Institute’s International & Security Affairs Program has revealed. The Australia Institute conducted surveys of over 1,000 people each in Australia, New Zealand,

Disruptions in global supplies of essential medical equipment have served as a wake-up call to Australians that it is always vital for a country to retain the capacity to domestically produce manufactured products that may be crucial to national security and well-being.

New research from the Australia Institute shows that 45% of Australians say they will download and use the Government’s COVID-19 mobile app, while 28% say they will not used it and 27% unsure. The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,011 Australians about whether they would use the government’s COVID-19 mobile app on

An overwhelming 75% of Australians support increased funding for the ABC to reflect its emergency broadcaster role, as new research by The Australia Institute shows the ABC continues to grow as the most trusted news source in Australia and the proposition of privatising the ABC is opposed by 59%. The Australia Institute surveyed nationally representative

There is hope in sight for the COVID-19 crisis. Australia’s curve appears to be flattening, and the numbers are looking so promising that the Prime Minister is talking about what needs to happen for restrictions to be eased – though the current rules will stay in place (like all of us) for the next four weeks at least.

93 Australian economists and policy experts have signed an open letter, coordinated by the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute, supporting a government wage subsidy to prevent mass unemployment during the coming economic downturn resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

New research released today by the Australia Institute highlights the significant economic contribution of the creative arts in Australia and the threat that COVID-19 presents to the sector. The research also reveals that a majority of Australians (58%) support a $750 million federal relief package to support the live music sector which has been most

New research from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work reveals the consequences of freezing public service pay, both for public sector workers and for the broader economy.