With millions facing unemployment and crisis-accelerated job transitions, public investment in the skills and earning capabilities of Australians will be critical to our post-pandemic recovery.

by Richard Denniss[Originally published by Guardin Australia, 20 August 2020] Neoliberalism is spreading coronavirus faster than any “reckless teenager” ever could. Privatised guards at quarantine hotels, private aged care centres that put profits ahead of staffing levels, and the fact that those in charge neglected to have their health professionals appropriately evaluate the risk of the Ruby

Read full text version of the Open Letter to Google below, along with response from a Google spokesperson. Open letter text as published on 20 August 2020 in The Sydney Morning Herald, in full: An Open Letter to Google — As a nation we welcomed you into our lives and have made you our home base

Startling new research from the Centre for Future Work shows that Australia’s economy is now regressing in its use of new technology, with negative implications for productivity, incomes, and job quality.

New research from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work shows the TAFE system supports $92.5 billion in annual economic benefits through the direct operation of TAFE institutes, higher incomes and productivity generated by the TAFE-credentialed workforce, and reduced social benefits costs.

New research from the Australia Institute shows overwhelming public support in the ACT for truth in political advertising laws, with nine out of 10 ACT residents (89%) agreeing that the ACT should pass such laws. Strong support was seen across all voting persuasions, with 91% of Labor voters, 84% of Liberal voters, 94% of Greens

by Richard Denniss[Originally published by Guardian Australia, 05 August 2020] Australian economic debate relies more heavily on metaphors than it does on evidence, experience or expertise. While the prime minister, treasurer and self-appointed business leaders drone endlessly about what the economy “needs”, they simply refuse to provide any evidence that they know what they are

There is a famous thought experiment, known as “the trolley problem”, that asks us to imagine ourselves driving a trolley – or a tram, for Australians – and having to choose between staying on the current track and running over five innocent people or switching tracks to kill only one person. You aren’t allowed to

New research from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work reveals that Australia ranks last among all OECD countries for manufacturing self-sufficiency. While this indicator confirms the dramatic decline of domestic manufacturing in recent years, it also reveals the enormous potential benefits that would be generated by rebuilding manufacturing back to a size proportional to our national needs: including $180 billion in new sales, $50 billion in additional GDP, and over 400,000 new jobs.

New research from the Australia Institute and Change the Record shows that most Australians agree children as young as 10 years old do not belong in prison, and that Australia’s age of criminal responsibility should be increased from 10 years of age to the global median of 14 years of age, or higher. The Council

New analysis from The Australia Institute shows the Government’s announcement to cut the JobSeeker supplement by $150 per week would push 370,000 Australians into poverty from September, including 80,000 children. The specially commissioned modelling undertaken after Tuesday’s announcement also shows that the cut will result in hundreds of thousands of Australians would struggle to pay

A new discussion paper from The Australia Institute has shown that the JobKeeper scheme is encouraging businesses to dismiss ineligible employees, meaning casuals employed for less than a year and non-resident workers have been disproportionately affected by job losses in recent months. Key findings: Of those working for a business that received JobKeeper the number

Findings from a landmark inquiry commissioned by the Andrews Victorian government into the work conditions in the “on demand” (gig) economy have been released. The report’s findings are timely with COVID-era unemployment surging and an expanding pool of vulnerable workers relying on “gig” work to meet living costs.

New economic modelling from The Australia Institute has shown that if the government removes the JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement in September it will be forcing more than 650,000 Australians, including 120,000 children, to live in poverty. The new report, from The Australia Institute’s senior economist Matt Grudnoff, also shows that if the supplement is cut, hundreds

Consumer and citizen groups have significant concerns that Google’s proposed takeover of wearables manufacturer Fitbit would be a game-changer not only for how people interact with the online world but also for digital and related health markets. Regulators around the world – in particular those concerned with antitrust compliance and data privacy – must therefore

Women have suffered the worst labour market impacts since the shutdowns. Gender-unequal impacts have been due to women’s greater exposure to customer-facing industries shut down first by public health orders, higher employment intensity in insecure and part-time positions, and an increased caring burden unmet by the state. But instead of providing countervailing support, the federal government is accelerating women’s work crisis.

by Richard Denniss[Orinigally publsihed by the Guardian Australia, 24 June 2020] If conservatives really believed that the most important thing a young person could do was become “job-ready” then why are they so keen for Australia’s best and brightest students to study the works of Shakespeare and Thomas Aquinas, as part of a degree in

The Government’s decision to end free childcare come July is at odds with its own economic goals, as new research by The Australia Institute’s Nordic Policy Centre reveals policies that make it easier for women to choose to go back to work will see the country recover faster from the COVID-19 economic crisis while also reaping