March 2021
Healthy democracies need strong oppositions
Premier Mark McGowan’s thumping victory at last weekend’s WA election was well deserved, but it also risks becoming a terrible result for democracy. A massive 60 percent of the primary vote translated into Labor winning almost 90 per cent of the lower house seats, all but wiping out the Liberals. If Western Australia had a
February 2021
Canberra’s euthanasia insult weakens democracy for all
Much has changed in the 24 years since the Federal Parliament voted to prevent Canberrans from deciding for themselves whether they support voluntary euthanasia. Australia has had six prime ministers, hosted an Olympic Games, participated in four wars, and endured a global financial crisis and a global pandemic. What has also changed is the assumption
January 2021
Why do our PMs treat the seat of democracy with scorn?
Scott Morrison spent the summer in the Canberra bubble and both he and our democracy are better for it. After finally spending some quality time in the Lodge, it would be good if he made it permanent. Until the 2019–20 bushfires, Prime Minister Scott Morrison had made Kirribilli House in Sydney his family home—modelling himself on
Summer special: The End of Certainty with Katharine Murphy
In our summer special series, we bring you some of our favourite guests from the Australia Institute’s webinar series in 2020. In this episode, Ben Oquist talks to The Guardian’s chief political correspondent Katharine Murphy about her Quarterly Essay ‘The End of Uncertainty’ and what the pandemic revealed about Australia, Scott Morrison and his government.
Summer special: The High Road with Laura Tingle
In our summer special series, we bring you some of our favourite guests from the Australia Institute’s webinar series in 2020. In this episode, Ben Oquist talks to ABC 730’s chief political correspondent Laura Tingle about her new Quarterly Essay: The High Road – what we can learn from New Zealand. Hosted by Alex Sloan.
December 2020
Now more than ever we should be strengthening democracy. We’re not.
by Ben Oquist [Originally published by the Canberra Times, 26 December 2020] On climate policy, both the election of Joe Biden and the acrimony from China should make Australia’s transition away from coal easier, though more urgent. Likewise, the strains that democracies are under around the world, especially in the United States, make the case
November 2020
Australia’s diplomatic approach needs a major revamp
by Ben Oquist[Originally Published in the Canberra Times, 28 November 2020] Suddenly it seems diplomacy is important. The Foreign Minister has praised the role Australia’s diplomats played in the release of Kylie Moore-Gilbert; the Prime Minister is defending the use of an Air Force plane to help get Mathias Cormann elected to the plum post
Kean’s ‘radical’ thinking is good for climate and politics
by Ben Oquist[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 31 October 2020] When NSW Liberal Minister Matt Kean invoked Menzies’ forgotten people this week, he flipped climate politics on its head. Speaking at the launch of the Australia Institute’s annual benchmark report on attitudes to climate change, Climate of the Nation, the Energy and Environment Minister charted
October 2020
Andrew Barr and Shane Rattenbury have become a formidable duo in Australian politics
by Ben Oquist[Originally Published in the Canberra Times, 21 October 2020] It takes a lifetime to become an overnight success and after 19 years in government the ACT Labor-Greens thumping win felt like it had been years in the making. Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury are surely two of Australia’s best
What can we learn from the ACT election?
The ACT is the home of progressive politics in Australia, leading the nation on climate policy, tax reform and truth in political advertising (among other things). In this episode we explore the broader implications of the ACT election results – which saw a swing to the Greens, a swing against the Liberals and the Labor
Federal Budget 2020: Regulation in Australia Needs Increasing
by Ben Oquist [Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald, 06 October 2020] The Treasurer famously declared that ideology was dead when it came to dealing with the COVID-19 crisis and insisted the government was only focused on what works. Unfortunately, for aged care residents, the idea that removing “red tape” is the best way
August 2020
Julia Gillard on the pandemic, mental health and beyond
Julia Gillard, chair of Beyond Blue and the former Prime Minister of Australia talks about mental health, women in leadership, the importance of government and she looks back on the legacy of the carbon price implemented by her government ten years ago. Recorded live on 5 August as part of the Australia Institute’s Economics of
July 2020
The war on populism and the fight for democracy with Thomas Frank
Author of the new book ‘People without Power’ Thomas Frank explains why everything you think you know about populism is wrong. [Note: language warning, a mild one] Host: Ebony Bennett, deputy director at the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Guests: Wayne Swan // @SwannyQLD Ben Oquist // @BenOquist Thomas Frank // @thomasfrank_ Producer: Jennifer Macey Theme music: Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and
June 2020
The case for red tape
The PM has announced big plans for deregulation, but is ‘red tape’ or ‘green tape’ really impeding economic growth or is it necessary to protect us and our environment? In this episode we talk to Executive Director of the Australia Institute Ben Oquist about the protections offered by good regulation. Host: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of
The COVID-19 and Rio Tinto lesson: regulation is not ‘red tape’, it’s protection
by Ben Oquist[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 13 June 2020] While it has been widely observed that all sides of politics become Keynesians in a pandemic, if COVID-19 has taught us anything else it is that strong government regulations are not “red tape” or “green tape”, they are protection. Everyone is a legislator in
April 2020
Coronavirus: Champion of the left has plaudits for conservative PM
This article was first published in The Australian. I did not vote for Scott Morrison. But like so many Australians I am willing him to succeed in the fight against COVID-19. And he is. The squashing of the curve to date has been one of the great public policy successes of our time. When the
No trust without scrutiny – the case for an Epidemic Response Committee
In the middle of this unprecedented health and economic crisis, it is critical we do not let a crisis in our democracy emerge as well. Like Australia, New Zealand has shut down its Parliament due to COVID-19.However, NZ has found a non-partisan alternative to maintain accountability while Parliament is not sitting.Australia Institute executive director Ben
December 2019
November 2019
Press Conference Transcript: Hands off NSW Climate Laws
E&OE Transcript BEN OQUIST: My name is Ben Oquist, I’m the Executive Director at the Australia Institute and I’m delighted to be with such an eminent group of people. David Morris, CEO of EDO NSW, Janet Reynolds, bushfire survivor from the 2015 Tathra fires, Ken Thompson, former deputy commissioner of NSW Fire and Emergency Services
December 2018
2018 Political Wrap With Amy Remeikis Rob Harris Annika Smethurst And Bevan Shields
Welcome to Follow The Money’s summer special series! If you’re taking a break this summer, but still crave a political fix, settle in a listen to the ‘best of’ from the Australia Institute’s live politics in the pub events this year. First up, the end-of-year political wrap with press gallery journos Amy Remeikis, Rob Harris,
September 2018
Climate Of The Nation With Dr John Hewson
In this episode, Ben Oquist talks to John Hewson — former Liberal leader, Professor at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and former member for Wentworth — about climate change and Liberal party politics and Dr Hewson did not hold back. This episode is an excerpt of our Politics in the Pub event in
What’s Wrong With Politics & How To Fix It
In this episode, Michelle Grattan joins Ben Oquist to discuss what’s wrong with politics and how to fix it. This discussion, ranging from our current ‘coup culture’ to Julia Banks’ resignation, was recorded at our Politics in the Pub event in Canberra. Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director at The Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Contributors: Michelle Grattan,
August 2018
More renewables mean lower prices
by Ben Oquist, Executive Director of The Australia Institute. [This article originally appeared in the Australian Financial Review 28.08.18] Scott Morrison is set to make the same mistake as the Business Council of Australia on energy and climate policy. Equating emission reductions with higher prices gets the politics and economics wrong. Australia’s climate and energy debates
May 2018
Budget 2018: 23.9 per cent is not the magic answer to the general level of taxes
The answer to the meaning of life is, as we know thanks to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “42”. What is less well known is that the answer to what Australia’s tax policy should be is also a single, specific and essentially arbitrary numerical figure. [This article was first published in the Australian Financial Review –
March 2018
How some of the wealthiest Australians pay ‘negative’ tax
The tax treatment of earnings generated from owning shares is complicated. Because it is complicated most people think it is boring. Because it’s boring we don’t discuss it much. However Australia’s dividend imputation system is important, unique to the world and comes with approximately a $30 billion dollar a year price tag. So whatever you
January 2018
Forget the populists, Australia is well overdue for more politicians
With a seemingly never-ending string of negative narratives about how poorly our politics is performing, we are now overdue for some more structured thinking about what needs to be done. The “anti-politics” sentiment now risks hardening into something more dramatic as the electorate turns away, not just from the current crop of politicians – but potentially from
September 2017
August 2017
The difference between a policy and a promise
Politicians need to break promises. Our parliament and democracy would not function if they did not. [First published by the Australian Financial Review – read here] There is a commonly held view that governments are elected to deliver every single election policy, in every detail as outlined in the lead up to an election. But
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