September 2021

Fracked: Gas in the Northern Territory

featuring Ebony Bennett, Rod Campbell and Mark Ogge

Extracting gas from the Northern Territory through hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) is one of the largest potential sources of carbon pollution in the world. In this episode we explore the climate cost of a potential policy backflip on opening up the NT to fracking, as well as the community opposition and the economics of it all.

June 2021

Australia should look to the Nordics for policy tips

by Rod Campbell and Andrew Scott in Financial Review

Not only are the Nordics among the world’s most prosperous nations, they have also dealt with many of the issues that Australia finds so difficult. As Australia starts to peek at a future beyond COVID-19, where should we look for inspiration on how to take our country, community and politics in a better direction? Scott Morrison’s

March 2021

Roderick Campbell writes: Recommending approval of a mine based on economic assessment that not only lost in court, but lost in court against you, is a new level of crazy

by Rod Campbell in The Newcastle Herald

What would happen in your industry if a judge described someone’s methodology as “inflated”, “lacking evidentiary foundation” and “plainly wrong”? If your industry would stop using that methodology, then you probably are not an economist and you don’t work for coal companies. Exactly this happened in 2019 and, with no change and no reflection, the

October 2020

The Most Secretive Budget Ever

featuring Ebony Bennett and Rod Campbell

In this episode we explain what ‘not for publication’ (or ‘nfp’) means and why it appears so often in the Budget papers, with Australia Institute research director Rod Campbell.www.tai.org.auHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennettGuests:Rod Campbell // @R_o_d_CProducer: Jennifer MaceyTheme music is by Jonathan McFeat from Pulse and Thrum

August 2020

Backfire part 2: why a “gas fired recovery” would increase emissions and energy costs and squander Australia’s COVID-19 recovery spending

featuring Ebony Bennett and Rod Campbell

In this second of our two-part episode on gas, we explore the flaws in the cost benefit analysis of the Santos’ Narrabri gas project in NSW and why it doesn’t stack up economically, environmentally or to create jobs, with Rod Campbell, research director at the Australia Institute.www.tai.org.auHost: Ebony Bennett, deputy director of the Australia Institute

December 2019

November 2019

August 2019

What’s Going On With The Murray Darling Basin

featuring Ebony Bennett, Rod Campbell and Maryanne Slattery

First there were dead fish and towns running out of water, then #Watergate and now Four Corners have done an investigation into the Murray Darling Basin — again. Big picture…what’s going on? Host: Rod Campbell, research director at The Australia Institute // @R_o_d_C Contributors: Maryanne Slattery, senior water researcher at the Australia Institute // @MaryanneSlatte1 Producer: Jennifer Macey // @jennifermacey Title

January 2019

Transcript: Response to SA Murray Darling Royal Commission

featuring Rod Campbell and Maryanne Slattery

E&OE TRANSCRIPT – PRESS CONFERENCE 31 January 2019, Parliament House, 2.30PM Rod Campbell, Research Director, The Australia Institute Maryanne Slattery, Senior Water Researcher, The Australia Institute Rod Campbell: Three things are clear from the Royal Commission’s report today. The first is that we need more water in the Murray-Darling Basin. Our rivers need more water.

May 2018

Request for audit: Supply measures projects – Murray Darling Basin Plan

by Maryanne Slattery and Rod Campbell

4 May 2018 Dear Auditor-General, Supply measure projects  We refer to the proposed amendment to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. That amendment is based on 36 ‘supply measure’ projects. Supply measures aim to achieve the same environmental outcome as under the original Basin Plan, but using less water. The Commonwealth has committed $1.6 billion to implement these supply measures. The

May 2017

December 2016

Pocket Money: The Adani Coal Mine

featuring Ebony Bennett, Rod Campbell and Richard Denniss

In a special mini-episode we’ve dubbed “Pocket Money” we take a look at the recent developments with Adani’s Carmichael coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin. It’s a straight discussion, without our usual bells and whistles so that we could respond quickly and if you like it, we’ll probably do more of these Pocket Money episodes

November 2016

Nuclear Dumps

featuring Ebony Bennett, Rod Campbell and Richard Denniss

How much is a hole in the ground worth? Australia has considered building a nuclear waste dump many times over the decades. Each time, the proposal has fallen through. This time, in South Australia, proponents are making $100 billion dollar claims. Richard and Rod take a look at those claims and the economics of building

Economic Models

featuring Ebony Bennett, Rod Campbell and Richard Denniss

Economic models are like a lot of things in life: What you get out of them depends on what you put in. But therein lies the problem. When reporting focuses on the ‘findings’ without looking at what assumptions underpin politically influential economic models, it leaves us vulnerable to what Richard calls the ‘peak-stupid of econobabble’.

September 2016

No New Coal Mines

featuring Ebony Bennett, Rod Campbell and Richard Denniss

Can Australia live without coal? Episode 7 of Follow the Money looks at the economics of coal and how a moratorium on new mines would help stop the boom and inevitable bust cycle, and instead create a smooth transition to a low carbon future.  Contributors: Richard Denniss – @RDNS_TAI  Rod Campbell – @R_o_d_C  Ebony Bennett – @ebony_bennett.  Produced by

January 2016

Mining Boom-tish

featuring Rod Campbell and Richard Denniss

The first episode of The Australia Institute’s exciting new podcast series Follow The Money looks at the economics behind Australia’s mining boom. You can subscribe to Follow The Money on iTunes.  Contributors: Richard Denniss  Rod Campbell Francis Keaney Find us on Twitter/Facebook. In Follow The Money, The Australia Institute explains the economy in plain English. We’ll bust some economic

June 2015

April 2015

Coal industry writing the NSW Govt’s rules on economics

by Rod Campbell in The Australian

Imagine this. You’re a State Government minister. Your department and the most powerful industry it regulates are under fire for failing to comply with your government’s own guidelines. Courts, the media and community groups keep complaining that the industry breaks the guidelines and your department lets them get away with it. Even the consultants you

March 2015

Coal in the Southern Highlands – Fact Sheet

by Rod Campbell and Cameron Amos

There are currently proposals to build one new coal mine and extend an existing coal mine in the southern highlands. With coal prices low and the future of the industry uncertain this flact sheet places these coal proposals into context. For more information read The Australia Institute’s full report on coal in the Southern Highlands http://www.tai.org.au/content/coal-southern-highlands-economy

November 2014

Coal companies talking rubbish on energy poverty

The term “energy poverty” refers to people who do not have access to electricity and clean cooking facilities. Globally, 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity in their houses and 2.6 billion people cook by burning coal, wood and other solid fuels. This has major impacts on people’s health, safety and quality of

January 2014

Coal royalties a tiny part of state revenue

by Rod Campbell in The Newcastle Herald

In the old Chinese proverb, the frog in the well thinks he knows everything about the world, based on the little patch of sky he can see. The view from the bottom of an open-cut coalmine might be a little wider than that of a well, but NSW Minerals Council chief executive  Stephen Galilee’s discussion of the role

Another way to look at the impact of coal

by Rod Campbell in The Newcastle Herald

Mining industry lobby group the NSW Minerals Council this week released yet another report on mining’s importance to the NSW and regional economies.  Not surprisingly, the report contains lots of big numbers.   But this report, like many before it, is a case of ‘‘what’s true isn’t surprising and what’s surprising isn’t true’’. Let’s start

October 2013

General Enquiries

Emily Bird Office Manager

02 6130 0530

mail@australiainstitute.org.au

Media Enquiries

Adam Gottschalk Media Advisor

0457 974 636

adam.gottschalk@australiainstitute.org.au

RSS Feed

All news