An Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report on the Murray Darling Basin has found “information relating to value for money…was limited” for water purchases worth $190 million. The ANAO found that the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment (DAWE): Did not consistently apply approved policy, planning and guidance to the assessment of all limited tender

New research from The Australia Institute has found that nearly two thirds of voters in the electorate of Eden-Monaro want the Government’s JobKeeper program extended for some or all industries beyond its current September expiry date. The Australia Institute commissioned uComms to conduct a survey of 643 residents across the New South Wales federal electorate

Research published today by The Australia Institute shows strong support for government support for the arts and entertainment sector in the Eden-Monaro electorate, which will have a by-election on 4 July. Key findings: Almost 1,000 people work in arts and entertainment in Eden-Monaro, the highest of any regional NSW electorate. 58% of Eden-Monaro voters support

New research from The Australia Institute has found that the economy and climate change are the two most important issues for voters in the seat of Eden-Monaro, with a majority of voters saying economic stimulus following the COVID-19 crisis should also address and build our resilience to climate change. The Australia Institute commissioned uComms to

The NSW Government plan to cut the pay of public servants and spend more money on capital works will likely lead to a reduction of 1,100 jobs according to a new analysis by the Australia Institute. “While spending money on new construction projects will likely create some jobs in some parts of New South Wales,

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

New research from The Australia Institute has found that a majority of voters in the seat of Eden-Monaro want the JobSeeker payment to be permanently increased from its pre-pandemic level of $283 per week. The revelation of the $60 billion JobKeeper hole raises pressure on the Government to increase JobeSeeker. The Australia Institute conducted a

Some of the Murray Darling Basin’s best managed waterways would be damaged by water infrastructure projects that benefit major corporate irrigators, according to a new report by water consultants Slattery & Johnson and think tank The Australia Institute. The Yanco Creek System, which links the Murrumbidgee and the Murray rivers, is declared a “jewel” of

An open letter signed by Australian and international forestry and climate experts, published by the Australia Institute today, has called for the immediate nationwide cessation of all native forest logging in response to the climate, fire, drought and biodiversity loss crises currently facing Australia. The letter, signed by scientists from countries including Australia, USA, Canada, New

New research from The Australia Institute shows that the New South Wales Government’s attempts to force planners to ignore the carbon emissions of the state’s coal exports contradicts NSW climate policy, the Paris Agreement, corporate expectations and economic opportunities for growth. Key findings NSW coal emissions are bigger than direct emissions from France and the

As Murray Darling Basin Water Ministers meet today to discuss the future of the Basin management, new research by the Australia Institute shows that the Murray-Darling Basin’s new Inspector General, former AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty, has ignored key issues in his first annual report on the Northern Basin. The ministerial council is likely to work on

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

The fight to protect NSW climate laws has stepped up, with experts launching a statewide television commercial today to send Premier Gladys Berejikilian a clear message – don’t put coal over climate. Under unprecedented pressure from the coal industry, the Berejiklian Government is moving to amend the NSW laws that require the full climate change

47 scientists and experts have signed an open letter urging the NSW Government not to overrule NSW laws that require climate change impacts to be considered in the assessment of new coal mines. The NSW Government is reportedly set to legislate restrictions on its own Independent Planning Commission preventing it from considering downstream greenhouse gas

New research released today by The Australia Institute shows that the vast majority of Australians prioritise production of food for Australian consumption, and support for family farms in the Murray Darling Basin. When respondents were asked to rank agriculture and water policy goals: Top water policy priorities for the Murray-Darling Basin include: Three quarters of

Research released today by The Australia Institute shows that coal mines in Queensland receive a discount on royalty payments of up to 17% relative to similar mines in NSW. This effective subsidy could be increased under a State Government deal with Adani currently being negotiated. “Mines like Adani’s effectively get 17% of their coal for

New research released today by The Australia Institute shows that ‘time of use pricing’ facilitated by smart meters is likely to drive up household energy costs. Electricity companies and regulators have pushed for higher electricity prices at peak times, as well as higher ‘shoulder’ periods. In theory, this incentivises households to move their energy consumption

The Australia Institute has released new research showing that the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) caused ecological harm and reduced water to irrigators when it caused floods at the ‘Barmah choke’ and drained the Menindee Lakes. “While everyone else in the Basin was dealing with drought, the MDBA created a flood and lost large volumes

New research from The Australia Institute highlights four steps governments can take to improve the management of the Murray Darling Basin: Emergency water allocation to the dairy industry Develop policies to ensure diversity in Basin agriculture A federal Royal Commission or federal ICAC investigation Pause the Basin Plan The Institute’s proposal has been backed by

The much-hyped ‘North/South divide’ on climate action is a political misconception, according to new research from The Australia Institute. The research shows that the majority of Australian voters across states and poltical allegiance are concerned by climate change, and want the Government to mobilise on the issue, “like they mobilised everyone during the world wars”. Key

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of Australians in 2018 and in 2019 about their views towards issues surrounding the health and management of the Murray Darling Basin (MDB). Key Findings: A majority of Australians (55%) now consider the health of the Murray Darling Basin poor or very poor, up 18 percentage points

New research released today by The Australia Institute shows that around 2,000 gigalitres of water were used for cotton crops in the northern Murray Darling Basin in the last year, while less than 11 gigalitres made it downstream to Wilcannia where residents have no drinking water. Almost no water reached Menindee, the site of the

NSW Water Minister Niall Blair has been urged to halt a controversial policy change in an open letter co-ordinated by The Australia Institute and signed by irrigators, graziers, Aboriginal nations, local governments, environment groups and the former Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. The broad alliance of signatories oppose the Minister’s plan to give away rights to

The NSW Government’s strategy to manage irrigators’ use of floodwaters has been slammed in a joint submission by researchers, irrigators, graziers and a Darling River community group. The diverse groups called on the NSW Government to withdraw its draft strategy as it fails to address the problem of massive volumes of water being diverted into

New legal advice, sought by The Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program, suggests the Underwriting New Generation Investment Program is unconstitutional and lacks the legislative basis to proceed. Key points · Legal advice received from Fiona McLeod SC and Lindy Barrett on 15 February 2019 finds that Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor does not have constitutional authority

NSW suffered 27 major breakdowns at gas and coal fired power-plants in 2018 – more than one a fortnight – removing hundreds of megawatts of energy from the grid suddenly and without warning. The Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program has today released its NSW Gas & Coal Watch analysis of 2018, which tracks unscheduled

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.

New research by the Australia Institute shows that the Darling River fish kill was due to the mismanagement of the Menindee Lakes in southwest New South Wales. Key findings: The Lakes were drained in 2016-17 at a time when downstream areas did not need water – South Australia was experiencing flooding and all Murray irrigation

by Richard Denniss [This article was originally published in the Australian Financial Review] It’s easier to develop long-run visions than solve short-term problems, which presumably explains why governments facing election defeat seem to care more about what future governments should do, than what their government isn’t doing. Once upon a time treasurers were responsible for

The viability of a proposal to reconfigure and manage the Menindee Lakes put forward by Kevin Humphries, the outgoing member for Barwon, has been called into question in a report released today by The Australia Institute. Recent backlash by Lower Darling communities against the Basin Plan’s proposed Menindee Lakes Water Savings project prompted the proposal