Despite the skill of individual musicians, orchestras still need a conductor to bring the whole performance together. It is one thing to know how to play the horn, but someone needs to decide when the best time to honk it is. This week the Abbott government sounded like an orchestra without a conductor – there

Despite the Abbott government carrying out their commitment to slash tens of thousands of public-sector jobs and the pride taken in the deterrence effect of the death of an asylum seeker on Manus Island, our deputy prime minister in waiting, Barnaby Joyce, describes $300 million from taxpayers to his constituency as proof that we are

Class war, it seems, can only be declared on those who have the least. When laws are reshaped to pour money into the pockets of those with the most, however, it is more polite to call it tax reform.

Tony Abbott tore through Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd (again) but now, according to the polls, Bill Shorten is the most effective Opposition Leader in history. Abbott’s Coalition is the least popular new government on record and they haven’t even passed a horror budget yet. Incumbency used to be seen as a great

Most Australians aren’t aware of a trade deal which could risk environmental laws, increase the cost of medicines and enable corporations to sue Australian governments, according to a new survey by The Australia Institute. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is currently under negotiation and establishes a free trade area including Australia, the United States of America,

National Party constituents will be hardest hit by the federal Coalition’s plans to repeal the low income superannuation contribution, according to new analysis by The Australia Institute. The Australia Institute examined 2011 census data to estimate the number of workers earning $37,000 or less who will to be affected by the cut. The findings show

The idea that more flexible workplaces promise advantages to all is not new. For decades, Australians have been told that with the aid of new technologies, we can “work smarter, not harder” to achieve a better work-life balance and greater productivity. Goodbye to rigid nine-to-five office-based regimes. Employees will be able to negotiate working arrangements that

If you believe the recent media reports about the composition of the Senate from July 1 next year, you’d think we were facing three years of the Clive Palmer’s Palmer United Party (PUP) “bloc” holding the Abbott government to ransom. But there are two important reasons to view such reports with scepticism…

Earlier this month the Greens lost more than 500,000 of the 1.6 million voters who supported them in 2010. Earlier this week Greens leader Christine Milne lost six of her most senior staff, including her chief of staff who cited fundamental strategy differences as the reason for his departure. Senator Milne, on the other hand,

A common response from progressive Australians to electoral defeat is to threaten to move to New Zealand.  Just what moving to a country with a weaker economy, worse weather and a conservative government is supposed to achieve is typically left unsaid.  There is no doubt that if he sticks to his word there will be

Australia has listened, it has voted and it has decided. Australia wants political arrangements ‘other’ than what the major parties intended. It’s not what Sophie Mirabella expected before being ‘outgunned’ by the independent forces of Cathy McGowan and Tony Windsor. It’s not what ALP faceless man, Don Farrell, expected when he gave up his number

Small reforms to Senate preference voting could deliver a better and more stable system for everyone. A simple solution would be to ensure that parties which polled below a threshold, say 2 per cent, could disburse but not receive preferential votes. Such an approach would ensure no votes were “wasted” but at the same time

Thousands of private sector jobs will be lost and Canberra could go into recession if the Coalition follows through on its promise to cut 12,000 public service jobs in the capital, according to a new analysis by The Australia Institute. It remains unclear whether the Coalition plans to make all of the job cuts in

When Ford announced it would close its Melbourne plant at a cost of about 1200 jobs, the nation went into shock. But where is that shock now as Tony Abbott promises to shed at least 12,000 more public-sector jobs than Labor? What’s worse is that he’s making this pledge in the middle of an election

Kevin Rudd’s return as Prime Minister is winning Labor the youth vote, but nearly a third of young Australians remain undecided, according to new research by The Australia Institute. The survey of more than 950 people aged 17-24 asked respondents about their voting intentions, whether they vote the same way as their friends and family,

The federal government should do more to protect agricultural land from coal seam gas mining, according to a new report commissioned by The Australia Institute. The research, released today, was untaken by the Australian Network of Environmental Defender’s Offices. It identifies areas of the Constitution of Australia which would allow for national reforms to protect

The Commonwealth government has the power to protect Australia from the negative impacts of coal mining and coal seam gas and shouldn’t pass responsibility to the states, according to new research commissioned by The Australia Institute. The research, released today, was untaken by the Australian Network of Environmental Defender’s Offices. It identifies areas of the

With polls showing we may be on track for another minority government, suddenly we seem surrounded by cries of “not another hung parliament”. And segments of the media and business are again raising exaggerated fears about the “risk and uncertainty” or “instability and short-termism” that will accompany such an outcome. But the fact is that

The Opposition’s pledge to create jobs in Tasmania could be undermined by its plan to reduce the size of the public service, a new analysis by The Australia Institute reveals. The analysis shows Tasmania could lose more than 200 jobs under the Opposition’s planned public service job cuts. The Australia Institute used historic separation rates

Jobs for young people, housing, marriage equality and university funding are the top issues for young Australians ahead of the federal election, according to research by The Australia Institute. The new survey of more than 800 people aged 17-25 asked respondents to nominate the top five issues that would be likely to sway their vote.

More than half of Australians do not trust commercial media, new research by The Australia Institute has found. The new survey of more than 1400 people asked respondents to rate their trust in the ABC and commercial media on a scale from ‘do not trust’ to ‘do trust’. “Many Australians rely on information provided through

More than a million young Australians feel no political party best represents the needs of young people, according to research by The Australia Institute. The new survey of more than 800 respondents aged 17-25 found 47 per cent believe no party best represents them. “This should act as a warning to our politicians that it’s

Young Australians rate trust as the most important factor influencing their vote in the federal election, but more than a third haven’t decided who to vote for, according to research by The Australia Institute. The new survey of more than 800 respondents aged 17-25 found 32 per cent didn’t know or wouldn’t say who they

Fred Gale’s article, Tasmanian Forests Agreement: deeply flawed, worth backing, provides interesting insights into the views of one segment of the Tasmanian community that supports the Tasmanian Forest Agreement. However, he fails to fully grasp many of the fundamental reasons for continuing opposition to the deal and its associated legislation. Most notably, there is no

Between the lines is the Institute’s selective analysis of the policies and politics affecting the wellbeing of Australians. This edition looks at the Resource Super Profits Tax, government advertising and missing out on government assistance.

Australians oppose gambling advertisements during live sport more than advertising for alcohol, a new survey by The Australia Institute reveals. The Australia Institute’s Executive Director Dr Richard Denniss said that nearly two-thirds of Australians oppose the advertising of gambling during sport, while around half oppose alcohol promotion. “It’s been obvious for a while that many

Passage of the Tasmanian Forest Agreement Bill in the state’s lower house effectively ended three years of negotiations between the forestry industry and environment groups. The deal is being celebrated by many as a resolution to the 30-year conflict over native forests in Tasmania and a win for the environment and economy. Nothing could be

Labor’s problem is not so much what it stands for but what does it stand against. Tony Abbott is against the carbon tax, the Greens are against the big mining companies and Nick Xenophon is against pokies but Labor is against, drum roll please, the Liberals. I know, I know, the ALP has passed lots