Wages under enterprise agreements are slowly rising, but remain well below inflation

New national research shows a majority of voters feel positive about switching Australian homes away from gas and moving to full electrification, as cost of living and climate concerns continue to rise. The report, based on a nationally representative survey of Australian households undertaken by The Australia Institute and SEC Newgate, reveals very little opposition

Losing the low-middle income tax offset and getting the Stage 3 tax cuts will leave most workers worse off

New analysis reveals rural and regional communities will get the least from the Stage 3 income tax cuts, with experts warning the package will widen economic inequality between the city and the bush and reduce revenue for essential rural health, education and community programs. 5 of the bottom 10 ‘biggest losers’ from the Stage 3

Inequality has been on steroids in Australia over the last decade with new data revealing the bottom 90% of Australians receive just 7% of economic growth per person since 2009, while the top 10% of income earners reap 93% of the benefits. The data shows a radical reversal on the long term trend from the

Australia is in the midst of a housing crisis. Record numbers of Australians are in severe housing stress and it’s not just people with rising interest rates on their mortgages. Fewer and fewer people can afford a roof over their head and more and more people are sleeping rough on the streets or in their car.

The latest monthly consumer price index figures show that inflation has peaked and is on the way down. 

A new research report has found that favourable tax and policy treatment of fuel-guzzling utes and SUVs is driving Australia’s transport emissions. Of the top 10 most popular new vehicles in Australia, five are big utes, compared to only 2/10 in the UK. The new research identifies a range of policy options to reduce Australia’s

Research released today by The Australia Institute estimates that NSW could have raised an additional $6.2 billion in coal royalties this financial year if it had adopted Queensland’s royalty system. While NSW households and business have been charged more for energy due to the war in Ukraine, the public has missed out on collecting additional

Once again the gas industry is crying wolf and telling us we need more gas to prevent shortages. But if you read beyond the scare quotes today’s report from Australia’s Energy Market Operator report shows we already have more than enough gas.

New research released on International Women’s Day reveals Australian women earn $1.01m less over their working lives than men, based on median income data. Women earn $136,000 less in superannuation over their working lives than men, based on median income data. Women earning the median wage will accumulate approximately $393,676 in super, $151,000 below what

The upsurge of inflation since the COVID-19 lockdowns has not had equal impacts on all Australians. Workers and low-income people have experienced the worst losses: both because their incomes, in most cases, have not kept up with prices, and because they are more dependent on essential goods and services (like shelter, food, and energy) than higher-income households.

Today’s announced changes to super tax concessions by the Prime Minister and Treasurer are a welcome step towards fairness and sustainability for Australia’s retirement income system. The changes come after more than 15 years research from the Australia Institute into the inequitable and unsustainable super tax breaks for multimillionaires, with our most recent research on

New empirical research reveals the main driver for inflation in Australia is excess corporate profits, not wages, and that inflation would have stayed within the RBA target band if corporates had not squeezed consumers through the pandemic via excess price hikes.

ABS wage price data released today reveals real wages fell by the largest amount on record in Australia last year. Economists are calling on the RBA to recognise the current inflation is not driven by workers wages, but instead by rising prices as Woolworths and Coles post surging profits today and yesterday. Real wages in

The Carmichael Centre at the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work is proud to announce the appointment of Prof. David Peetz, one of Australia’s most outstanding labour policy experts, as the new Laurie Carmichael Distinguished Research Fellow. Prof. Emeritus Peetz has recently retired from a long career at Griffith University, where he served as Professor

New analysis reveals residents born in Far West NSW are suffering substantially worse health outcomes than residents in Sydney. People in Far West NSW are dying earlier than they should, from avoidable causes, and while suicide rates have steadied in Sydney, they are on the rise in the most remote parts of the state. The

If the Albanese government were looking for some political cover to remove the chokehold of the $254 billion stage three income tax cuts on the budget, it could do worse than look to the International Monetary Fund’s latest advice.

New research shows the cost to the federal budget of generous superannuation tax concessions is now on par with the cost of the entire aged pension, and greater than the total cost of the entire NDIS in 2022-2023. Economists say billions could be saved if rules governing tax concessions for a minority of ultra-wealthy accounts

Today’s IMF report on the Australian economy underscores the economic and budgetary risks of proceeding with the Stage 3 Tax Cuts for high income earners, according to economic experts. The IMF report, which directly refers to the Government’s ability to restructure the Stage 3 tax cuts in a way which “appropriately balance[s] costs on the

If a pandemic killed 15,000 people and nobody seemed to notice, was it really a pandemic? In Australia last year, COVID-19 killed more people than lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, car accidents and drowning combined. And in addition to the 15,000 deaths directly attributed to COVID, the Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that

The ABS release of annual inflation data to the December quarter of 7.8% reveals many Australians will be paying more for housing with rapidly rising rents and a likely RBA rate increase at the February 7 meeting, according to the Australia Institute. “This increase is bad news for Australians struggling with the cost of living,

The unemployment rate published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics is an incredibly stable, accurate and reliable indicator of something almost entirely irrelevant. It provides us with 63 years’ worth of raw data on the number of Australians who worked for less than one hour, were actively seeking work and, because they had no caring responsibilities, were available to start work immediately.