Britain will now decide which Germans can invest in, or travel to, the UK and the circumstances in which they can do so.  The Brexit decision provides clear evidence of the tension within conservative politics between strident nationalism and economic rationalism. And as the business community is discovering, there are enormous economic risks when conservatives

This opinion piece originally appeared in the Australian Financial Review. Elections are only the start of policies, that’s why proper scrutiny needs to be given to senate candidates and parties. Technically this election is about whether the parliament should pass two pieces of obscure industrial relations legislation. Politically, of course, the election is more about

Between 29 February and 8 March 2016 The Australia Institute conducted a national opinion poll of 1412 people, through Research Now, with nationally representative samples by gender, age and state or territory.  The poll asked “Which, if any, of the following government ministers have you heard of?” Names of politicians names were presented, in randomised

Sunlight, it is said, is the best disinfectant. But despite the fact that markets can only work well when they are well informed, some in the Australian investment community remain convinced that disclosing their exposure to risky investments is a chore they would rather avoid. Take ANZ for example. In 2014 and 2015 motions were

New polling released by The Australia Institute shows that a majority of Australian voters (63.4%) want Tony Abbott to retire, including half (50.9%) of Coalition voters. “Across all demographics, gender and voting intentions the electorate think the former prime minister should retire,” said Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Ben Oquist. “While that is obviously

New polling of the electorate of Indi shows that independent Cathy McGowan holds a small lead over Liberal Sophie Mirabella.  The polling of 656 residents of Indi was conducted by ReachTEL in March 2016. (full results below) Cathy McGowan’s support tallied 37.3% of respondents, while Sophie Mirabella polled at 26.9%. Based on a similar preference

Polling of the electorate of New England has revealed fierce opposition to the Shenhua coal mine.  The ReachTEL poll of 662 residents across New England over the evening of 10th March 2016, was commissioned by The Australia Institute as part of its upcoming research into attitudes towards coal projects and economic issues.   — Download

New Catalyst research, released for International Women’s Day, reveals the best and worst points of women’s participation in corporate Australia.  The report covers female participation on boards and in management as well as assessing policies to help women in the workplace.  While some companies in the ASX have real equality on their boards, overall the

The Australia Institute has called for a code of conduct for economic modelling in the wake of flawed and ridiculous BIS Shrapnel economic modelling of negative gearing. – Download paper below – A code would require key assumptions to be revealed, context and comparison to be provided, and the identification of who, if anyone, commissioned

As media reforms hit the national agenda, new polling commissioned by The Australia Institute shows a majority (58%) of Tasmanians support additional funding for the ABC to invest in more regional news services, while 22% oppose and 21% are undecided.   The poll of 1139 Tasmanians, conducted by ReachTEL on 12th January, shows that half

First published by the Australian Financial Review – here.  Economic models are like skin care products: the magic is all in the marketing. Just as honest dermatologists regularly remind consumers that expensive face creams are just “hope in a jar”, honest economists regularly remind politicians and journalists that the “results” of macroeconomic modelling are no more reliable than

Most voters in former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s electorate want him to retire at the next election, according to new polling conducted by ReachTEL for The Australia Institute as part of research about tax and climate change issues. “The polling indicates that the electorate is quickly moving on from the Tony Abbott era,” said Ben Oquist,

With the Queensland Labor Government still to make a decision on the controversial Acland coal mine expansion, as well as finalising the terms of reference for the inquiry into political donations which the Annastacia Palaszczuk promised to Peter Wellington in order to form government, a report released today paints a disturbing picture of the lack

The mining and forestry lobby campaign to remove tax-deductibility for certain non-for-profit organisations they deem contrary to their business interests, does not have the support of the Australian public, according to new polling. Hearings are ongoing in the Government’s inquiry into the administration, transparency and effectiveness of the Register of Environmental Organisations. Many Coalition politicians

First published in the Australian Financial Review – here It’s bizarre that people blame Tony Abbott’s demise on his inability to communicate. He was a great communicator, and people knew exactly what he stood for. No politician was as relentlessly ‘on message’.  Abbott’s problem wasn’t the clarity of his message; it was the incoherence of

Polling conducted over the weekend shows strong local support for the Newcastle City Council’s decision to include environmental and socially responsible factors together with financial returns in their investments.  47.3% of Novocastrians supported the council’s decision, while 24.8% were opposed.  Additionally, the majority (51.9%) of respondents to the ReachTEL polling thought that coal investments were

The Australia Institute has called for a code of conduct for economic modelling. Today saw the Liberal Government produce modelling suggesting a $660 million economic cost for their climate target a day after the Environment Minister said the Labor climate policy would cost the economy $600 billion. A code would require assumptions to be revealed,

Polling released today reveals strong opposition to Coalition cuts to the ABC. The ReachTEL poll was conducted in seats represented by Christopher Pyne, Malcolm Turnbull and Joe Hockey in late April. Results: Do you support or oppose the government’s decision to reduce funding to the ABC in last year’s budget? 59% of Joe Hockey’s constituents

A message from the Chair of the Board The Australia Institute has some exciting news to announce. After 8 years at the helm Richard Denniss has decided to step down from the role of Executive Director of the Australia Institute. On behalf of the Board I would like to express my appreciation to Richard and

The Howard Government decision in 2001 to cut indexation has cost the budget more than $46 billion in tax revenue to date. If no change is made the total cost to the budget is projected to top $160 billion by 2025. Additional carbon dioxide emissions attributable to the policy are projected to reach 16 million

Queensland spends less on social services than the rest of Australia in per capita terms, a new report from The Australia Institute has revealed. (Table 1 below) The state is the nation’s biggest spender of public funds in one area though; subsidies for mining projects.  Currently public schools face a $268 million maintenance backlog, and

The mining industry is furious that if you make a donation to an environment group, your donation is tax deductible. You know the drill. You give someone in a koala suit anything over $2, they give you a receipt and go off to save an owl, hug a tree or, more likely, make a submission

Most Australians agree universities should avoid investments in fossil fuels, according to the first national polling on the topic released today by The Australia Institute in a new report. The polling also shows university decisions to avoid fossil fuels may boost donations from alumni, while also encouraging people with superannuation to consider low carbon funds.

The Guardian reported this morning International Monetary Fund calculations that world fossil fuel subsidies are running at $5.3 trillion dollars annually, or $10m per minute. In Australia, successive state and federal governments have given subsidies in the form of diesel fuel rebates, infrastructure funding and royalties discounts worth billions. TAI director of research, Rod Campbell,

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

Politicians get their fair share of blame for the parlous state of policy making in Australia but they are not the only culprits. The bigger problem is that policy doesn’t get made the way people think it does. It doesn’t get made the way the way academics think it does, it doesn’t get made the

The Australia Institute wrote to all NSW political parties on March 11, asking for them to outline their policies on regulating lobbying, and to what extent they had adopted the ICAC recommendations. Letter from The Australia Institute to NSW Parties Response from the NSW Liberal Party  Response from the NSW Labor Party Response from NSW

First published in the Australian Financial Review, 24th March 2015 Politics The senate is often describe as obstructionist and causing chaos but it is there for good reasons and governments have to learn to deal with it. Imagine if there was no senate to block Gough Whitlam’s reform agenda. Malcolm Fraser would have had no

“For 27 of the last 30 years, Australian Governments have needed to engage a crossbench or convince the opposition to pass any legislation.” – Richard Denniss A new book, Minority Policy: Rethinking Governance When Parliament Matters, explores the influence of marginal parliamentarians in Australian Politics. It will be launched by Senator Nick Xenophon and Clive

The Intergenerational Report is a deeply flawed document based on deeply flawed assumptions according to Dr Richard Denniss, Executive Director of the Australia Institute. “The Intergenerational report should provide an opportunity to start a conversation about the Australia we want to have in the coming decades, instead it simply tries to scare the public into