The Australia Institute Tasmania today released a new report Salmon stakes: Risks for the Tasmanian salmon industry, outlining the serious risks Tasmania’s salmon industry faces if its environmental and social impacts are not managed. “The salmon industry is important to Tasmania and has tripled in size over a decade. Rapid growth is always brings problems,

New polling three key Liberal seats of Warringah, Wentworth and Kooyong on the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) policy shows voters overwhelming support pricing carbon, would be more likely to support a NEG that achieves 50% renewable energy, and do not think the NEG will lower electricity prices and back the States keeping their own renewable

A new report from The Australia Institute shows that the Minerals Council of Australia’s coal advocacy is out of all proportion with its members’ interests The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) represents companies that mine a wide range of minerals, yet delivers three times more media coverage for coal than for any other mineral. Analysis

Polling of over 1,000 voters in the Deputy Prime Minister’s electorate of New England shows strong support for renewable energy investment over coal. The results were similar in the electorate of Hughes, currently occupied by one of the most pro-coal members of the Coalition, Craig Kelly. “60 per cent of voters in New England think

A new ReachTEL poll, commissioned by The Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy Program, asked residents of the electorates of Hunter and Shortland about energy policy, including government investment in coal, renewables and the Liddell coal power station. Strong majorities in the coal electorates (61% and 57%) preferred government investment in renewables than in coal (32%

The Australia Institute is today releasing a new FOI showing that the CSIRO pays membership fees to the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) of $10k a year. The CSIRO is an associate member of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), the mining lobby group known for its forceful campaigns against effective action on climate change.

New research released today by the Australia Institute shows that the mining industry is dominated by foreign corporate interests that are spending hundreds of millions of dollars influencing our political process. The report finds that: Total revenue of mining lobby groups over the last 10 years is $524,150,431, with the Minerals Council of Australia accounting

New research released today by The Australia Institute identifies significant gaps in federal anti-corruption measures, as calls grow for a federal anti-corruption commission. The report [full report see PDF below] finds that: There are significant gaps in the jurisdiction and investigative powers of the federal agencies responsible for scrutinising the public sector and government No

In the first poll since the Government announced a postal survey on marriage equality, residents in Tony Abbott’s electorate of Warringah were asked if they supported same sex marriage. 689 residents across the federal electorate of Warringah were asked if same sex couples should be able to get married; 69.7% of voters in Warringah agree

Cuts and curtailment of operations of the ABC are on the table as Turnbull Government negotiations with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to pass controversial cross-media ownership laws. The Australia Institute has today published a full-page advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald alerting Australians to the imminent threat to national broadcaster and calling on Coalition and

Politicians need to break promises. Our parliament and democracy would not function if they did not. [First published by the Australian Financial Review – read here] There is a commonly held view that governments are elected to deliver every single election policy, in every detail as outlined in the lead up to an election. But

New ReachTEL polling, released by The Australia Institute and Australian Marriage Equality, shows voters in seven key electorates not only support marriage equality but strongly support their MPs having a conscience vote on the issue. The electorates polled were Brisbane (Evans), Goldstein (Wilson), La Trobe (Wood), Leichhardt (Entsch), Mallee (Broad), North Sydney (Zimmerman) & Wentworth

TASMANIA’S Integrity Commission must become more transparent if it is to fulfil its purpose of exposing and tackling corruption. [Full article on The Mercury website]

The Palaszczuk Government risks a voter backlash as it breaks a clear election promise which ruled out subsidising the Adani coal project, according to a new report from The Australia Institute. First, the Queensland government is ultimately responsible for a $1bn subsidised loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF). Secondly, the Queensland government has

Rising inequality is, according to the lefties at the International Monetary Fund, a drag on economic growth. And low wages growth is, according to the lefties at the RBA, a drag on growth. And according to lefties like Theresa May fixing economic equality is “crucial” to the economy. [This article was first published by the

New research released today by the Australia Institute shows that a federal ICAC may not be effective in exposing or investigating corruption and misconduct unless it holds public hearings. Public hearings have a proven track record in anti-corruption investigations in Australia. Evidence from state based anti-corruption commissions show that the anti-corruption commission that holds regular

A high profile community campaign on fish farming has put economic and employment issues in the spotlight. New polling release today asked residents of Lyons about the industry’s performance on modernising in order to protect jobs into the future. “It is clear from these results that even those who back the industry believe that fish

As the Federal Government’s proposed legislation to relax restrictions on who can own and operate newspapers, TV and radio stations in Australia, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party has reportedly proposed that ABC funding should be cut as a condition of its support for the legislation. New polling released today shows a combined 74% of South

If word processors were invented today they would no doubt be seen through the left-right prism. Like a dying star, the 18th century political binary of left and right produces far more heat as the end of its life approaches. Is a wind turbine really “left wing”? Is a grid scale battery “progressive”? [The article

The Australia Institute today released the results of the Fitzgerald Principles survey of parliamentarians’ principles of good governance. The survey, which asks parliamentarians a range of questions on acting with integrity, is based on principles outlined by the Hon Tony Fitzgerald AC QC, former judge and leader of the Fitzgerald Inquiry, in an article published

New polling of seven electorates belonging to senior Cabinet Ministers, including the Prime Minister, reveals strong opposition to a federal subsidised loan for Adani’s coal project, and support for instituting a moratorium on new coal mines. The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to conduct surveys of 4,712 Australian residents across the electorates of Wentworth (Turnbull), Cook

A new report has mapped current polling trends to predict the make-up of the Australian Senate over the next two terms of Parliament. The results show a likely outcome with an entrenched cross bench with an increased One Nation presence, a stable Greens block.  [Full report in PDF below] Between March and May 2017 The

The Australia Institute is surveying every federal MP and Senator on their values of accountability and integrity as momentum builds for a national anti-corruption body along the lines of the NSW ICAC. The Fitzgerald Principles survey asks parliamentarians a range of questions, including if they are ethically obliged to act always in the public interest,

Following pressure from Australian civil society organisations, Australia’s export credit agency, Efic, has shelved plans to lend Australian taxpayers’ money to the Boikarabelo coal project in Limpopo Province, South Africa. While Efic has not ruled out future funding of this project and other overseas coal mines, Senate Estimates were told last week that Efic does

If Donald Trump does renege on the US Paris climate commitments, it creates an opportunity for leadership from other countries, including Australia. A poll of 1420 Australians undertaken in March showed most believe domestic action would be only more important in the event of Donald Trump reneging on US climate action policies. “Trumps decision to