News & Analysis // Queensland
May 2017
Adani offers false hope to South Australia
Steel order of 56,000 tonnes would be less than 1% of Whyalla steelworks capacity. Today’s announcement that the Adani coal project would ‘throw a lifeline’ to South Australian steel producer Arrium is the latest piece of deception from a company renowned for breaking its big economic promises. Canberra-based think tank The Australia Institute, which has
March 2017
Voters oppose company tax cuts, dole cuts: Poll
Polling of the marginal seat of Dickson, the seat held by Peter Dutton, shows strong opposition to two Coalition policies before the current parliamentary sitting – welfare cuts, and cutting the company tax rate. The survey, conducted by ReachTEL for Canberra-based think tank The Australia Institute, asked respondents if the government should cut, keep the
Coalition voters asked about energy policy, Adani subsidies
ReachTEL polling for The Australia Institute of Dickson, the seat held by Peter Dutton, has shown strong support for Labor’s renewable energy target and opposition to government backing of the Adani coal mine. Polling of the marginal Queensland electorate showed very strong opposition to subsidies going to the Adani Carmichael mine project. [FULL RESULTS IN
February 2017
Dawson Polling: One Nation surge, support for RET, opposition to company tax cuts
New polling of Dawson, the seat held by George Christensen, conducted by ReachTEL, commissioned by The Australia Institute, shows support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party at level pegging with the LNP at 30% of the primary vote. Issue-based questions in the same poll revealed strong support in Dawson for an increase to the renewable
December 2016
Open letter puts unanswered economic questions on Adani project to PM
The Australia Institute have today published an open letter to the Prime Minister outlining the unasked and unanswered economic questions regarding the Adani Carmichael mine proposal and its potential public subsidisation of $1 billion. The letter appears as a full-page advertisement in the Australian Financial Review. The questions put: 1 – Will the Adani mine
September 2016
Another day, another $100m subsidy to coal
The Australian government’s settlement with the owners of a coal ship represents another subsidy to the coal industry. With the government settling for $39.3 million while estimating clean up costs of $140 million, the difference represents a cost to taxpayers and or our environment of over $100 million. It’s not clear whether the Australian government
The sunshine state supports ARENA: Poll
Queenslanders resounding oppose government moves to cut the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, which invests in renewable energy projects and innovation. ReachTEL conducted a survey of 1,701 residents across Queensland during the evening of 30th August 2016. Question: The Australian Renewable Energy Agency funds new renewable energy construction and research in Australia. Should the Senate pass
August 2016
Sound economics as Victoria quits fracking for good
The Victorian Government’s decision to ban fracking is based on sound economic and energy policy. Queensland’s experiment in unconventional gas has demonstrated that the economic benefits promised by the gas industry largely failed to materialise, and there has been an enormous downside to other industries. Arguments that the gas is needed have rung hollow as Australian domestic gas demand
May 2016
Facts on jobs, coal and Queensland
The coal industry has always been a minor employer in Queensland. At its peak it employed fewer people than the arts and recreation industry, but in recent years has shrunk further, shedding 10,000 jobs in Queensland and now representing less than 1 percent of the state’s workforce. “Our Research shows that the coal industry makes
April 2016
Queensland’s quiet jobs boom
New report shows service industry jobs growth outstripping mining job losses. Despite record job losses in the mining sector, employment in Queensland is growing strongly with service industries leading the way, according to a new report released today by The Australia Institute. Queensland’s service industries were standout performers in recent years, and are expected to
March 2016
New polling shows lack of support for income tax cuts
A ReachTEL poll of 1217 Queenslanders and 1077 South Australians shows respondents resoundingly rejected conventional political wisdom – that income tax cuts are even more popular than government investment in health, education and infrastructure. (See full results below) Just over half (53.0%) of voters in South Australia and half (49.2%) of Queenslanders would prefer to
December 2015
Key Coalition seats oppose reducing Sunday penalty rates: poll
Polling in key Liberal and National Party seats shows strong opposition to reducing Sunday penalty rates for retail workers, according to new ReachTEL polling commissioned by The Australia Institute. Polling conducted across the electorates of Page, New England, Warringah and Dickson on 17th December shows that between 65% and 79% of people in these electorates
Two birds, one little black rock
A new report by The Australia Institute outlines a solution to the twin problems of incentives for retirement of coal fired generation and funding rehabilitation liabilities. The report, Two Birds, One Little Black Rock, by Rod Campbell and Richard Denniss will be co-launched by The Australia Institute and Australian Greens Leader, Senator Richard Di Natale
October 2015
Gifts, donations for access, cosy relations: Report on mining approvals in Queensland
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
September 2015
No taxpayer coal bank: Polls show Australians back subsidies switch
As new Resources and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg announces that the $5 billion Northern Australia fund could be used to subsidise coal projects, including the Adani mine in the Galilee, research shows support ranging from 65% to 78% for a policy shift. According to a series of polls, commissioned by The Australia Institute as part
August 2015
Treasurer brings welcome reality check on Adani coal mine
The Queensland Treasurer, Curtis Pitt, has brought a welcome reality check to discussion about the Adani coal mine, pointing out the danger of overstating the importance of the mine to the state’s economy. Queensland has workforce of 2.3 million people. Adani’s own economic expert has said the mine will create around 1400 jobs, or a
Environmental scapegoat sought for government’s poor economic performance
Since Tony Abbott took office, 101,900 more Australians are unemployed, but the Prime Minister is determined to create a new scapegoat – that of environmental legal victories – rather than face up to fundamental issues in the economy. “We’re seeing a deliberate effort from the Government to blame environmental law for job losses, despite all
Global moratorium on coal push from the Pacific – an urgent wake up call for Australia
Today’s call by the President of the Republic of The Kiribati for a coal moratorium is a wake-up call for the Australian Government who, only last week, was publicly expressing support for the construction of the enormous Adani – Carmichael mine in Queensland. No New Coal Mines website “As the world prepares to meet in
June 2015
What would you choose?
You can only spend a dollar once. When Queensland governments spend $9.5 billion on mining industry assistance, it’s $9.5 billion not available to schools, hospitals, roads, teachers, nurses, police officers, firefighters or doctors. Queensland leads the nation in mining assistance and lags behind the rest of the nation in social services investment. There’s an easy
Queensland’s choice: schools or mining subsidies
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
May 2015
Australian taxpayers’ slice of $10 million per minute fossil fuel subsidies bill
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,
April 2015
Expert evidence given to case against Adani coal mine at Carmichael
Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, today delivered expert witness testimony to a court challenge of the approval of a major coal mine in the Galilee Basin. Summary: Adani have long claimed in public that the Carmichael mine project will create 10,000 jobs. In court, Adani’s own economist testified that the project would
February 2015
Corruption experts call to close “cavernous loophole” in lobbying register
Leading anti-corruption experts say that the lack of proper regulation of lobbying is a major corruption risk. They called on whoever forms government in Queensland to ensure that all lobbyists are included in the lobbying register, and for full disclosure of lobbying meetings. Corruption fighting heavyweight, former ICAC Commissioner the Hon David Ipp AO QC,
LNP’s $450m taxpayer subsidy to Adani: not required
Indian mining company Adani says its Carmichael coal project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin does hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds promised to it by the Queensland LNP, raising questions over why such a subsidy was offered in the first place. The $450 million rail subsidy, along with the offer to waive royalty payments
January 2015
Accountability push ahead of Queensland poll
Twenty two prominent QLD legal and civil society organisations have taken out a full page add in today’s Courier Mail newspaper calling on all parties elected to the new parliament to their election commitment to honour their the principles of accountability and good governance put forward by The Honourable Tony Fitzgerald AC QC. The letter
Complaint lodged with ACCC over inflated Galilee job figures
Job creation claims relating to coal projects in the Galilee Basin have been inflated by 300%, from 9,000 to 27,000, according to a report by economists at The Australia Institute. The Australia Institute’s Executive Director, Dr Richard Denniss, said the use of input/output modelling used by those championing the Galilee coal projects has been described by the
September 2014
Facts about the NSW Minerals Council Debate
Richard debated Stephen Galilee, the head of the NSW Minerals Council on 7.30 NSW regarding their recent attack on our research into mining subsidies. This material sheds light both on our approach to our research and the disingenuous approach taken by the NSW Minerals Council.
MR: Australia Institute calls on the Minerals Council members to come clean and apologise
The Australian Institute says the Minerals Council members – the large, mostly foreign-owned, mining companies – should explain the attacks on The Australia Institute. The Minerals Council has claimed that The Australia Institute is being directed by a political party. This is untrue and defamatory. The Minerals Council should immediately desist from making such claims
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