June 2019
WTF2050 Episode 8 – Luke McGregor – Comedian And Writer
Renewables, podcast voices and the pitfalls of being a super hero. Star of ABC TV’s Rosehaven and Utopia, Luke has become one of Australia’s most sought after comedians. Leanne and Anna caught up with Luke in his second home, Melbourne. Rosehaven Trailer
March 2019
Majority of Australians want Gov to help farmers to farm sun and wind
The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,536 Australians about government support to assist farmers to harvest solar energy and sell it directly to clients. Key Findings: Respondents were asked if they support allowing farmers who generate wind or solar power on their farms to sell it directly to other landholders. · Overwhelming
February 2019
New oil spill risk plan still shows potential disaster for King Island
A new Environment Plan from international energy company, Equinor, released today, shows that a spill in the Great Australian Bight could totally envelop King Island. The modelling has been released after a leaked document from the same company on the same drilling site in November of last year showed the potential catastrophic impact of an
January 2019
Trans Tarkine Track clips
Over the summer, we have been busy recording what Tasmanians think about a whole range of issues. Tassie is cool and tourism is hot – with our state having the largest rise in visitor numbers this quarter. Whilst some in the South and East are worried about over crowding and under funding of infrastructure, the
July 2018
Braddon: New Polling shows concern over Company Tax cuts, support for Penalty rates and a gain in the ALP Primary vote
The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to poll the federal seats of Braddon (700 respondents) on the evening of Friday 6 July. Key Findings: A rise in the Labor primary vote to 36.3 (compared to 33% in a Sky ReachTel poll at the beginning of June) A fall in the Liberal primary vote to 42.9 (compared
May 2018
Time to join the budding revolution in local power schemes
Everyone is saying Tasmania is a becoming a clean energy powerhouse, so how do we make sure ordinary Tasmanians get a piece of the action?
April 2018
#WTF2050: What’s Tasmania’s future? (Scott Rankin)
First published in The Examiner, 15 April 2018 By 2050, everyone everywhere will have the right to thrive. (Yep, utopia). All communities are changing all the time. The future of our Tasmanian community is not like a book that has already been written, each chapter is emergent & authorship is our collective responsibility. The narrative
March 2018
#WTF2050 – Big ideas for Tasmania’s future
First published in The Examiner, 28 March 2018 On Tuesday, The Australia Institute Tasmania launched a new initiative cheekily titled #WTF2050 – What’s Tasmania’s Future? The project brings together some of the state’s best thinkers to answer the question – where do you want Tasmania to be in 2050? What’s your big hairy goal and
WTF2050 Episode 7 – Rosalie Martin
Rosalie Martin is a criminologist, speech therapist, Tasmanian of the Year 2017 & Founder of Chatter Matters. Rosie has been running literacy and parental attachment programs in Risdon prison and has been getting extraordinary results. Her WTF2050 goal is one that will initially shock – and then inspire.
WTF2050 Episode 6 – Kirsha Kaechele
Kirsha Kaechele is perhaps better known as the partner of David Walsh, founder of MONA. That is, however, the least interesting thing about her. Kirsha is an American contemporary art curator, artist, and founder of KKProjects and the Life is Art Foundation. Her WTF2050 goal would place Tassie at the center of the Internet Economy.
WTF2050 Episode 5 – Robin Banks
Robin Banks was Tasmania’s anti-discrimination commissioner for six years. In this episode Robin muses on her own career path and shares great examples of conflict resolution: how we can get conflict out of the room and solve problems while rejecting the often adversarial landscape.
WTF2050 Episode 4 – Posie Graeme-Evans
Posie Graeme-Evans first came to Tasmania after World War 2, at the age of 14. One of Australia’s most acclaimed TV producers (McLeod’s Daughters & Hi5), Posie is also a best selling historical novelist. As a master storyteller, her WTF2050 goal is, in part, inspired by her belief in the power of narrative.
WTF2050 Episode 3 – Scott Rankin
Raised on a Chinese Junk in Sydney Harbour, Scott Rankin came to Tasmania as a idealistic 22 year old & went on to found Big hART , one of the world’s most acclaimed Community Arts Companies. Big hART runs projects all over the world and Scott likes to think about Tasmania as an arts laboratory.
WTF2050 Episode 2 – Jo Cook And Jess Robbins
Dark Mofo’s Winter Feast attracted 100K people last year. Curator Jo Cook and friend Jess Robbins, from the Global Island Partnership, have a WTF2050 goal that is a perfect fit for an island that is fast becoming the center of the Southern Hemisphere’s foodie trail.
WTF2050 Episode 1 – Saul Eslake
#WTF2050 Hosts Leanne Minshull & Anna Bateman drop in on independent economist and proud Tasmanian, Saul Eslake. In this, our first episode, Saul gives us a tour of his home, originally built by convicts in 1820. While sharing his WTF2050 goal Saul provides some fascinating insights into Tasmania’s economic & social history, and finds time
WTF2050? Podcast Showreel
Get a taste of what’s coming up on the WTF2050? podcast this year.
February 2018
Open letter – political donations from the gambling industry
To Premier Will Hodgman and Opposition Leader Rebecca White, Public trust in government is at an all-time low around Australia. We are working together to improve accountability and trust in public administration at a state and federal level. After the long-standing allegations about the role of the gambling industry in the fall of the Tasmanian
Tasmanians don’t believe company tax cuts will increase wages
New polling released today by The Australia Institute Tasmania shows that even Liberal voters in the state do not believe that company tax cuts will increase workers’ pay. The poll of 925 Tasmanians, conducted by ReachTEL for The Australia Institute, found only 10.8% believed that giving large companies a tax cut would increase workers’ pay,
Tasmanian club and pub pokies revenue: 0.9% to clubs, 48% to Farrell Group
A report released today by The Australia Institute Tasmania written by Dr Charles Livingstone from Monash University has found that The Farrell Group’s share of EGM revenue (47.8%) far exceeds that of the clubs that house many of the poker machines, with the Farrell family reaping fifty-four times more than that derived by clubs which
January 2018
Voters across political spectrum want greater accountability of Tasmanian politicians
Transparency and accountability of politicians and the public service may be one of the sleeper issues of the upcoming state election. A recent poll of 781 voters in Bass undertaken by ReachTEL on the night of January 16th for The Australia Institute found that 85% of respondents wanted more powers and resources available to Tasmania’s
December 2017
Removing pokies from pubs and clubs a step towards normality
Australia has three quarters (76%) of the world’s “pub and club” poker machines. A new report [See full report in PDF below] from The Australia Institute Tasmania finds that Australia’s 187,000 pub and club poker machines represent 76% of the world’s poker machines outside of casinos and other dedicated venues. The report comes as the Tasmanian
October 2017
Tasmanian salmon industry faces major risks
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,
September 2017
No loss of revenue and overwhelming support to phase out pokies – so why would Tasmania keep them?
Modelling by The Australia Institute has found any impact to the state budget from phasing out poker machines in pubs and clubs could be negated through increasing taxes on poker machines in casinos. New polling released today shows strong support for phasing out poker machines in pubs and clubs in Tasmania, even among Liberal voters.
Jobs survey reveals underemployment and unpaid work key issues for Tasmanian workers
The results of the combined Australia Institute Tasmania and Unions Tasmania’s jobs survey are in and they spotlight underemployment and unpaid work as key issues for respondents. While Tasmania’s unemployment rate sits at around the national average at 5.6% the survey results have revealed that underemployment is a critical issue for many Tasmanian workers. The
July 2017
Concern fish farms not modernising a risk to long-term jobs: Lyons poll
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
Phasing out Poker machines a good bet for Tasmania
Report questions estimates of the impact on employment and revenue if Electronic Gaming Machines were phased out of Tasmania. A new report from Hobart-based think tank The Australia Institute Tasmania has found that previous estimates of the impact of phasing out Poker machines on employment are inconsistent with recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data.
May 2017
Tasmanian Budget: Smiles all around, but no long-term vision for the future
This week’s budget was full of good news about good economic times. The combination of favourable economic conditions and some good economic management could have been a once in a generation opportunity to build for the state’s future. Built on the back of our clean and green image, a boom in revenues has been fuelled
Booms bust: Tassie budget misses chance to invest in future
Today’s State budget has reflected our strengthening economy, built on the back of our clean and green image. The boom, fuelled by growth in tourism and the property market, has increased revenue, delivering a surplus of $54 million dollars. The Australia Institute Tasmania have warned that if investment is not made in vital long-term prosperity
March 2017
Polling Brief – Cutting Sunday and Holiday Penalty Rates
Voters in Braddon do not want to see workers paid less on Sundays and Holidays, polling from The Australia Institute has found. The polling of 754 respondents in the electorate of Braddon was undertaken on 2nd March in the State electorate of Braddon through ReachTEL. Respondents were asked if they believed more jobs would be
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