Trade unionists are gathering this week at the ACTU’s triennial Congress in Brisbane.  Jim Stanford, Director of the Centre for Future Work, participated in a panel on the Future of Work (an apt title!) at the Congress.

The best way to protect coal jobs in existing mines is to stop the construction of new, highly automated coal mines in the Galilee Basin according to new research by The Australia Institute. The Institute’s report estimates that development of the Galilee Basin would reduce coal mining jobs by 9,000 in the Hunter Valley (NSW),

Trade unionists from across Australia are gathering in Brisbane this week for the 2018 Congress of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. And the Centre for Future Work will be there!

By Richard Denniss, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute. [View this article in the Australian Financial Review] Having abandoned the principles of small government, the right of Australian politics are now urging Australia to embrace Donald Trump’s attack on international agreements. Is there any institution these so-called “conservatives” aren’t willing to wreck in pursuit of

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

Reduced Sunday and holiday penalty rates for retail and hospitality workers failed to ignite the boom in employment as promised by employer groups who supported the change.

By Richard Denniss, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute [Read in the Sydney Morning Herald here] Economic rationalism and neoliberalism are dead in Australia. In an unexpected twist, the idea that markets are good and governments are bad was killed by the right wing of Australian politics, who simply couldn’t resist the desire to shovel

A new national poll, conducted by The Australia Institute, has found a majority of Australians support placing a strict limit on the maximum salary for CEOs or executive staff, with four out of five saying CEOs are paid too much. The poll follows a report by The Australia Institute that showed ten years on from

By Richard Denniss, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute. [Read this article in the Syndey Morning Herald] One thing that unites the Australian Parliament is that subsidies are a great idea. Whether it’s the Liberals’ enthusiasm for subsidising weapons exports, the Nationals’ love of subsidising coal mines, Labor’s love of subsidising manufacturing or the Greens

The Government has announced it will delay Senate vote on company tax legislation until after the winter recess. Meanwhile, research from The Australia Institute has demonstrated the economic case for a company tax cut for big business has not been made. “Company tax cuts will not lead to greater economic prosperity. In fact modelling from

Below you will find all research papers on company tax cuts produced by The Australia Institute to date [updated 25.06.18] The big four banks get an extra $7.4 billion dollars: Australia’s big four banks are some of the most profitable banks in the world and are the big winners here, getting an extra $7.4 billion dollars in the first 10

After years of decline, Australia’s manufacturing industry is finally recovering – adding almost 50,000 jobs in the last year, one of the best job-creation records of any sector in the whole economy. But that recovery could be cut short by growing shortages of skilled workers, according to a new report on vocational training in manufacturing.

By Richard Denniss, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute [Read in the Australian Financial Review here] The budget emergency is over. Even though Commonwealth debt has risen from $317 billion to $561 billion. Since Tony Abbott was elected, declaring a fiscal emergency, the Coalition has now flicked the switch to optimism and proposing $200 billion

The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to poll the federal seats of Mayo (736 respondents) and Longman (727 respondents) on the evening of Thursday June 21.  Key Findings: 50/50 TPP in Longman 62/38 TPP favouring Centre Alliance candidate Rebekah Sharkie in Mayo Mayo: 24.9% support for cutting company tax rate for large business (71% want tax

Read the full report: 2018 tax cuts by electorate. Table of electorates Rank Electorate Percentage  of average Party 1 Wentworth 192% LIB 2 North Sydney 180% LIB 3 Warringah 172% LIB 4 Sydney 167% ALP 5 Melbourne Ports 160% ALP 6 Higgins 159% LIB 7 Bradfield 158% LIB 8 Kooyong 156% LIB 9 Grayndler 154% ALP

New Australia Institute analysis of stage three of the government’s income tax plan show high-income earners will get 95% of the benefit, while three-quarters of taxpayers get no benefit at all. Today the Senate has rejected stage 3 of the government’s income tax plan, which removes the 37 per cent tax bracket completely, resulting in

Less than half of employed Australians now hold a “standard” job: that is, a permanent full-time paid job with leave entitlements. That’s the startling finding of a new report on the growing insecurity of work published by the Centre for Future Work.

New Australia Institute analysis of the long term impacts of bracket creep shows that taxpayers are being over compensated for bracket creep at all income levels. The government has used bracket creep as a key reason why it needs to implement its top-end income tax cuts as outlined in the 2018 Budget.  “There is no compelling case for an income tax cut to reduce

On Monday 18 June, The Australia Institute, Australia21 and the former Treasurer, the Hon Wayne Swan MP, are jointly hosting a roundtable discussion in Parliament House on dealing with economic inequality in Australia. A new report from The Australia Institute, released as part of the Inequality Roundtable, shows inequality is getting worse in Australia with

New analysis from the Australia Institute shows that Queenslanders would receive below average benefits compared to the average Australian household from income tax cuts, outlined in the 2018 federal budget.  The figures represent the change in household disposable income (after tax income) as a percentage of change in the national average. Modelling also took into

New analysis from the Australia Institute shows regional Victoria would receive below average benefits compared to the average Australian household from income tax cuts, outlined in the 2018 federal budget. The figures represent the change in household disposable income (after tax income) as a percentage of change in the national average. Modelling also took into

The Australia Institute has analysed the average electorate household benefit* from the income tax cuts announced in the 2018 Budget, as a proportion of the National Average benefit.  The figures represent the change in household disposable income (after tax income) as a percentage of change in the national average. “It’s very visible in a state

New analysis from the Australia Institute shows that regional NSW would receive below average benefits compared to the average Australian household from income tax cuts, outlined in the 2018 federal budget. The figures represent the change in household disposable income (after tax income) as a percentage of change in the national average. Modelling also took

A new report from the Australia Institute shows that Tasmanian families living in the federal electorate of Braddon benefit less than most other Australian electorates from the income tax cuts outlined in the 2018 federal budget. The figures represent the change in household disposable income (after tax income) as a percentage of change in the

New analysis from the Australia Institute shows that South Australians are amongst those to benefit least from income tax cuts outlined in the 2018 federal budget, compared to the average Australian household. The figures represent the change in household disposable income (after tax income) as a percentage of change in the national average. Modelling also

The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to conduct a survey of 1031 residents across the federal electorate of Mayo on the evening of 5 June 2018. Key results: 2-Party Preferred: Centre Alliance 58% Liberal 42% Two thirds (65%) of respondents think the Senate should oppose the top end income tax cuts When given a list of

By Richard Denniss, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute [This article orininally appeared in the AFR] If Malcolm Turnbull were serious about the cutting the company tax rate he would simply push for a carbon tax to fund it. If the Greens didn’t support him, Labor almost certainly would. In one fell swoop he’d deliver the tax