Welcome to The Australia Institute, Amy Remeikis

Amy is one of Australia’s most respected political observers.

She proudly swims against the tide of spin which swirls around the Canberra bubble.

This is her first column for The Australia Institute.

The South Australian Government will today introduce legislation for a partial ban on political donations – replacing them with huge taxpayer-funded handouts to political parties and MPs.

The prices of many goods and services have increased dramatically across Australia since 2021. This has resulted in hardship for many households—along with $100 billion in increased profits for major companies. These corporate profits have been a key factor driving inflation.

Some people are worried that the next election could lead to a “hung parliament”, requiring power sharing arrangements between parties and independents. But Parliaments always involve power-sharing: between interest groups, communities and political movements; across the upper and lower houses; within parties (via factions); and between parties.

With this presidential race now over, Emma Shortis reflects on an extraordinary campaign and the challenges that may lie ahead for Australia.

Donald Trump will return to the White House – how should Australia prepare?

A multi-party Parliamentary Committee has concluded that major reform is needed to address glaring problems in the audit, accounting and consulting industry, in a report released on Thursday.

Will Trump declare victory on election night, regardless of the result?

Emma is on the road at a Harris rally in North Carolina and Bruce Thompson, former advisor to the Obama and Clinton campaigns in the state, joins us to preview the election.

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis joins us to talk about the presidential election, Joe Biden’s foreign policy legacy and the future of America’s role in the world.

Whistleblowers are critical to addressing the climate and biodiversity crises.

The Democrats have been largely overshadowed by the Trump spectacle in the final weeks of the campaign. Will it hurt Harris’ chances of winning the presidency?

The National Anti-Corruption Commission is at the crossroads.

A notable trend in Australian politics has been the decline of the share of the vote won by both major parties at federal elections. One effect of this is that there are no longer any safe seats in Australian politics: minor parties and independents win more “safe” seats than they do “marginal” ones. The declining

He lost the Queensland election, but former Premier Steven Miles may have saved the furniture by putting forward popular, progressive policies that voters responded to.

Chas Licciardello joins us to discuss Beyonce’s Texas appearance, Trump’s hate-filled Madison Square Garden dude-fest, and how the campaigns are spending their money.

There’s a lesson for the federal government from Labor’s narrower than expected defeat in the Queensland election: voters embrace progressive policies that address cost of living pressures.

We discuss the race in the key swing state of Michigan and whether Australia is really prepared for a second Trump administration.

Queensland voters have sent a clear message to Federal Labor – Popular progressive policies win over a large number of voters.

The Australia Institute’s inaugural 2024 Transparency Summit brought together experts, whistleblowers and those working to ensure the interests of all Australians are represented in our policy-making process. We are sleepwalking towards disaster when we accept the idea that the more secret we are about decision-making, the safer we’ll be. – Richard Denniss, Executive Director of

Excessive secrecy in government decision-making makes Australia less safe, not more.

As opinion polls suggest the Miles Labor Government is closing the gap on the Liberal National Opposition ahead of this Saturday’s state election, new research from The Australia Institute reveals most Queenslanders support cost of living, environmental and reproductive rights policies. The research follows existing Australia Institute polling research which finds most Australians support proven

We discuss the impact of Trump’s extreme immigration rhetoric and how the candidates are courting the male vote.

Press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno joins us to discuss how conflict in the Middle East is reverberating through Australia and reconciliation one year after the Voice referendum.

Integrity experts, academics and parliamentarians gather in Canberra today for the Australia Institute’s Transparency Summit: Secrecy is not security, held in collaboration with the Human Rights Law Centre, Whistleblower Justice Fund, Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom and Transparency International Australia. The Transparency Summit connects those have been stonewalled – and explain why open government and public access to information is

We discuss hurricane conspiracies, Harris’ “decency coalition” and the threat of post-election violence.

Making traffic fines proportional to drivers’ incomes, as is done in Finland, is a fairer system according to a new report from The Australia Institute, supported by Uniting Vic Tas and Financial Counselling Victoria.