by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 30 October 2019] After decades of pursuing free trade at the expense of local jobs, the conservatives in the Coalition — aping Donald Trump and Boris Johnson — have decided to pivot to populism. Gone is the rhetoric of Alexander Downer and Julie Bishop about how

New research has revealed that financial services in Australia will not insure against nuclear accidents, and if developers of nuclear power stations were forced to insure against nuclear accidents, nuclear power would be completely uneconomic. The Australia Institute’s submission to the Inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia, shows that establishing a nuclear

by Richie Merzian[Originally published on 10 Daily, 01 October 2019] Last Wednesday Prime Minister Scott Morrison took to the world stage, using Australia’s annual address to the United Nations (UN) to talk about the environment. He was two days too late. And everyone at the UN, diplomats and commentators alike, knew it. Having been involved

by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 02 September 2019] Neoliberalism has made Australia more fragile, fractious and open to foreign influence. We talk a lot about the rise of Chinese influence but there’s less discussion about the decline in our national self-confidence. Despite living in the world’s 14th largest economy with some

by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 20 August 2019] Short-term thinking is often a feature of Australian domestic politics but when it comes to foreign policy, we’ve usually played the long game. Not any more. The Morrison Government is placing 1000 potential coal jobs ahead of its ‘Pacific Step Up’, announced in 2017 to

“More than any other state, Tasmanians live in and on the edges of the bush,” said Leanne Minshull, Director of the Australia Institute Tasmania. “As the severity of fires increase, so does the impact on our homes, our communities and our economy, we need to look at this problem holistically to have any chance of

If a ban or limitation of coal is not in today’s 50th Pacific Islands Forum communique, it will be because Australia has bullied its Pacific Island neighbours into taking it out. “This Government’s fixation on coal puts Australia in direct conflict with Pacific leaders fighting for the future of their nations,” said Richie Merzian, Climate

by Richie Merzian[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 10 August 2019] Late last Friday – a timeslot where ministers are known to announce policies they are most proud of – the Minister for Energy, Angus Taylor, ordered a parliamentary inquiry into nuclear energy.  Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus

Prime Minister Morrison is undermining Pacific action on climate change, with new analysis from the Australia Institute revealing that his pollution loophole is equivalent to around 8 years fossil fuel emissions for the rest of the Pacific and New Zealand. The Government plans to use Kyoto credits to meet emissions targets – a loophole that

by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 17 May 2019] Bob Hawke is perhaps credited most often for his economic reforms, but he also leaves a tremendous legacy of protecting Earth’s wilderness. Without Bob Hawke, Antarctica would be a quarry, Tasmania’s iconic Franklin River would be flooded and Queensland’s Daintree rainforest would be a

$18 billion dollar gamble on climate action loophole The Government’s reliance on dated carbon credits to extinguish over half of its Paris Agreement target might not be authorised, forcing it to purchase last-minute international permits or drastically reduce emissions to cover huge gap.    New analysis by the Australia Institute identified numerous legal, diplomatic and

The footage was shocking: One Nation figures meeting with the National Rifle Association in the US in search of political donations, media support and strategic advice. Australians may be surprised to discover the gun lobby in Australia rivals the NRA in size and spending, according to Australia Institute research commissioned by Gun Control Australia. Most people have

New research from the Australia Institute finds that there are more guns in Australia now than there were before the Port Arthur massacre and introduction of strict gun controls.

New research from the Australia Institute finds the Australian gun lobby is as large and spends as much on political campaigns per capita as the National Rifle Association does in the USA. The new Australia Institute report, commissioned by Gun Control Australia, also find that these pro-gun lobby groups are also utilising alternative political strategies

The Federal Government is preparing to spend vast amounts of taxpayer funds on fossil fuel project overseas to generate business for increased fossil fuel exports out of Australia, new analysis by The Australia Institute warns. Key Points A new bill to Parliament that would expand funding and powers for Efic, Australia’s export finance agency, turning

A television commercial will begin airing nationally from 1 October, which features research from The Australia Institute exposing the Business Council of Australia’s (BCA) false claim that a 45% emissions reduction target would be ‘economy wrecking’. Building on research that shows no evidence to back the BCA’s ‘economy wrecking’ claim, the advertisement identifies that Australia’s electricity

The Government is way off the mark and off-message when it comes to meeting the Paris target, new analysis from The Australia Institute shows. The new report debunks the government’s claims that Australia will meet the Paris target ‘in a canter’, demonstrating total emissions have been increasing since 2014 and without major policy measures or

New analysis by The Australia Institute shows that foreign investors will be the unambiguous winners of the big business company tax cut ($50+ million turnover). “If the remaining company tax cuts now before the Senate are implemented the gift to foreign shareholders will be $3.7 billion in 2026-27, the year the tax cuts are fully

By Richie Merzian, Director of The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program.  [Read article in the New Matilda Here] Private and public investment in a safe climate future is growing, despite the best and worst efforts of some of the world’s leading polluters, writes Richie Merzian. On a reclaimed swamp fringing the outskirts of the industrial

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

Since the Coalition’s 2014 decision to cut foreign aid funding by $1.4 billion per year, Australia’s foreign aid record has not improved, with the 2017-18 Budget representing new lows for aid funding, a new report from policy think tank The Australia Institute finds. The reports suggest that Australia’s aid spending, already at record lows, could

U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent trade policies (including tariffs on steel and aluminium that could affect Australian exports) have raised fears of a worldwide slide into protectionism and trade conflict.  Trump’s approach has been widely and legitimately criticised.  But his argument that many U.S. workers have been hurt by the operation of current free trade

An FOI request from The Australia Institute has revealed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has “several hundreds of pages” of documents relating to Ministers and officials making formal representations to foreign financiers to back the Adani project.  “With ‘several hundreds of pages’ of relevant documents across multiple parts of the Department of Foreign