Research published today (Tuesday May 12) by The Australia Institute highlights the extent of taxpayer assistance to the onshore oil and gas industry in the Northern Territory.  NT Government budget papers reveal that over the last decade $94 million in subsidies and assistance measures have benefited the industry.  Key findings: The NT Fracking Inquiry recommended

Analysis by The Australia Institute shows that Victorian Government’s key report used to approve onshore gas mining appears to have underestimated the greenhouse gas emissions from new sites by up to 88%. The Victorian Gas Program Progress Report no.4 does not count emissions from the ultimate combustion of the gas, emissions from methane leakage or

As the Victorian Government announces it will allow over 100 gas wells on some of Victoria’s prime farmland, Australia Institute analysis of the Government’s own Victorian Gas Project Progress report finds the decision is based on misleading claims that exaggerate benefits, understate costs and ignore alternatives. The Government’s Victorian Gas Project Progress report reveals only

The NSW Upper House Planning and Environment Committee has recommended rejection of a NSW Government bill on coal mines and their downstream, or ‘scope 3’ greenhouse emissions. The Committee’s report finds that “considering downstream greenhouse gas emissions supports international agreements aimed at reducing emissions and combating climate change”, including the Paris Agreement ratified by Australia

New Australia Institute analysis shows NT fracking emissions under the NT Government’s own Fracking Inquiry’s high production scenario would be worse than the emissions of Australia’s coal fleet across the National Energy Market (NEM) in 2030, and require more offsets each year than have ever been issued in Australia to date. Key findings: Government documents

by Richard Denniss[Originally published on Guadian Australia, 19 Feb 2020] After a summer of catastrophic bushfires, the most brutal evidence of the impacts of climate change, the Government has managed to move the debate towards the ‘pros and cons’ of setting a long-term net zero emissions target for 2050. Well played, Scott Morrison. While #Scottyfrommarketing

Some of the Murray Darling Basin’s best managed waterways would be damaged by water infrastructure projects that benefit major corporate irrigators, according to a new report by water consultants Slattery & Johnson and think tank The Australia Institute. The Yanco Creek System, which links the Murrumbidgee and the Murray rivers, is declared a “jewel” of

An open letter signed by Australian and international forestry and climate experts, published by the Australia Institute today, has called for the immediate nationwide cessation of all native forest logging in response to the climate, fire, drought and biodiversity loss crises currently facing Australia. The letter, signed by scientists from countries including Australia, USA, Canada, New

The Australia Institute has welcomed reports that Norwegian oil giant Equinor is withdrawing from its plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight and has said that the Federal and South Australian governments should now move towards permanent protection and World Heritage listing for the Bight. Australia Institute research has previously shown that

by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in The Canberra Times, 08 February 2020]There’s a hole where Australia’s climate and energy policy should be and the Morrison Government just keeps digging. The cheapest, cleanest solutions are right in front of its nose and yet it keeps subsidising the problem. In the face of a climate-fuelled bushfire crisis the

by Richard Denniss[Originally published on Guardian Australia, 05 February 2020] If you think the quality of debate about climate change and bushfires is bad, allow me to give you a glimpse into the debate over the link between the supply and demand of fossil fuels and their price. Spoiler alert – according to the Morrison

by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 04 February 2020] Scott Morrison loves to say that Australia is on track to ‘meet and beat’ our climate targets, but he’s a lot quieter about where that track leads. Admittedly, saying he plans to double Australian coal exports does provide some big hints. If all

New research from The Australia Institute shows that the New South Wales Government’s attempts to force planners to ignore the carbon emissions of the state’s coal exports contradicts NSW climate policy, the Paris Agreement, corporate expectations and economic opportunities for growth. Key findings NSW coal emissions are bigger than direct emissions from France and the

by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 25 January 2020] “Unprecedented” is the word that comes up again and again. But the more often this extreme weather churns out new surprises, the more the word “unprecedented” seems inadequate to capture this new hostile climate.  A sheep stands in a paddock in the wake of

by Richard Denniss[Originally published on Guardian Australia, 22 January 2020] Would the prime minister rule out protecting Australians from terrorism if it cost a single job? Would he promise that no nurse, teacher or other public servant would be sacked in pursuit of a budget surplus? Of course not. But when it comes to preventing

by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 21 January 2020] Scott Morrison loves to say that Australia is on track to ‘meet and beat’ our climate targets, but he’s a lot quieter about where that track leads. Admittedly, saying he plans to double Australian coal exports does provide some big hints. If all

Research released by The Australia Institute today reveals new information on the Commonwealth’s controversial purchase of water rights in the Condamine Balonne valley for $80 million in 2017. The Government has refused to release independent valuations of the water rights, despite requests from the Senate, with newly released documents showing similar deals had been repeatedly

by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 11 January 2020] So far, the lives of more than a billion animals have been extinguished in the bushfires. A billion. Gone. Millions of hectares of native forests are burned, along with tens of thousands of dead livestock. Hundreds of family homes are now ash and dozens

by Richard Denniss[Originally published by the Guardian Australia] If only Scott Morrison was as willing to spend money preventing climate change as he is to spend it on disaster repair. The idea that a “stitch in time saves nine” and “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” was once central to the conservative approach

by Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 07 Jan 2020] If Australia and other countries meet their current emission reduction targets bushfires are still going to get much, much worse. Over the past century, humans have caused the world to warm by one degree, but if Australia and the rest of the world

New research from The Australia Institute has revealed that nearly one third of Australians (30%) are expecting to receive a gift that they will never use this Christmas.  Three in ten (30%), or approximately 7.3 million Australians will receive gifts they expect they will never use or wear this Christmas, representing a total value of

Norwegian oil giant Equinor has been given approval by the regulating body NOPSEMA to drill in the Great Australian Bight, in direct opposition to public opinion, The Australia Institute has said. More than four in five South Australians (84%) want to see the Great Australian Bight given World Heritage Protection and a majority of all

As Murray Darling Basin Water Ministers meet today to discuss the future of the Basin management, new research by the Australia Institute shows that the Murray-Darling Basin’s new Inspector General, former AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty, has ignored key issues in his first annual report on the Northern Basin. The ministerial council is likely to work on

New research shows that the Kimberley region is set to experience a dramatic increase in extreme heat including up to a tenfold increase in days over 40 degrees in Broome if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced in line with the Paris Agreement.   The report, by the Australia Institute using CSIRO and BoM data, shows

The Queensland Government has announced its royalty deal arrangement with Adani, due by Saturday 30th November 2019, has been delayed yet again and no new deadline has been set. “This loan deal should never have been on the table, it is against Queensland’s interests and will be to Queensland’s shame if it is waved through,”

by Fergus Green & Richard Denniss[Originally published in the Australian Financial Review, 26 November 2019] The amount of fossil fuels that companies and governments around the world expect to extract over the coming decade is startlingly out of kilter with the imperative to maintain a stable climate system – and Australia is a large part

New research from The Australia Institute has found that, for the first time, more than four in five South Australians (84%) support World Heritage Protection for the Great Australian Bight. That is a 7% increase, when compared to polling undertaken in March of 2019. The research also shows that two out of three South Australians