New research from The Australia Institute has found that young voters and their strong interest in tackling global warming could be a significant factor at the next election in South Australia, across both the Lower House and the Senate. More than half (55%) of South Australians aged 18 to 24-years-old ranked policies around tackling climate

New analysis of the new BAE economics modelling by Brian Fisher released today, highlights that it is based on numerous flawed assumptions which cast serious doubt to the validity of the claims contained. Key Findings: Fisher’s results are contradicted by a large economic literature. The Australia Institute has identified 17 reports from the last five

by Richard Denniss[Originally published on The Guardian Australia, 02 May 2019]  Australians are asked to either vote ‘above the line’ in the Senate by expressing a preference for at least six political parties, or vote ‘below the line’ by expressing a preference for at least 12 individual candidates. Photograph: Paul Crock/AFP/Getty Images You can’t name

The Australia Institute is calling for an apology and explanation from AEC Commissioner Tom Rogers after the Commissioner gave wrong senate voting instructions to listeners of RN Breakfast on the morning pre-polls open for the 2019 Federal Election. With early voting for the federal election starting today, Monday 29 April, mass public confusion still exists

The Australia Institute has today released analysis of official responses to the Watergate scandal surrounding Murray Darling water purchases, covered by The Project, Guardian and other outlets.   The analysis finds that official responses are misleading and in some cases incorrect: The Prime Minister’s claim that the record water purchase was covered in a Senate inquiry

Four in five Australians support a Federal Integrity Commission and 76% agree it should have the ability to hold public hearings, according to new research from the Australia Institute. The Australia Institute polled a nationally representative sample of 1,536 Australians about levels of trust in Federal Parliament, their support for a Federal Integrity Commission, and

New research from The Australia Institute dispels stereotypes around what Australians drink and their political leanings finding that café latte drinkers vote Liberal/National more than any other party. Among regular latte drinkers, voting intentions were 34% LNP, 32% Labor, 16% Greens 7% One Nation, 12% other Regular chai latte drinkers are also most likely to

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 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 Australia Institute has reviewed economic modelling of climate policies released today by Brian Fisher of BAEconomics. The Institute’s review shows that BAEconomics’ modelling is based on flawed assumptions and its conclusions are not valid. Key problems with BAEconomics model: Does not incorporate rapidly declining costs of renewable energy, storage and electric vehicle. Minimal disclosure

New research released today by The Australia Institute shows that around 2,000 gigalitres of water were used for cotton crops in the northern Murray Darling Basin in the last year, while less than 11 gigalitres made it downstream to Wilcannia where residents have no drinking water. Almost no water reached Menindee, the site of the

New analysis from The Australia Institute prepared by researcher Bill Browne shows the Coalition is in danger of missing out on a third Senator in each state, which has not happened since the Senate was expanded in 1987. The analysis is based on new Australia Institute national polling of 1536 people which shows Labor and

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,536 Australians about which current and recent Ministers they had heard of At the next federal election, the retirement of Bishop and Pyne leaves only two Ministers known by most of Australians: Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton. Two of the three most recognised female MPs are

After decades of uninterrupted economic growth, how is it that we all still feel so poor? It’s the question that leading Australian economist, Dr Richard Denniss, gets to the heart of in his newest book Dead Right: How neoliberalism ate itself and what comes next. In a national book tour, starting next week, Denniss will

NSW Water Minister Niall Blair has been urged to halt a controversial policy change in an open letter co-ordinated by The Australia Institute and signed by irrigators, graziers, Aboriginal nations, local governments, environment groups and the former Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. The broad alliance of signatories oppose the Minister’s plan to give away rights to

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

The Australia Institute welcomes today’s publication of From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting, by Judith Brett from Latrobe University. New analysis released by The Australia Institute shows that Australian voter turnout for the last election was at a record low – the lowest level since compulsory voting was introduced. Meanwhile, the

by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 23 Febuary 2019] These last two weeks of Parliament may prove a turning point for the 2019 election, but only time will tell if they mark the moment the Coalition got back in the game or the point at which voters wrote them off entirely. At their

by Ebony Bennett[Originally published in the Canberra Times, 8 Feb 2019] One of the first things you learn as a child is not to be greedy. It’s a fairly straightforward lesson. Yet, greed is the ultimate culprit identified by Justice Kenneth Haynes in his banking royal commission report. Worse still, the current hysteria surrounding franking

E&OE TRANSCRIPT – PRESS CONFERENCE 31 January 2019, Parliament House, 2.30PM Rod Campbell, Research Director, The Australia Institute Maryanne Slattery, Senior Water Researcher, The Australia Institute Rod Campbell: Three things are clear from the Royal Commission’s report today. The first is that we need more water in the Murray-Darling Basin. Our rivers need more water.

New research from The Australia Institute estimates the cost of online harassment and cyberhate to have cost Australians an estimated total of $3.7 billion dollars in health costs and lost income. Key findings: More than one in three of all internet users have experienced some form of online harassment or abuse. The most common were

New research by the Australia Institute shows that the Darling River fish kill was due to the mismanagement of the Menindee Lakes in southwest New South Wales. Key findings: The Lakes were drained in 2016-17 at a time when downstream areas did not need water – South Australia was experiencing flooding and all Murray irrigation

The Australia Institute welcomes the Labor Party proposal to hold a Commission of Inquiry into the mass fish kill at Menindee Lakes last week.  “The blame game for the mass fish deaths is well and truly on. The Prime Minister blames the drought, the NSW Water Minister blames the Commonwealth, upstream blames downstream, and downstream

New analysis from The Australia Institute has found that nearly one in five Liberal voters in Boothby are now less likely to vote for the party after Malcolm Turnbull was dumped as Prime Minister. Furthermore, the majority of Boothby voters support increased spending on health and education over tax cuts and register overwhelming support for

A new report from The Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy Program has shown the Senate crossbench’s role in preventing the Coalition Government from abolishing three renewable energy policies (The Clean Energy Finance Corporation, ARENA and the Renewable Energy Target) resulted in $23.4 billion worth of investment in renewable energy, from 2013–2018. The ‘Saved by the

Newly released documents show the Commonwealth faces “unique fraud risks” in relation to the management of environmental water in the Murray Darling Basin. An audit written by Ernst and Young (EY) found the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, and the near $3.2 billion worth of water it controls, was at risk of being defrauded by state

The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to poll the federal seat of Boothby (722 respondents) on the evening of 11 December 2018. Key Findings: 51/49 TPP favouring Liberal Party MP Nicolle Flint 83.6% of Boothby resident support giving the Great Australian Bight World Heritage Protection, with more than half (54.2%) of Boothby residents strongly supporting the

“Today’s announcement by the Prime Minister is a welcome acknowledgement that the Government sees tackling corruption is important for the health of our democracy and we need new structures to address the problem,” said Ben Oquist, Executive Director of The Australia Institute. “However, while the problem of corruption has been acknowledged, only half the solution