Share

The Wrap with Amy Remeikis

If there is one thing you can bank on, it is that conservative governments know how to use power.

They never shy away from it.

If a conservative government wants to change something, it will, and it won’t worry about who it is annoying, or the pushback, or whether or not it is the smart move. It will do it, knowing that it will very quickly become the new normal and people, more likely than not, will move on.

John Howard did it for 11 years. Howard changed this country more in the last three decades than almost any other modern politician. While he eventually pushed the electorate too far with Work Choices, he would probably say it was worth it – because many of the changes he went to the wall for still exist today. Why?

Because the left never uses power the same way. And conservatives know it.

Just this week, New Zealand’s conservative government voted to resume oil and gas exploration, reversing the ban the Jacinda Ardern government put in place in 2018.

There was mass opposition from environmental groups, community and the environment. But they did it, with the final vote passing 68 to 54.

If this was Australia, no future progressive government would seek to reinstate the ban. There would be talk of ‘learning lessons’ and having ‘tried something’ but how it wasn’t what people wanted. It would be the ‘past’ and how they must ‘accept’ that circumstances have changed.

It is why you won’t see a Labor government go anywhere near a carbon price, or progressive tax reform, or do more than tinker around the edges of existing legislation. Because when it comes to using power, Australian conservatives seize it, having learnt it is more effective to ask for forgiveness than permission, while Australia’s centre-left party allow those same conservatives to set the boundaries of what they are able to achieve.

We saw a lot of that in the first sitting of the 48th parliament. The Liberals are at their lowest – holding just 29% of the house of representatives. They were stuck asking questions from 2022, ignoring the fact there had been an election in between. It was as if someone asked ChatGPT what the Australian opposition should be asking in question time and it scraped the 47th parliament for answers.

And still, with all the internal bin fires, the sideshow of the Barnapocalypse, and the lack of cohesive direction on anything from their traditional opponents, Labor did the least it could do with power.

Existing HECS debts were cut – but the Morrison-era Jobs Ready Graduate scheme sits there untouched after more than three years in power. Childcare centres can lose federal funding if they don’t meet national minimums, but we can’t get to the national watchdog just yet. We’ll recognise Palestine…eventually. We’re listening to the science when it comes to the 2035 targets, but we won’t stop new coal and gas and it doesn’t matter that those two things don’t go together.

Oh, gas exports have tripled gas prices and doubled electricity prices? Well surely if we just explore opening more fields up for exports, things will get better.

"The gas industry is ripping Australians off and our governments are letting them."We don't need thousands more pages of inquiries telling us what we've known for years."What we need is for our Government to stand up for the interests of Australians."@markogge.bsky.social #auspol

— The Australia Institute (@australiainstitute.org.au) 2025-07-29T05:02:29.894Z

Don’t ask for more, or you could get less. These things take time. And we must bring the public with us, because otherwise, you could get Morrison/Dutton/Ley/Hastie.

It’s not just the Labor government who is convinced of this, but many in the third space where politics meets policy – advocacy and expert groups who don’t want to push too far, for fear of going backwards.

But you know who doesn’t think about that? Conservatives. And that’s why those who believe in a different, bolder, better Australia shouldn’t either.

We won’t stop pushing. And we know you won’t either.

Take care of you, Ax

— Amy Remeikis is the Chief Political Analyst at the Australia Institute

The Big Stories

Dead Centre: new Vantage Point essay by Richard Denniss

The sensible centre. Evidence-based policy. These are not the same. In fact, they are at odds with each other.

In Dead Centre: How political pragmatism is killing us, Richard Denniss explores the contradiction between centrism and evidence that sits at the heart of democratic debate in Australia.

“We are one of the richest countries in the world, yet our health, education and public transport systems are a pale imitation of what many Europeans enjoy,” writes Richard Denniss.

You can pre-order this edition of Vantage Point now for $19.95 or become a subscriber to the series and save $15 across 4 issues. If you want to see Richard Denniss talk about his new book live, join us on his book tour in August and September.

Pre-order Dead Centre >

Gas exports have tripled Australian gas prices and doubled electricity prices

Gas exports have led to the tripling of wholesale east coast gas prices and doubling of electricity prices since they began in 2015, according to new Australia Institute research.

The Australian and Queensland governments’ decisions in 2010 to allow large-scale exporting of Australian gas from Queensland exposed Australians to high global prices, ending decades of abundant, low-cost gas for Australians, leading to higher energy bills, gas shortages and manufacturing closures.

“When you get your next energy bill, blame the gas industry and your governments for opening the gas export floodgates despite being warned it would drive up energy bills for Australians,” said Mark Ogge, Principal Adviser at The Australia Institute.

What’s happening in the 48th parliament?

Don’t want to miss out on all the latest research, fact checking and analysis on the Australia Institute liveblog with Amy Remeikis?

You can sign up to receive an SMS alert each weekday morning (at around 9am AEST) when Parliament is sitting so you can stay across the latest in policy and politics – you can opt out at any time.

Register now >

ICJ ruling confirms states have a legal duty to act on climate

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has confirmed that states have binding legal obligations under international law to prevent climate harm and protect present and future generations.

“Australia cannot have it both ways — claiming leadership in international forums while undermining it in others,” said Polly Hemming, Director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Australia Institute.

“This ruling puts countries like Australia on notice. We have legal obligations — not just moral ones — to stop fueling the climate crisis.”

New analysis reveals the devastating truth behind Australians’ poker machine losses

New analysis by The Australia Institute reveals that the vast majority of the money Australians lose on poker machines each year is money they simply cannot afford to lose.

“Poker machines are making a killing from problem gamblers,” said Skye Predavec, Anne Kantor Fellow at The Australia Institute and author of the analysis.

“If the vast majority of poker machine profits come from risky gambling rather than those who gamble responsibly, it’s time politicians treated the industry in line with the harm it causes.”

Election result shows Tasmanians want a power-sharing government

After the recent state election, whoever forms government in Tasmania will need to work with the Greens or independents if they want to govern.

Recent polling commissioned by The Australia Institute shows more Tasmanians agree than disagree that the major parties should seek to form a power-sharing government with Greens and independents if they cannot form government in their own right.

“One thing this election result should do is dispel the notion that power-sharing governments are punished by the Tasmanian electorate,” said Eloise Carr, Director of The Australia Institute Tasmania.

“The narratives that the Liberals and Labor have been pushing do not hold up. Polling – and now this election result – show that voters of the major parties prefer power-sharing governments.”

Hear more >

The Win

HECS cuts have passed the Senate

The HECS/Help legislation has passed through the senate with no amendments.

Australians with a debt will have their loans reduced by 20 per cent by the end of the year.

The Greens and independents voted for it, the Coalition abstained and One Nation voted against it.

Did you know in 2023-24, Australians paid more than 4 times on HECS/HELP than gas companies did on PRRT?

The Bin

Oil and gas export rip-off gets worse as Australian governments hand back royalties to Big Gas

Reporting in Boiling Cold, as well as the ABC, Guardian Australia and The Sydney Morning Herald, confirms the Australian and Western Australian governments will hand back almost half of the royalties collected from the Chevron-operated Barrow Island joint venture oil facility in WA.

The deal between Chevron and the Australian and WA governments means taxpayers will pay Chevron and its joint venture partners, Santos and Exxon, at least $500 million.

That is about half the $1 billion in royalties the companies paid over the 40-year life of the project.

The Quote

“To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe — to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it — is a wonder beyond words.”

– Joanna Macy, Environmental Activist and Philosopher (1929 – 2025)

Podcasts

Lowest inflation since Covid, but will the RBA act? | Dollars & Sense

Inflation is at its lowest level since March 2021, and below the RBA’s target in five capital cities. If there isn’t a rate cut coming soon, Greg will be absolutely flummoxed.

Listen now:

Australia’s gun laws aren’t as strong as you think | Follow the Money

Nearly three decades after the Port Arthur massacre, there are more guns than ever before in Australia and there is still no national firearms register.

Listen now:

Are the Democrats an unworkable coalition? | After America

Assistant Professor Musa Al-Gharbi joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the catastrophic failure of the Democrats to effectively resist Trump’s agenda and whether a new generation of leaders can turn the party around.

Listen now:

What’s On

Richard Denniss on tour

When both major parties oppose reform then the position of the sensible centre becomes indistinguishable from blind support for keeping things as they are. Like an old street directory, the left/right/centre map of Australian politics is dated, disorienting and dangerously incomplete. The focus on the ‘sensible centre’ has created a bad map where the road leads to nowhere, ignoring evidence when it is convenient.

In this national tour in August and September, Australia Institute Executive Director Richard Denniss will talk about his new book, Dead Centre: How political pragmatism is killing us, which explores the contradiction between centrism and evidence that sits at the heart of democratic debate in Australia.

You can book tickets now for events around the country.

Don’t miss your chance to hear one of Australia’s leading public thinkers, live at a city near you!

Get your tickets here >

Between the Lines Newsletter

The biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight.

Sign up