The decades-long push to make Australia’s universities more ‘business like’ has had scandalous consequences. The remedy is to make university governance more transparent, democratic, and accountable. The most effective way to enact this change would be to amend the establishing Acts that give universities their public mandate.

The annual release of AEMO’s Gas Statement of Opportunities invariably triggers coverage suggesting that Australia, one of the world’s biggest gas producers, is about to run short of gas.

With the High Court of Australia set to hand down a judgement in the matter of Commonwealth of Australia v. Yunupingu (on behalf of the Gumatj Clan or Estate Group) & Ors [2023], The Australia Institute is pleased to publish this analysis by long-time Institute contributor Dr Ed Wensing.

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,009 Australians about their level of home and contents insurance coverage. The results show that: • Of Australians who own their house outright or have a mortgage, 78% say their house is fully insured, 15% say their house is underinsured, and 4% say their house is

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,009 Australians about President Donald Trump, security and the US–Australian alliance. The results show that: • Three in 10 Australians (31%) think Donald Trump is the greatest threat to world peace, more than chose Vladimir Putin (27%) or Xi Jinping (27%). • Most women (56%) feel

The Australian Public Service (APS) is responsible for delivering some of the most crucial social services to all Australians. The APS workforce includes employees who deliver frontline services like in Medicare and Centrelink, those who administer the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and those who assist service personnel and veterans via Veterans Affairs. These are

Wealth inequality over the past 20 years has progressively become worse in Australia.

Important components of the cost-of-living crisis are a direct result of the climate crisis. Failure by policy makers to factor in the impacts of climate change on the cost of living, will limit the government’s ability to address it. Each year we fail to mitigate emissions is another year we bake in cost-of-living pressure in

The Democracy Agenda for the 48th Parliament identifies 13 major reforms that would improve parliamentary debate, government accountability and openness and the operation of integrity institutions. Three of the reforms would improve the deliberations of the 48th Parliament of Australia and make other reforms more achievable. These reforms could be agreed to at the beginning

The January 2025 ceasefire notwithstanding, the outlook for Palestinians remains bleak.

Late last year, the Albanese Government introduced the Electoral Reform Bill, with plans to pass it into law less than two weeks after it became public. Negotiations with the Coalition collapsed, causing the bill to be delayed until the February 2025 sitting. The bill would increase public funding of political parties and candidates, introduce new

Despite Australia’s significant gun reforms following the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre, there are now over four million guns owned by civilians nationwide — 25% higher than in 1996. This equates to one firearm for every seven Australians. Guns are widespread in metropolitan and suburban areas, with one in three firearms in NSW located in major cities.

The results show that:  Seven in ten Australians (70%) think gun laws should make it harder to access a gun. A majority of voters for all political parties and candidates think gun laws should make it harder to access a gun.  Three in five Australians (59%) think donations from the gun lobby to politicians and

Firefighters and paramedics save lives, protect us from the ravages of fire, and ensure the sick and injured receive the medical treatment they need. However, after a working life protecting others, these emergency workers face substantial risk of having inadequate retirement incomes. Firefighters and paramedics are regularly compelled to retire early due to particular barriers

This brief provides an overview of recent commentary from Chinese official and state-affiliated sources about China’s foreign policy.

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,009 Australians about their attitudes to future property prices.

New South Wales has one of the most prosperous and productive economies in Australia, with a diverse base of economic activity and strong labour market. However, years of austerity have hollowed out its public sector, creating one of the proportionally smallest state public sectors in the country in terms of both economic activity and employment.

Coal royalties are a tiny part of NSW Government revenue. Over the last decade, they have averaged only 2.4% of NSW Government revenue. Coal royalties do little to fund regional communities, schools, hospitals, teachers, and nurses.

The Australia Institute has conducted an extensive study of 20 of Australia’s largest and most influential trade associations. The study assesses and compares the size, membership, political activities and members’ services offered by each association, and finds that there is tremendous variety in the types and scale of trade association activity. Most trade associations had

It is generally reported that NDAs can benefit victim-survivors by providing anonymity and privacy where that is the victim-survivor’s choice. However, it is also reported that power imbalances between victim-survivors on the one hand and perpetrators and employers/organisation on the other have left workers feeling they had little choice but to sign NDAs. NDAs have

AGL and Origin Energy are charging consumers much more than large businesses and beyond any price differential that can be justified by differences in supply costs.

New report contrasts South Australia’s economic progress with continued public sector wage restraint By many measures, South Australia has enjoyed the strongest economy of any state in Australia. Its economic growth has been faster in recent years than any state – and in per capita terms, its prosperity has improved twice as fast as the

Giving and receiving gifts is one of the most cherished Christmas traditions. The polling conducted for this report shows that more than three in four Australians (77%) like buying gifts for people at Christmas. However, more than half (52%) would prefer it if people did not buy them gifts for them at Christmas. One quarter

The organisations charged with overseeing regional transition away from coal mining in NSW have a budget of $5.2 million across four organisations. By contrast, $27 million of public money was spent in 2022-23 by Coal Innovation NSW conducting and promoting research that greenwashes the coal industry, while a publicly subsidised coal industry research fund worth

Wholesale gas and electricity prices have tripled in Western Australia since 2020, when the WA government first permitted exports of domestic gas, linking the domestic and international markets. Approval for the Woodside’s proposed North West Shelf Extension will lock in this link for the long term, leading to increased costs for West Australian households and

Extreme heat is the number one cause of weather-related illness and death in all parts of Australia, except Tasmania. Older, poorer, and sicker people are more vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat. This report identifies the locations around Australia in which the greatest number of vulnerable people will be affected by extreme heat. Targeting these areas for support will ensure the greatest number of vulnerable people are helped during periods of extreme heat.

The Australia Institute’s annual Climate of the Nation report provides an insight into Australians’ understanding of, and attitudes towards, climate change and Australia’s current and proposed climate policies. Climate of the Nation 2024 shows that Australians are not only concerned about the climate crisis, they feel negative about the future in the context of climate

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,009 Australians between 13 and 15 November 2024 about stopping fish farming in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast where it put the endangered Maugean skate, an endangered stingray-like marine species, at risk of extinction.

In June 2024, Premier Peter Malinauskas proposed the Electoral (Accountability and Integrity) Amendment Bill. He says it meets his election promise to ban political donations in South Australian elections. In November, a revised version of the bill was introduced to Parliament.

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,005 Australians about the role of protest and protest protection in Australia.