Scholarships, grants and other links between Australian universities and fossil fuel industries

Australia Institute research has long documented the comprehensive failure of government policies to prioritise the interests of Australians over multinational gas exporters. Our view is that the incremental technocratic policies of successive governments to solve these issues have failed, and that a fresh approach is needed. The ACTU’s proposal for a 25% tax on gas

Until the mid-2010s, wholesale gas prices in eastern Australia were low.

On July 2, 2025, the Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, wrote to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Murray Watt. The letter follows the minister’s provisional approval of the expansion of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas export operation in Western Australia, asking that he make public the conditions imposed on

YouGov conducted a national survey of 1,522 voters on behalf of The Australia Institute between 27 June and 3 July 2025, using an online survey polling methodology.

Over the past 10 years $125 billion worth of liquified natural gas was exported from Gladstone in Queensland.

Gas exports from WA cause more greenhouse gas emissions than 153 individual countries.

Companies exporting liquified natural gas from Australia have made windfall profits close to $100 billion since 2022, when energy prices spiked because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Most of these profits are based on royalty-free gas and no Petroleum Resource Rent Tax was paid. At best, $20 billion in company tax was paid on this

Australians are being ripped off by gas export corporations.

Red Imported Fire Ants have the potential to cause significant environmental, social and economic damage.

The Australia Institute commissioned uComms, which surveyed 860 Australians living in Sydney between 17 and 18 March 2025 on environmental issues and salmon farming in Tasmania. Results show that: 61% support stopping salmon farming in areas where it is putting the endangered Maugean skate at risk of extinction; more than twice as many who oppose

In 2024–25, Australian governments provided $14.9 billion worth of spending and tax breaks to assist fossil fuel producers and major users, a 3% increase on 2023–24. Subsidies in the forward estimates have increased from $65 billion to a record $67 billion, a sum 14.2 times larger than the nation’s $4.75 billion disaster response fund.

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.

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

The Australia Institute Tasmania welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Strategic Review of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington and to respond to the discussion paper, A Shared Vision for our Mountain’s Future.

The Australia Institute Tasmania welcomes the opportunity to provide input on the proposed management plan for the South-east Marine Parks Network.

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Reconsideration of Decisions) Bill 2024 seeks to limit the time allowed to reconsider decisions, and on those who may seek reconsideration, to three years.

If Western Australia was a country, it would be the world’s third largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Yet, despite the huge amounts of gas produced in WA annually, recent media reports claim the state is heading for a gas shortage. How can WA be running short of gas when it is a globally

The Tasmanian Government’s draft legislation to fast-track changes to the State Coastal Policy through Tasmanian Parliament ignores legislated process and due diligence. The proposed changes have the potential to weaken the State Coastal Policy, erode protection to the natural and cultural values of Tasmania’s coast, and undermine statewide strategic planning.

Red imported fire ants are one of the world’s most invasive pest species and attempts to eradicate them from South East Queensland are currently under-resourced.

The Future Gas Strategy, published in May 2024, sets out the Albanese Government’s plan for gas production and consumption in Australia between now and 2050.

According to the Australian Government’s Future Gas Strategy, gas is “critical” to the nation’s economy. In view of this, many Australians might be surprised to learn that a large amount of the country’s gas reserves are essentially being given away for free.

Woodside’s North West Shelf Extension has not identified sufficient gas supply for its export capacity. This is already resulting in applications to divert domestic gas to the export terminal. This will permanently destabilise WA’s domestic gas market.

Oil and gas extraction in South Australia employs just 833 people, 0.1% of SA jobs. Petroleum royalties make up 0.4% of the state budget. On oil and gas production worth $1.7 billion in 2021-22, the industry paid at most $99 million in federal tax, of which Santos paid zero. Despite this, the industry has significant

War in Ukraine has seen oil and gas export revenue out of Australia increase from $40 billion in 2020-21 to $107 billion in 2022-23. Lobby group forecasts of $17 billion in 2023-24 payments to government should be considered in this context.

According to the Australian Government’s Future Gas Strategy, gas is “critical” to the nation’s economy.

Every year, over 300,000 tonnes of clothing is either sent to landfill or exported from Australia. To respond to the growing textiles waste problem, the Commonwealth has proposed policies intended to create a ‘circular economy.’ However, a genuinely circular economy depends on drastically reducing the rate at which textiles are produced and consumed, banning the

Royalty revenue from WA gas exports has halved in the past two years and now makes up just 1.5% of budget revenue.

The existing NSW Koala Strategy fails to recognise or address the immediate and systemic impacts of logging, fossil fuel production and climate change on koala populations.