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Economics
- Banking & Finance
- Employment & Unemployment
- Future of Work
- Gender at Work
- Gig Economy
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- Labour Standards & Workers' Rights
- Macroeconomics
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- Public Sector, Procurement & Privatisation
- Retirement
- Science & Technology
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- Tax, Spending & the Budget
- Unions & Collective Bargaining
- Wages & Entitlements
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November 2024
Electric vehicle policies in NSW
For NSW to meet its emissions reduction targets it will need a broader range of policies to encourage the uptake of EVs. New policies should help reduce the upfront cost of EVs, encourage the purchase of EVs as fleet vehicles, and require anyone who sells an EV to provide a ‘state-of-health’ report on the car’s
October 2024
Financial regulatory framework and home ownership
Home ownership rates have been declining in Australia for most of the 21st century. At the
same time the proportion of people in private rentals is increasing. Housing is becoming
increasingly expensive as a larger share of the existing housing stock is purchased by
households not to occupy but as an investment. The result of this is that the proportion of
rental properties is rising and so the proportion of households who rent is also rising. This
then explains why home ownership rates are falling.
July 2024
The oil and gas industry in South Australia
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
April 2024
Income tax in Australia’s tax system
One of the most common misconceptions about Australia’s tax system is that it is over-reliant on income tax.
Supermarkets or super mark-ups?
The Australian supermarket sector continues to be dominated by a duopoly of two firms: Coles and Woolworths. There is increasing evidence that this duopoly has used its market power to propagate and magnify recent inflationary shocks. Supermarket profits have increased in recent years and there is now evidence that margins have also increased. Food retailers
March 2024
Submission to the Reserve Bank Reforms 2023 bill
The Australia Institute argued that the RBA review’s proposal to remove the Australian Parliament’s power to override the RBA on monetary policy is wrong.
February 2024
Benefits of Modifying the Stage 3 Tax Cuts by Electorate
Lower income electorates on the fringes of capital cities and rural areas will get the largest benefit from modifying the Stage 3 tax cuts.
November 2023
Small Fish, Big Pond
Australian Bureau of Statistics data suggests that salmon farming in Tasmania provides between 1,100 and 1,700 jobs, less than 1% of the state’s employment.
October 2023
A Better Stage 3
The Stage 3 cuts are a high-cost, inequitable policy.
September 2023
Profit-Price Inflation: Theory, International Evidence, and Policy Implications
New research confirms that corporate profits in Australia, despite recent moderation, remain well above historic norms, and must fall further in order to allow a rebuilding of real wages in Australia that have been badly damaged by recent inflation.
Food Waste in Australia
Australia wastes 7.6m tonnes of food each year, costing households $19.3 billion.
April 2023
Effect of news media bargaining code on journalism employment
Job advertisement numbers increased 46% compared to the pre-pandemic average after the mandatory bargaining code was introduced.
Divided Nation: The Stage 3 Tax Cuts Broken Down by City and Country Electorates
The 20 electorates that will benefit the most from Stage 3 are all classified as metropolitan, with 10 in Sydney, five in Melbourne, three in Brisbane, and one in Perth and Canberra. Of the 20 electorates that benefit the least, 12 are classified as rural.
Inequality on Steroids
Since the global financial crisis there has been a fundamental change in the operation of the Australian economy. Since World War Two, the majority of the benefits of economic growth have flowed to the bottom 90 per cent of income earners. However, as shown in Figure 1, between 2009 and 2019 the top 10 per
March 2023
In reverse
Australia’s light duty vehicle fleet is among the least fuel efficient in the world, using 24% more fuel per kilometre travelled than the UK. If the UK’s modest standards could be met here, Australian drivers would save $13 billion a year in fuel costs and overall transport emissions would be 17% lower.
October 2022
Raising Revenue in Australia
Australians want more public services that will require more government revenue. This paper summarises Australia’s tax system, its international context, and principles to guide its reform.
April 2022
The Economic Benefits of High-Quality Universal Early Child Education
Expanded ECEC services would provide a badly-needed boost to Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19.
March 2022
Fair Go Gone: Stage 3 tax cuts and LMITO by occupation
The stage 3 tax cuts will give occupations like CEOs of large corporations, surgeons, and federal politicians a $9,075 a year tax cut. While aged care workers, hairdressers, and café workers will get nothing. When the LMITO ends teachers, nurses and chefs will pay $1080 more in tax.
February 2022
Rich Man’s World
The stage 3 tax cuts will go mainly to male, high income taxpayers. Half will go to the top 10%, 72 per cent going to the top 20 per cent while the bottom half get only five per cent and the bottom 20 per cent get nothing. Men will get twice as much of the tax cut as women.
9 in 10 Taxpayers to Pay More Tax Under Current Government Plan to Scrap LMITO
An electorate analysis of the Federal Government’s current plan to scrap the LMITO (Low and Middle Income Tax Offset) after 2021-22, shows most taxpayers will be worse off when the legislated Stage 3 tax cuts to high income earners comes into effect in 2024-25. Key Findings: Scrapping the LMITO will see 90% of taxpayers pay
August 2021
Principles of a good tax
How we tax has a big impact on our society. The decision of what and how much to tax is important. This paper provides policy makers with five principles to evaluate our taxation choices.
April 2021
How to make the Budget less sexist
Budget policy has traditionally advantaged men over women. This paper makes seven recommendations on how to improve women’s economic security and use the budget as a tool to reduce gender inequality.
Rich Men and Tax Concessions
Modelling from the Centre for Social Research and Methods on income, wealth and gender distribution of negative gearing, CGT discount, super tax concessions and excess franking credits shows that these tax concessions overwhelmingly benefit high-income, high-wealth men.
March 2021
Opportunity lost
In March 2020, the Government lifted almost half a million Australians (470,000) out of poverty, including 75,000 children, by introducing the coronavirus supplement worth $550 per fortnight.
February 2021
Unemployment payments and work incentives: An international comparison
A study of 33 OECD countries shows that Australia could substantially lift its unemployment payments without any meaningful disincentives for working. The Government has argued that Australia’s internationally low unemployment payments are needed, in part as an incentive to encourage the unemployment to look for and accept work. This briefing note tests the Government’s theory
November 2020
October 2020
Tax cuts or spending: What is the most effective stimulus?
Bringing forward stage 2 of the tax cuts is ineffective stimulus. Up to 12 times as many jobs could be created if an equivalent amount of money was spent on labour intensive industries.
Tax and Wellbeing: The impact of taxation on economic wellbeing
It has been claimed that higher levels of taxation weaken the economy but a comparative study of 188 economies shows that higher levels of taxation are correlated with higher average income. The positive correlation also exists with other measures of economic wellbeing. Please note: this report was updated on 8th December 2020, correcting an error
September 2020
Early tax cuts as stimulus – gender analysis
The benefit from bringing forward personal income tax cuts would mostly go to high income men. Despite recession job losses affecting women more than men, $2.19–$2.28 of the tax cut will go to men for every $1 that goes to women.
Early tax cuts as stimulus
Bringing forward personal income tax cuts would see more than 50% of benefits go to the highest 10% of income earners and 79%-91% of benefits to the top 20% of earners. Just 3%-4% of the benefit would go to the lower half of all income earners. High income earners would save some or all of