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Economics
- Banking & Finance
- Employment & Unemployment
- Future of Work
- Gender at Work
- Gig Economy
- Industry & Sector Policies
- Inequality
- Infrastructure & Construction
- Insecure & Precarious Work
- Labour Standards & Workers' Rights
- Macroeconomics
- Population & Migration
- Public Sector, Procurement & Privatisation
- Retirement
- Science & Technology
- Social Security & Welfare
- Tax, Spending & the Budget
- Unions & Collective Bargaining
- Wages & Entitlements
- Young Workers
- Climate & Energy
- Democracy & Accountability
- Environment
- International & Security Affairs
- Law, Society & Culture
April 2024
Submission on restart of Redbank Power Station
The Australia Institute made a submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Housing on the proposal to convert the defunct Redbank coal-fired power station to run on woodchips and other biomass. Redbank is located in the Hunter Valley, NSW.
Funding a fairer education system
The NSW education system is increasingly inequitable. Private schools receive public funding and tax concessions that have enabled multimillion dollar developments and salaries in excess of $1 million, while public schools struggle.
Submission – Review of the 2023 NSW election
NSW political donations laws are opaque; truth in political advertising laws are missing; and donation caps, spending caps and public funding overwhelmingly favour incumbents over new entrants.
Submission – PRRT: Delivering fairer and bigger returns, always
Submission to Senate Standing Committees on Economics inquiry into the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Accountability and Fairness) Bill 2023 [Provisions].
Submission: Access to Parliament House by Lobbyists
Lobbying can give vested interests unfair advantages, be unduly secretive and serve to exclude the public from negotiations over policy.
March 2024
Democracy and accountability in the pandemic
The Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program made a submission to the COVID-19 Response Inquiry. The Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program carried out significant research into topics that might be of interest to the panel. This submission outlines how these research papers come under each of the Inquiry’s terms of reference.
Submission: Glendell Mine Modification 5
A submission made by The Australia Institute to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure regarding the Glendell Mine Modification 5. The Modification should be rejected on both economic and environmental grounds. At the very least, it should be subject to a comprehensive economic assessment before a planning decision is reached. The Australia Institute
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.
Inquiry into the ART bills
The Administrative Review Tribunal Bill represents a dramatic improvement on the politicised appointments process that undermined trust in and the operations of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Submission to the Fair Work Commission Modern Award Review 2023-2024, Work and Care
The Fair Work Commission’s Review of Modern Awards 2023-24 is considering the impact of workplace relations settings on work and care. This submission argues for good quality, secure part-time jobs to achieve more gender-equitable sharing of care and to support women’s full economic participation.
Submission: NSW Planning system and the impacts of climate change
The Australia Institute made a submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the NSW Planning system and the impacts of climate change on the environment and communities.
February 2024
Submission: Inquiry into the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 1982
FOI is a crucial part of the beneficial information feedback loop between the government and the people.
December 2023
Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee on the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (More Support for Working Families) Bill 2023
This joint submission by the Centre for Future Work and the Nordic Policy Centre argues for immediate further reform to bring Australia’s Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme up to international best practice standards.
Submission: Climate Active Program Direction
There is no evidence that self-regulation and/or voluntary environmental certification schemes result in better outcomes for the environment or consumers. In fact, the opposite is often true, with these initiatives facilitating misleading claims by the private sector.
Ensuring equitable access to Voluntary Assisted Dying
The Australia Institute is grateful for the opportunity to make a submission to the review of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023. The ACT Government and Minister for Human Rights Tara Cheyne should be commended for introducing this bill.
Submission to Tasmania’s draft Transport Emissions Reduction and Resilience Plan
The Tasmanian Government’s draft Emissions Reduction and Resilience Plan (ERRP) for transport lacks all ambition. It introduces no new targets, actions or timelines to decarbonise the sector, and in its current form, is unlikely to lead to a reduction in transport emissions. Without significant revision, the ERRP will leave Tasmania with some of the weakest transport emissions reduction commitments in Australia. The Australia Institute recommends that the final ERRP adopts a range of targets and actions that demonstrate a commitment to climate action.
November 2023
Submission: Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Climate Equity) Bill 2023 Inquiry
The impacts of climate change on young people and future generations are enormous, approaching unfathomable.
Submission: An independent ABC for a strong democracy
Australia’s public broadcasters (the ABC and SBS) should remain independent and free from political interference.
October 2023
Submission: NSW Net Zero Future Bill 2023
The Bill is unlikely to facilitate actions that would result in genuine emissions reductions in NSW, including elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, a moratorium on coal and gas development and decarbonisation of industry and transport. While the goals of the Bill are laudable, fiscal responsibility is a subjective guiding principle and open to creative interpretation
Submission to Tasmania’s Sustainability Strategy
The delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must be integrated into national and subnational planning if there is to be any chance of success at a global level. Tasmania’s forthcoming Sustainability Strategy provides an opportunity to identify sustainability issues in Tasmania and develop a roadmap to address them. Achieving the SDGs at a state level requires ambition from all sectors, but it hinges on a strong commitment from the Tasmanian government to take strong action to address sustainability issues.
Submission to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023
Experts from the Centre for Future Work recently made a submission to the Senate committee studying the “Closing Loopholes” bill, which would make several reforms to the Fair Work Act.
Consultants: Structurally Unsound
The audit, assurance and consulting industry has failed to meet expectations. The industry needs clear standards, better monitoring and strong sanctions for misconduct.
September 2023
Submission: 2022 Victorian State Election Inquiry
Truth in political advertising laws are recommended, supported, and overdue in Victoria.
Submission: Money and Power in Victorian Elections
In 2018, the Victorian Parliament made major changes to electoral law in the state, including introducing real-time disclosure of donation, banning foreign donations and limiting anonymous donations.
Submission: Climate Change Authority Modelling
Avoiding the worst impacts of climate change demands urgent action. This urgency ought to be driven by fulsome and transparent information. Current economic modelling by the CCA could be an important contribution to this task, if done properly and shared with all.
Submission: Consultants: corrosive and conflicted
The problems attached to over-use of consultants are becoming clearer. The experience in New South Wales accords with the national experience: dependency on consultants hollows out public sector capacity and leads to bad government decisions.
NeuRizer underground coal gasification project – economic considerations
The Australia Institute welcomes the opportunity to make a submission on the Syngas and Power Generation, Stage 1 Commercial Development, NeuRizer Urea Project, which is currently open for public comment under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act Public Portal.
August 2023
Submission: Freedom of Information Inquiry
FOI is a crucial part of the beneficial information feedback loop between the government and the people. However, our FOI system is broken and cultural and legal changes are needed to fix it.
Submission: Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures Bill 2023
A submission made by the Australia Institute to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security on the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures) Bill 2023.
Submission: Northern Territory mining royalty consultation
The Australia Institute made a submission to the Northern Territory Government’s Consultation for designing an ad valorem mineral royalty scheme. In our view, It is unclear that there is a need to change the NT mining royalty system. Following reforms in 2018, royalty revenue has increased substantially, and mining exploration investment is at a 10-year