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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
May 2021
Submission to Inquiry into the Australian aquaculture sector
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing primary industry sectors in Australia. In 2017-18 aquaculture production was valued at $1.4 billion. This represents 44% of Australia’s total seafood production. The most valuable aquaculture species in 2017-18, at $855 million, was salmonids. Tasmania is Australia’s primary salmonid producer, accounting for 98% of Australia’s salmonid production and
Submission: Review of Tasmania’s Climate Change Act and developing the next Climate Action Plan
Tasmania should position itself as a climate change leader by setting a target of net-zero emissions by 2035, underpinned by 5-yearly interim targets and sectoral emissions targets. Electrifying transport, buildings, and industry, as well as reducing residential and industrial gas use, and offsetting agricultural emissions will be key to Tasmania’s climate transition. Conservation of Tasmania’s
April 2021
Tahmoor coal
The Australia Institute made a submission to the NSW Independent Planning Commission on additional material provided to the Commission by the proponents regarding greenhouse gas emissions. The additional material is inaccurate, misleading and continues the low standard of information being submitted by the proponents and their consultants.
Wrong way, go back
What is the Federal Government’s Gas-Fired Recovery Plan? At its most base level it appears to be a series of taxpayer subsidies to export-focused gas companies. The process for allocating these subsidies is secretive, with no publicly available criteria, or even policy documents answering many of the basic questions of what the plan is aiming
Submission to the Senate Select Committee on Job Security
The Senate Select Committee on Job Security was appointed 10 December 2020, to inquire into and report on the impact of insecure or precarious employment on the economy, wages, social cohesion and workplace rights and conditions. This includes the extent of insecure and precarious employment in Australia, the impacts of COVID-19 with respect to job precarity and insecurity, the digitally-mediated ‘gig’ economy, and other matters. The Centre for Future Work has made a submission to the Select Committee.
Submission on the Future Fuels Discussion Paper
The federal government can improve Australia’s low electric vehicle uptake through upfront purchase incentives, CO2 emissions standards, a 100% gov fleet target and correcting its own misinformation and modelling.
March 2021
The banality of Anvil
The Australia Institute made a submission objecting to the proposal to expand and extend the Mangoola coal mine in the Hunter Valley.
Pleasant Dreams
The Australia Institute made a submission objecting to the proposal to expand and extend the Mt Pleasant coal mine in the Hunter Valley.
Commonwealth Integrity Commission (CIC) Consultation
This submission is made on behalf of the National Integrity Committee. We are an independent group of retired judges who have been involved in advocating the need for a National Integrity Commission. The Committee was formed with the assistance of The Australia Institute. However, we remain an entirely independent body acting in the public interest
February 2021
Please sir, I want Tahmoor
The Australia Institute made a submission to the NSW Independent Planning Commission on the Tahmoor South Coal Project.
NSW Rapid Assessment Framework
The Australia Institute made a submission to the “Rapid Assessment Framework” consultation, a process to reform parts of the NSW planning process.
Submission to Senate Inquiry into the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020
In December 2020, the Senate of Australia launched an important inquiry into the federal government’s proposed Fair Work Amendment Bill.
Core features of the legislation include clarifying and expanding employer power to hire workers on a casual basis, obtain greater flexibility in the use of permanent part-time workers (adjusting hours up or down without penalty, much like casual workers), and exercise greater unilateral wage-fixing influence in enterprise agreement (EA)-making.
Audit of strategic water purchases
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report on strategic water purchases found that the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ processes were poor, could not ensure value for money or that conflicts of interest were eliminated. Despite these findings, the audit did not ask if the public actually got value for money and real environmental
January 2021
Submission on the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020
The Australia Institute welcomes the opportunity to make a submission on the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020 (The Climate Act). The Climate Act is modelled on the United Kingdoms’ Climate Change Act (2008). Similar legislation has been passed in New Zealand and Ireland, with Germany and Fiji currently considering similar
Submission on Enhanced offshore oil and gas decommissioning framework
The Australia Institute made a submission on the consultation paper for the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources’ Enhanced offshore oil and gas decommissioning framework.
Foreign Interference through Social Media: Submission
The Australia Institute welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media.
December 2020
Submission to Energy Security Board Renewable Energy Zones consultation paper
Submission made to the Energy Security Board’s proposed framework for the planning of renewable energy zones (REZ) within state jurisdictions in the National Electricity Market (NEM). This form part an ongoing research project titled Rural Communities and Renewable Energy: A Socio-economic Study in NSW, conducted by thte University of Sydney Environment Institute, Australian National University and the
November 2020
Impact of Social Media on Elections and Electoral Administration: Submission
The regulatory framework surrounding political advertising on social media is almost non-existent, in contrast to the strict rules for election advertising on other media. Partly because social media ads can be “micro-targeted” to small audiences, it can be hard to identify what political parties and candidates claim in ads or who they have made that claim to. Existing “Internet ad libraries” on some platforms do not fully address this problem.
Submission: A 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent
The Australia Institute made a submission to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Consultation on the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) 2050 Strategy.
Submission: Ensuring a strong and meaningful Code on Disinformation
The Centre for Responsible Technology made a submission to the consultation process on a digital industry code on disinformation, run by industry group DIGI.
October 2020
Submission on Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020
The Australia Institute made a submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade regarding the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020.
Submission to COAG Energy Council on smart demand response appliances
COAG Energy Council consulted on a proposed new national regulation that would mandate air conditioning and other consumer devices to have ‘smart’ demand response capabilities. This requirement would only apply to new appliances. The Australia Institute made a submission arguing that the economic modelling in the Regulatory Impact Statement justified making the decision as it
Submission to AEMC on 2nd draft of Wholesale Demand Response rule change
We made an independent submission to the Australian Energy Market Commission on the second draft rule and draft determination for the Wholesale Demand Response rule change. We supported the Commission’s more preferable rule on the basis that it contains a considerable number of changes to the mechanism which increase the effectiveness of the reform. We
AEMC submission supporting solar consumers
The Australian Energy Market Commission is considering a rule change that would allow distribution networks to charge households with solar PV for the energy they export. Our submission argues that it would be unfair to bring in a new system of charges to cover the supposed costs of DER before DER can also earn fair
September 2020
Proposed amendments to the Poisons Standard
The Australia Institute and FearLess support the rescheduling of psilocybin and MDMA from Schedule 9 to Schedule 8 of the Poisons Standard. The potential risks from this change are small while the benefits are potentially large. Academic studies recognise the low level of harm caused by these substances. Despite researchers finding “easy to very easy”
August 2020
Searching for a solution
Technology, Standards and Democracy
Workers in most industries and occupations worry about the effects of accelerating technological change on their employment security and prospects. New digital technologies are being applied to an increasingly diverse and complex array of tasks and jobs – including artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies which can exercise judgment and decision-making powers. Some studies suggest that as many as half of all jobs may be highly vulnerable to automation and computerisation in coming decades. The NSW Legislative Council has established a Select Committee to examine the impact of technological and other change on the future of work in NSW. The Centre for Future Work has lodged a submission.
Workplace surveillance
Submission to the Select Committee on the Impact of Technological Change on the Future of Work