The Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the extent of income inequality in Australia asked The Australia Institute for some background briefing on how the role of dividend imputation in Australia was relevant to the committee’s deliberations. This brief provides some supplementary information on dividend imputation and franking credits.

The Airly mine is an underground thermal coal mine in the Capertee Valley, NSW. A proposal to expand the mine is currently being assessed by the NSW Department of Planning and the Environment. The Australia Institute made a submission on the expansion proposal relating to its economic assessment. The Economic Assessment of the Airly Mine

In September 2014 the Australia Institute made a written submission and in-person presentation to the NSW Planning and Assessment Commission on the proposal to extend the Invincible and Cullen Valley mines, owned by Coalpac. The mines are in a sensitive environmental area near the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The key points of our submission

Native vegetation and regulations relating to its management have a minimal economic effect on agriculture in New South Wales (NSW). The state produces between $10 and $16 billion in agricultural output per year, dependent largely on rainfall and commodity prices. When rainfall is good and commodity prices are high, output is high. Less rainfall and

Queensland’s economy is based on service industries. Service industries employ nearly three quarters of the Queensland workforce and make up two thirds of economic output. 99 per cent of Queenslanders do not work in the coal industry. 96 per cent of Queensland government revenue does not come from coal royalties. 93 per cent of Queensland’s

At first sight child labour may not appear to be a material issue for Australian companies and investors: Australia has labour laws that prescribe the minimum school-leaving and employment age. Australia also has a rich tradition in worker representation and a trade union movement active in advancing labour rights. However Australia is not an island

The Australian government is currently willing to boost the retirement incomes of wealthy Australians by providing low cost ‘reverse mortgages’ through Centrelink. The Pension Loan Scheme (PLS) allows eligible Australians to receive payments equivalent to the full age pension paid into their bank account on a fortnightly basis, borrowed from the government and secured against

Property crime in Australia declined by more than half between 2001 and 2011 – affecting 2.9 per cent of households in 2012, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Although the proportion of victims has been falling steadily, recovery from these incidents remains an important policy issue for those unfortunate Australians who fall prey to

Construction is an important industry in Australia, with sales accounting for $327 billion or some 21 per cent of GDP and its contribution to value added being 7.6 per cent of GDP. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data allow us to examine and estimate the productivity magnitudes involved in this industry and its components; building

The Australia Institute (TAI) gave evidence to the NSW Planning and Assessment Commission on the Terminal 4 project. The proposal is to expand the capacity of the coal terminal at the Newcastle Port managed by Port Waratah Coal Services (PWCS). TAI was asked to provide an expert report on the economic assessment of the project

The Mount Thorley-Warkworth mine complex is a large open cut coal mine operation near Singleton, in the Hunter Valley, NSW, owned by multinational mining giant, Rio Tinto. The mine achieved notoriety in April 2013 when the NSW Land and Environment Court ruled that it should not be approved as the benefits of the project did

The Queensland Government is conducting an inquiry into a proposal to declare an official “State Development Area” over prospective coal projects in the Galilee Basin of Central Queensland and across the area between the Galilee Basin and proposed coal export terminals at the port of Abbot Point. The effect of the Galilee Basin State Development

This paper focuses on the solar industry in Australia. It provides a brief overview of the size, growth and prospects for the Australian solar industry and argues that as the number of solar panels installed continues to rise, the cost of installation and maintenance will continue to fall. The paper argues that the productivity of

Australia post made a profit before tax of $402.8 million in 2012-13. In the last 4 years its combined profits were more than $1.25 billion. Australia Post is experiencing a trend decline in the volume of letters it delivers and a trend increase in the volume of small parcels it delivers. As described above, its

The Palmer United Party today announced its intention to block a number of governmentsavings measures. This paper provides an overview of the distribution of those measures.

Australians love renewable energy. A recent survey by The Australia Institute found 86 per cent of respondents want to see more renewable energy and 79 per cent think governments should support an expansion in renewable energy. There is also very strong support for more electricity generated from hydro (72 per cent), wind (80 per cent)

Inequality between those with the most and those with the least is rising in Australia. Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but there are many people in our society who are falling behind. The nature and extent of inequality is the choice of policy makers. We have the capacity to either reduce

In May The Australia Institute conducted a survey of 1,100 people to determine people’s attitude to their bank funding coal port projects on the Great Barrier Reef. Following the Australian Government’s approval of several new coal ports in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, survey respondents were asked about the likelihood of changing from

Australians are no dinosaurs when it comes to climate change and its solutions. There has always been majority support for Australian leadership in finding solutions to climate change. This held true even though attitudes took a battering during the long political battle from July 2007 when John Howard backed an emissions trading scheme through 2012

In 2013 The Australia Institute released Trouble with childcare, which analysed the level of difficulties reported by families regarding the affordability of; access to; and quality of early childhood education and care services. The paper includes data and a number of findings relevant to the Inquiry into the delivery of quality and affordable early childhood

State governments are more usually associated with the provision of health, education and law enforcement than industry assistance. So it might surprise taxpayers to learn that state government assistance for the mineral and fossil fuel industries consumes significant amounts of their money. Each state provides millions of dollars’ worth of assistance to mining industries every

The key points of this submission are that: Economic assessment of the projects does not comply with Director General’s Requirements (DGRs); That the justification of the project is based on incorrect information about the Australian East Coast gas market, and that the Department’s EAR is incorrect in relation to the implications of the project for

The Hunter Valley produces and exports large volumes of coal. Supporters of the industry portray it as a ‘vital economic engine room’ and ‘the bedrock of the Hunter’s economy’. In contrast to coal proponents’ claims, however, economic profiles of the region emphasise that the Hunter has a diversified, modern economy, without any one dominant sector,

This paper is written in partnership with Australia21. Australia has a long and proud tradition of equality, but in recent decades the benefits of strong economic growth have flowed disproportionately to the rich. In the wake of a declining resources boom, there is a growing gulf between those in the top range and those in the lower ranges of wealth

The proposed Watermark Coal Project is for the construction of an open-cut mine into agricultural land and native forest, in the Liverpool Plains region, 25km south south-east of the township of Gunnedah and to the immediate west of the village of Breeza, within the Gunnedah Local Government Area. The proposal is for a 30-year open

The Bulga Optimisation Project is a proposal to extend the Bulga open cut coal mine near Singleton, in the Hunter Valley, NSW. The Australia Institute made a submission on the economic assessment done as part of the response to submissions on the original Environmental Impact Statement. The revised assessment by Deloitte Access Economics is a

The Renewable Energy Target (RET) has been a very successful policy at reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by increasing renewable energy generation. This submission from The Australia Institute recommends that the RET be strengthened to take advantage of the imminent retirement of gas fired electricity generation from the NEM.  This submission will focus on three

The Australia Institute made a submission to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee on the Tax Laws Amendment (Temporary Budget Repair Levy) Bill 2014 and related bills. This levy has the effect of increasing the marginal tax rate from 45 to 47 per cent on incomes over $180,000. Inclusive of the Medicare Levy and the DisabilityCare

The Australia Institute recently made a submission to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee on the Trade and Foreign Investment (Protecting the Public Interest) Act 2014 which seeks to protect Australian laws by banning investor-state dispute settlement provisions. This submission looks not only at ISDS but also other elements of trade agreements which impact

The Coalpac project is a proposal to expand two coal mines owned by Coalpac, near Lithgow, NSW. In May 2014, The Australia Institute made a submission to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process, focussing on the economic assessment of the project. Key points: The coal price used in the EIS is either inaccurate or assumes