Between May – July 2020 Helen Haines MP, the member for Indi, Victoria, ran a national co-design process to formulate a Community Energy Plan for Regional Australia. The Australia Institute has made a submission that references our prior research including two publications by Dan Cass on community renewable energy and regional renewable energy development. Our key recommendations

This submission presents preliminary findings from a research project titled Rural Communities and Renewable Energy: A Socio-economic Study in NSW, conducted by The Australia Institute and University of Sydney Environment Institute. The key preliminary finding is that the lack of a national process for local engagement and planning of energy infrastructure reduces the benefits of

The Australia Institute made a submission on the Federal Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap Discussion Paper.

The Australia Institute made a submission to the Climate Change Authority’s review of the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). The ERF includes the ‘safeguard mechanism’ which is failing by allowing emissions to rise, undoing the modest abatement purchased under the ERF and abatement achieved in the electricity sector.

The Australia institute is pleased to make the present submission to the Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into foreign investment proposals. This submission begins with some general thoughts based on earlier work at The Australia Institute. We note that Australia’s history has included rigorous debates about foreign ownership of the Australian economy. Sometimes that debate has taken

The Australia Institute made a submission to the Australian National Audit Office endorsing proposed audits of the Underwriting New Generation Investment program (UNGI) and Snowy 2.0, and recommending close audit of the National COVID19 Coordination Commission (NCCC).

The Federal Government is expected to move in 2020 to pass legislation to start an offshore renewable energy sector. Wind is currently the sole commercially viable offshore renewable energy generation technology and it has considerable potential to contribute to the Australian and global energy mix. If the Federal Government draws on lessons learned in Europe’s

The Centre for Future Work has made a submission to the 2020 annual wage review conducted by the Fair Work Commission. The submission compiles evidence showing that the annual minimum wage adjustments (which flow through into wages specified in the Modern Awards, as well as some enterprise agreements and individual contracts) have played a more important role in recent years in supporting the overall level of wage growth in Australia’s labour market. Without relatively strong minimum wage increases since 2017 (of 3% or higher for three consecutive years), Australian wage growth would still be languishing at all-time record lows of under 2% per year.

In this context, the Centre argued it is vital the Commission proceed with a normal, healthy minimum wage increase for 1 July, 2020, with full flow-through into Award wages. Otherwise wage growth will slump significantly (to an estimated 0.7%, or even lower), heightening the risk of economy-wide deflation.

The Australia Institute welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the South Australian Select Committee on the findings of the South Australian Murray Darling Basin Royal Commission and the Productivity Commission’s five-year assessment of the Plan. Public commentary frequently blames the Basin Plan for the economic, social and environmental demise of much of the

The Australia Institute made a submission to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee’s inquiry into nationhood, national identity and democracy. The submission outlines how the Australia Institute’s existing research applies to each of the committee’s terms of reference.

The Australia Institute made a submission to the Senate Economics References Committee’s inquiry into Australia’s oil and gas reserves. The submission highlights our existing research on Australia’s oil and gas and how they relate to the inquiry’s terms of reference. Update Read our second submission to the Senate Economics References Committee’s inquiry into Australia’s oil and

The Australian National Audit Office is investigating so-called strategic water purchases in the Murray Darling Basin. These purchases were counter to government policy on reducing consumptive use, have not brought balance to the Commonwealth’s water portfolio, were not value for money and did not meet guidelines on transparency, accountability and ethical procurement. The Australia Institute

‘Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services’. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25

Aggregating the land portfolios of property investors in South Australia, so that they pay tax on their investments as a whole, is a fair reform that will help to raise the revenue required to fund public services. Drastically reducing land tax rates in a way that primarily helps property investors with portfolios valued over $1

Despite its deafening silence on industrial relations issues during the recent election, the re-elected Coalition government is charging ahead with an aggressive plan to change Australia’s labour laws. And business lobbyists are lining up to endorse its direction. First out of the gate is a plan to amend the Fair Work Act, in the cynically mis-named “Ensuring Integrity” bill, to introduce harsh new sanctions on unions and union officials.

The Australia Institute welcomes the opportunity to comment on proposed conditions of the United Wambo coal mine project relating to climate change. The Independent Planning Commission is to be commended for raising the elephant in the room of Australia’s climate policy – our coal exports and the scope three emissions that they create.  In the

The Australia Institute made a submission to the Independent Assessment of Social and Economic Conditions in the Murray-Darling Basin. The socio-economic conditions of the Murray Darling Basin share many characteristics with other areas of regional Australia – lower incomes and difficult access to important services. These should be addressed as well as the mismanagement of

The Australia Institute supports the Murray-Darling Basin Commission of Inquiry Bill 2019. This submission considers the implementation of the Basin Plan from a financial auditing perspective.

The Australia Institute made a submission to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee’s inquiry into the Coal-Fired Power Funding Prohibition Bill 2017. The submission highlights our existing research on Australia’s energy market and coal-fired power generation. A coal phase out by 2030 is needed to meet our Paris Agreement commitments. Coal communities are better served

The Australia Institute made a submission on the Galilee Gas Pipeline proposed by Jemena. The Pipeline Project should be considered a controlled action under the EPBC Act as it would impact on matters of national environmental significance.

We thank the Natural Resource Commissioner for the thorough and forthright Draft Review of the Barwon-Darling Water Sharing Plan. We support all of the Commission’s recommendations.We raise two additional matters for the Commission’s consideration: Legality of the 2012 Barwon-Darling Water Sharing Plan Cap compliance

The Department of the Environment and Energy is conducting a Liquid Fuel Security review and public consultations on the Interim Report. This report is an edited version of The Australia Institute’s submission to that consultation. The Interim Report outlines significant risks to Australia’s transport energy security. Addressing these security risks requires reducing oil consumption and accelerating the transition to electric

The Australia Institute made a submission to Commonwealth Treasury’s Petroleum Resource Rent Tax Gas Transfer Pricing Review. Australians are being short changed by the LNG industry and the way it is taxed. A shift in the way the PRRT estimates transfer prices between a project’s upstream extraction and downstream liquefaction to ‘netback only’ pricing, could

The Australia Institute made a submission on the proposed modification to the Ulan coal mine. Assessment of the proposal does not meet NSW guidelines and overstates potential benefits. It should be rejected on economic and climate grounds.

The Australia Institute made a submission to the NSW Independent Planning Commission’s May 2019 consideration of the United Wambo coal project. The latest assessment by Deloitte, commissioned by the mine proponents, confirms Australia Institute analysis that mine voids can be filled leaving a $139 million surplus, based on EIS figures. This submission follows from The

The Australia Institute and Homeshare Australia made a joint submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The submission outlines the wide range of economic and social benefits homeshare programs provide, such as alleviating loneliness and avoiding entry into residential care. The Royal Commission has an opportunity to recommend government investment in