The projected rise in extremely hot days as a result of global warming presents a serious risk to the health and wellbeing of the Queensland community. There has already been a clear increase in numbers of these extreme heat days over recent decades, as demonstrated in our profiles on: The Gold Coast; Brisbane; The Sunshine

The Australia Institute released new research showing Adani is not “ready to go” with its Carmichael coal mine and there are a number of significant reasons why Adani is not ready to proceed with its mine. “One thing that can be said with certainty about the Adani coal mine is that whether it goes ahead

Documents obtained by the Australia Institute shows that mining is experiencing a crisis in public trust among Queenslanders, with coal mining particularly unfavourable.  The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) commissioned polling company Ipsos to conduct this research on the industry’s reputation because it has observed a “decline in positive (public) sentiment” about the QLD resource sector, and can

The mismanagement of the Murray-Darling Basin has become a national issue in 2019. While the Basin’s problems are widely discussed, solutions are not. Practical steps to turn around the fortunes of the Basin and its people are: Provide emergency relief to the southern Basin dairy industry. Develop a policy framework to ensure diversity in Basin

The electorate of Herbert stands to be heavily impacted by climate change. Increasing floods, drought and heatwaves will impact the community’s health, environment, infrastructure and vital industries, particularly agriculture and mining unless decisive action is taken to tackle climate change

Analysis of released documents shows that the licences bought by the Commonwealth didn’t exist until the vendors estimated the volumes of the licences themselves, at the suggestion of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. Due diligence was problematic. At least half of the water purchased cannot count towards water recovery targets as it was

Increasing extreme heat will have profound impacts on people, industries and ecosystems in Mackay. CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology projections estimate that the average number of days over 35 degrees could increase from around one day presently to over seventy by 2090 without strong climate policies. Virtually all summer nights by 2090 are projected to

Increasing extreme heat will have profound impacts on people, industries and ecosystems in the Whitsundays. CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology projections estimate that the average number of days over 35 degrees each year could increase fourfold by 2030 and reach over 87 days per year by 2090 without strong climate policies. Hot nights above 25

Increasing extreme heat will have profound impacts on people, industries and ecosystems in Townsville. CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology projections estimate that the average number of days over 35 degrees each year could increase fivefold by 2030 and reach over one hundred days per year by 2090 without strong climate policies. Almost two hundred nights

The Australia Institute has made a submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport inquiry into cotton exports. A ban on cotton exports is an ‘unpalatable measure’, but policy change is needed to make the industry transparent, accountable and reduce its impacts on communities and ecosystems elsewhere in the Murray

A coal project proposed near Kingaroy, Queensland, is unlikely to provide benefit in a local economy based on services and agriculture. It imposes uncertainty and costs on other industries and the community. Policy makers should rule the project out on economic grounds.

The Australia Institute made a submission on Queensland’s Mineral Resources (Galilee Basin) Amendment Bill 2018. The Bill is a step towards reconciling the contradiction between Australian policy on climate change and on coal production. It should be supported in the absence of a more comprehensive policy, such as a nation-wide moratorium on new coal mines.

A number of federal and state politicians and mining industry groups have called for new supercritical or ultra-supercritical coal-fired power stations to be built in the National Electricity Market (NEM). Data from The Australia Institute’s Gas & Coal Watch shows that coal plants are unreliable and prone to break downs – as they have dozens of times

There is a contradiction between Australian policy on climate change and on coal production. Australia is committed to the Paris Agreement, which requires reductions in global demand for coal. Yet Australian governments all promote growth in coal production. This bill is a step towards reconciling these policies.The Bill’s goal of limiting coal supply could be

The Queensland Labor Government has offered Adani a “beneficial” royalty deal that would loan hundreds of millions, on subsidised terms it is keeping secret, under a “transparent policy framework” that was a few dot points at the end of a press release. It has also offered Adani free road upgrades worth $100 million, despite Adani’s

A National Integrity Commission is needed to investigate and expose corruption and misconduct in our federal government and public sector. Currently there are significant gaps in the jurisdiction and investigative powers of the federal agencies responsible for scrutinising the public sector and government. No federal agency has the power to investigate corrupt conduct as state-based

The combination of the projected rise in extreme heat as a result of global warming and the high levels of humidity at the Gold Coast present a serious risk to the health and wellbeing of the region’s population. The Gold Coast has historically experienced a relatively pleasant climate with only around one day over 35

Increasing extreme heat will have profound effects on people, industries and ecosystems in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast region. CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology projections estimate that the average number of days over 35 in the region could increase up to tenfold without strong climate policies from a current average of three to 32 days by 2090.

The average number of days over 35 and 40 degrees in Roma has increased annually since the early 1990s. CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology projections estimate that, without climate action, days over 40 degrees could rise from five days per year to 58 days in 2070 and as many as 84 days by 2090. Half of the nights in summer are

Gas exploration is being undertaken in the Wide Bay Burnett region. Development of gasfields would present a risk to the region’s diverse services, tourism, agricultural, and manufacturing economy. Summary points include: Blue Energy is exploring for gas in the Wide Bay Burnett region, a region that features high-value horticulture and sugar cane crops and the

The annual average number of days over 35 degrees Celsius in Gladstone has more than doubled since the mid-20th century. CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology project further increases, with the number of extreme heat days to triple by 2070 – and these projections appear optimistic. Extreme heat will have profound effects on human health,

At temperatures above 35 degrees the human body’s ability to cool itself reduces, making it a common benchmark temperature for occupational health and safety experts, academic and government researchers. Combined with 70% humidity, conditions over 35 degrees are considered ‘extremely dangerous’ by government agencies such as the US Government National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  

Since allegations of large-scale water theft were aired on Four Corners in 2017, a flood of media reports have shown that the $13bn Murray-Darling Basin Plan is not being well implemented: agency cover ups, political and regulatory capture, agencies with cultures of non-compliance, dodgy water deals, alleged fraud and unlawful amendments. [READ FULL REPORT]

Development of the Galilee Basin would displace production in other coal regions. Galilee mines would be more automated and less job-intensive than existing mines. Based on coal industry analysis, central estimates of employment reduction are 9,100 in the Hunter Valley, 2,000 in the Bowen Basin & 1,400 in the Surat Basin compared to a no-Galilee