The Tasmanian Integrity Commission (Tasmanian IC) has major design flaws that render it far less effective than the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (NSW ICAC) in exposing systemic corruption. The NSW ICAC makes more findings of corrupt conduct, refers more cases for prosecution, holds more public inquiries, and tackles systemic corruption cases of public significance. Over

Transparency and accountability of politicians and the public service may be one of the sleeper issues of the upcoming state election.  A recent poll of 781 voters in Bass undertaken by ReachTEL on the night of January 16th for The Australia Institute found that 85% of respondents wanted more powers and resources available to Tasmania’s

Salmon farming is a hot topic in Tasmania. The industry is responsible for over 2% of Gross State Product and over 1% of employment, including considerable full-time employment. This economic contribution is due to substantial growth. The industry tripled in size over the past decade, and plans to double again in the 20 years to 2030. The industry

With the Tasmanian Joint Select Committee on Future Gaming Markets considering the future of poker machines in Tasmania, community pressure is growing for poker machines to be banned from hotels and clubs, limiting them to casinos and the Spirit of Tasmania vessels. Concern that this proposal would reduce government revenue is misplaced. Recent modelling by

The Australia Institute Tasmania and Unions Tasmania launched the inaugural Tasmanian Jobs Survey in June of this year. We invited Tasmanians to complete a survey about their employment status, their union membership (if any), their household budget and disposable income and how work affects their life. The survey began May 1st 2017 and ran until

Around the world, governments are recognising the benefits of wide-scale electric vehicle use and are supporting their uptake through policy.  Thanks to its compact geography, Tasmania would encourage people to purchase electric vehicles by providing even just a handful of public vehicle charging stations. This paper explores two options for providing coverage to a large

The Australia Institute Tasmania commissioned a survey, conducted by ReachTEL, of 927 residents in the federal electorate of Lyons on the night of the 17th July 2017. Less than one in five (16.9%) voters saying the industry has a positive effect on other fishing industries, while around one third (33.5%) say it has a negative effect

The Tasmanian Joint Select Committee on Future Gaming Markets is currently considering the future of poker machines in Tasmania, including a possible reduction in the number of machines and whether to retain the monopoly position of Federal Group (set to expire in 2023). The Committee has received 148 submissions and held six days of public hearings. This paper looks

Report calls for Tasmania to become energy self-reliant and an exporter of renewable energy. A new report from Hobart-based think tank The Australia Institute Tasmania identifies an opportunity for Tasmania to take advantage of its unique energy assets which could deliver cheaper local electricity.  The report finds that Tasmania’s link to the National Electricity Market

As a regional community, Tasmanians have historically enjoyed higher rates of home ownership than their mainland counterparts. However, as wages continue to stagnate, housing prices start to increase, and the State attracts more investment, the number of Tasmanians owning and occupying their own homes is falling.

Tasmania is home to a substantial aquaculture industry. Intensive salmon farming in particular has grown quickly, attracting growing concerns about the industry’s impacts, how it is regulated and its financial contribution to the state. The Australia Institute commissioned ReachTEL to conduct state wide polling, as a first assessment of Tasmanian attitudes to the issues around intensive salmon farming.

New polling shows very low support for Government policy to cut welfare benefits by removing the clean energy supplement. The poll of 1,310 residents across Tasmania showed 60% opposed cutting Newstart, while just 25% supported the move. (see poll below) “There has been mounting evidence of the inadequacy of the unemployment benefits.  To cut them

The Renewable Energy Target (RET) has been subjected to a lot of criticism in recent years. Most of it has centred on the idea that the RET increases electricity prices. Numerous studies including the government’s recent review of the RET have shown that over time it is lowering electricity prices. But the criticism has also

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

For several decades, Tasmania’s economic performance has been significantly below the rest of Australia. In 2012-13, Tasmania’s gross state product (GSP) was the second lowest of all states and territories behind the Northern Territory, its per capita GSP and average weekly total earnings were the lowest in the country and the unemployment rate was the

Australia’s native forest sector has experienced a significant contraction over the past five years. This is reflected in log production from native forests: roundwood removals over the period 2009-2011 were 30 per cent below the average from the previous 18 years. Similarly, woodchip exports, a mainstay of the hardwood sector, fell by 33 per cent

On 22 November 2012, the timber industry and environmental non-government organisations released the Tasmanian Forest Agreement 2012 (TFA). The agreement includes a number of components, the most significant of which are the support for the creation of an additional 504,012 ha of forest reserves, a reduction in the high quality sawlog guarantee from 300,000 m3