The Howard Government decision in 2001 to cut indexation has cost the budget more than $46 billion in tax revenue to date. If no change is made the total cost to the budget is projected to top $160 billion by 2025. Additional carbon dioxide emissions attributable to the policy are projected to reach 16 million

Queensland spends less on social services than the rest of Australia in per capita terms, despite being a large state with a growing population. In the major areas of health and education, Queensland spends less per person than any other state except NSW and Victoria – both of which benefit from large populations in relatively

The Australia Institute made a submission to the Select Committee inquiry into Certain Aspects of Queensland Government Administration related to Commonwealth Government Affairs. Our submission focused on the use of economics in major project assessment processes. Approval processes for major projects in Queensland have seen the misuse of various tools of economic assessment. In particular

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

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 Australia Institute has made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications, References Committee Inquiry into environmental offsets. We argue that while offsets are often imperfect and need to be well managed, they have a place in environmental management. Our submission relates to the economics of environmental offsets and our experience

The Australia Institute has made a submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment inquiry, Streamlining environmental regulation, ‘green tape’, and one stop shops. Our submission draws on earlier TAI research conducted jointly with the Minerals Council of Australia, which found that there is considerable room for improvement in environmental regulation.  A

Most Australians aren’t aware of a trade deal which could risk environmental laws, increase the cost of medicines and enable corporations to sue Australian governments, according to a new survey by The Australia Institute. Click the link below to read the survey results.

Mining has always been an important part of the Australian economy. What has changed is the unprecedented scale and pace of its expansion. This is already irrevocably altering the Australian landscape and affecting food production, water security and communities across the nation. The coal seam gas fields approved to date in Queensland will cover tens

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

This paper looks at how Australian governments have responded to anti-microbial resistance (AMR) since the problem became evident in the 1980s. Of particular importance in Australia’s response was the 1999 establishment of the Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance (JETACAR), which was set up to provide independent expert scientific advice on the threat

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

Although Australia has a long tradition of providing welfare support, in recent times the promotion of available support has been at best selective. In recent years, campaigns to raise awareness have focused on promoting new forms of assistance, often those that are initiatives of the current government. The Education Tax Refund (ETR) is an example

“When I began the study of economics some forty one years ago, I was struck by the incongruity between the models that I was taught and the world that I had seen growing up” – Nobel Prize Winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz. Economic modelling has, for many people involved in Australian policy debates, become synonymous with

Australia’s security agencies have become increasingly politicised under the Howard Government. Whistleblower and former intelligence official Andrew Wilkie has put forward a four-point plan to ensure the independence of Australian security agencies.

This piece raises questions around the handling of the funding for the Don Bradman Heritage Trail and the Australian Cricket Captains’ Walk projects. Firstly despite no application for funding being lodged by either of these projects both received funding. There has been no reason supplied as to why the Minister of the Environment has changed

A new analysis of the economic performance of the Hawke-Keating Labor Government and the Howard Government concludes that, in a reversal of what would be expected, Labor did better at controlling inflation and the real rate of interest, while the Coalition did better at reducing unemployment and cutting the current account deficit.

WWF Australia describes itself as an independent, supporter-based and non-party political conservation organisation. This paper provides an analysis of this statement.

NGOs play an indispensable role in Australian public debate. This paper discusses the wide-spread alarm among NGOs about their lack of ability to speak out in support of those they represent without being denigrated and having their funding cut.

Examines the growing complexity in legislation and public administration. It explores the consequences and offers some possible solutions.

A submission to Senate Environment References Committee Inquiry into Australia’s Response to Global Warming

The National Commission of Audit was established immediately after the Coalition’s 1996 election victory. It was charged with the task of reporting to the Government on the finances of the Commonwealth and measures to improve its fiscal position. The contributions to this discussion paper provide a thorough critique of the underlying assumptions of the Audit