Research
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April 2023
Submission: Tasmania’s Draft Climate Change Action Plan 2023–25
Tasmania’s Draft Climate Change Action Plan is a plan for inaction. Without radical improvement, this plan will do little to reduce emissions or mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Divided Nation: The Stage 3 Tax Cuts Broken Down by City and Country Electorates
The 20 electorates that will benefit the most from Stage 3 are all classified as metropolitan, with 10 in Sydney, five in Melbourne, three in Brisbane, and one in Perth and Canberra. Of the 20 electorates that benefit the least, 12 are classified as rural.
Submission: Criminal Code Amendment (Prohibition of Nazi Symbols) Bill 2023
The Australia Institute made a submission on the Criminal Code Amendment (Prohibition of Nazi Symbols) Bill 2023.
Tasmania Polling Research
uComms conducted a survey of 816 residents across Tasmania on behalf of The Australia Institute during the evening of 4th – 5th April 2023 using self-completed automated voice polling methodologies.
Profits and Inflation in Mining and Non-Mining Sectors
New research from the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute has shed further light on the role of higher corporate profits in driving higher prices in Australia since the COVID pandemic.
Stuck in the Slow Lane
Electric buses are commercially available, economically viable, and popular with commuters. They have multiple advantages over diesel-fuelled buses, including reduced CO2 emissions, noise, and air pollution. Despite this, just 0.2% of Australia’s bus fleet is electric. Most of this fleet is owned by state governments. Their failure to act on electrification suggests their commitments to
Inequality on Steroids
Since the global financial crisis there has been a fundamental change in the operation of the Australian economy. Since World War Two, the majority of the benefits of economic growth have flowed to the bottom 90 per cent of income earners. However, as shown in Figure 1, between 2009 and 2019 the top 10 per
Polling – Funding Australia’s nuclear submarines
Key Results: The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about the plan to purchase nuclear-powered submarines. The results show that Australians are not clear about how the submarine program should be funded. Respondents were told that the Albanese Government and the Dutton Opposition have committed to building nuclear submarines, at an
March 2023
In reverse
Australia’s light duty vehicle fleet is among the least fuel efficient in the world, using 24% more fuel per kilometre travelled than the UK. If the UK’s modest standards could be met here, Australian drivers would save $13 billion a year in fuel costs and overall transport emissions would be 17% lower.
Northern direction: If NSW had the Queensland coal royalty system
If NSW had adopted Queensland’s progressive coal royalty system in 2021-22 it would have raised an additional $2.8 billion. For 2022-23 this figure is estimated at between $4.2 billion and $6.2 billion.
Polling: Voice to Parliament
Polling in Mackellar reveals a majority of voters plan to vote for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the upcoming election. uComms were commissioned on behalf of the Australia Institute to poll in the seat of Mackellar between the 9th and the 13th of March 2023. Polling brief and sample size attached.
Nothing to See Here
FOI decisions cost twice as much as they used to, three in 10 FOI decisions are late and, when reviewed, one in two turns out to be wrong. A review of Australia’s FOI system and culture is urgently needed.
Polling: New Gas & Coal, Offsets
Polling across 5 federal electorates reveals a majority of voters support a ban on new gas and coal projects, and very few support unlimited carbon offsets to expand fossil fuels. uComms were commissioned on behalf of the Australia Institute to poll in the seats of Mackellar, Goldstein, Sydney, Bennelong and Moreton between 9-14 of March
New fossil fuel projects in Australia 2023
There are 116 new fossil fuel projects on the Federal Government’s annual Resource & Energy Major Project list, two more than at the end of 2021. If all proceed as estimated, they will add 4.8 billion tonnes of emissions to the atmosphere by 2030.
Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment
As tertiary education has become increasingly essential to employment outcomes, financial security, and meeting the demands of the future economy, the importance of affordable or free tertiary education increases. Instead, education is getting more expensive. Tuition fees have increased significantly since their introduction, and debts are growing and taking longer to repay. The context of
Beyond Repair?
The draft Nature Repair Market Bill presents a fundamentally confused blueprint for a voluntary market in biodiversity conservation services. The Bill does not address the causes of biodiversity loss in Australia, and it remains unclear how many important details of the proposed market will operate. Further, the experience of the Clean Energy Regulator in administering
Polling – Carbon Offsets, New Fossil Fuels, Role of the Senate
Key Findings: 82% of Canberrans believe polluting projects should not be able to offset 100% of their emissions via carbon offsets, only 9% believe in 100% carbon offsets for projects Of those, 56% believe polluting projects should have to directly reduce their emissions, not use carbon offsets And 26% believe projects should be able to
The Fiscal, Economic, and Public Health Dangers of Water Privatisation
Safe drinking water and sewage services are one of the most essential elements of public infrastructure in our society. Communities cannot survive and thrive without reliable water services. Providing those services is core business for any municipal or regional government.
The Times They Aren’t A-Changin (enough)
This report examines the barriers to closing the gender gap by reviewing Australia’s position within the industrial countries of the OECD. The report also uses data from the ABS and the ATO to highlight gender disparities across all levels of income, ranges of occupation and ages, as well as disparities regarding who undertakes the greater
Polling – Government appointments
Key Results The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Australians about how the Government should make appointments to government bodies. Two in three Australians (68%) think that the Government should be limited to appointing candidates who have been shortlisted by an independent selection panel, four times as many as think the Government
February 2023
Submission – Hunter Valley Operations coal mine expansion
The Australia Institute made a submission on the Environmental Impact Statement of the Hunter Valley Operations coal mine expansion proposal. Our submission focuses on the economic assessment of the project, written by Ernst and Young (EY). EY’s assessment overstates the benefits of the project and understates its costs. It is not suitable for decision-making purposes.
Submission: The Grueen Transfer
The Australia Institute made a submission to the review of the Environmental Claims Code to encourage the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) to drive integrity and best-practice in Australian advertising.
Profit-Price Spiral: The Truth Behind Australia’s Inflation
Workers in Australia have suffered considerable economic losses as a result of accelerating inflation since the onset of the COVID pandemic. Reaching a year-over-year rate of 7.8% by end-2022, inflation has rapidly eroded the real purchasing power of workers’ incomes; average wages are currently growing at less than half the pace of prices. Now, severe
Delay or Decarbonise?
Climate policy can incentivise genuine emissions reduction, or it can delay decarbonisation by expanding the use of offsets.
Polling – Carbon neutrality, net zero and carbon offsets
Key results The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,012 Australians in January 2023, about their attitudes about carbon neutrality, net zero and carbon offsets. • An overwhelming majority of Australians (85%) have heard the term carbon neutral, but just one in three (33%) know what it means. • Fewer Australians have heard
ACCC Legal Letter
We are writing on behalf of the Australia Institute to ask that you investigate whether the Climate Active trademark program and its carbon neutral claims including its use by companies involved in the program, is misleading or deceptive under the Australian Consumer Law.
The Unlucky Country
Life expectancy in Far West NSW is almost six years lower than in Sydney, with the divide getting worse. Those in the Far West are twice as likely to die prematurely compared to those in Sydney, and ‘potentially avoidable’ deaths are two and a half times more likely. Suicide is twice as likely for residents
Talk us through AUKUS
The 2021 AUKUS announcement came with the promise of a sovereign Australian fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Nearly 18 months on, however, it remains unclear if these submarines will ever be delivered—or if Australia actually needs them.
Polling – Electric vehicles in South Australia
The Australia Institute surveyed a representative sample of 616 South Australians about electric vehicles (EVs). Respondents were asked how likely it was that their next car would be an EV and their reasons for considering such a purchase. Key results: A majority of South Australians (56%) are considering purchasing an EV as their next vehicle,
Party Platforms on Corporate Democracy & Governance
Few political parties have detailed policies on corporate democracy and governance, despite the major role that corporations play in our economy and political debate.