Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has given an early Christmas present to coal companies by approving three new mine expansions – Caval Ridge (Qld), Boggabri mine (NSW) and Lake Vermont (Qld).

Resources Minister Madeleine King’s latest opinion piece in News Corp newspapers serves the interests of gas corporations at a time when Australians are struggling with an expensive Christmas.

Extreme heat is the number one cause of weather-related illness and death in all parts of Australia, except Tasmania. Older, poorer, and sicker people are more vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat. Our new report identifies the locations around Australia in which the greatest number of vulnerable people will be affected by extreme heat. Targeting these areas for support will ensure the greatest number of vulnerable people are helped during periods of extreme heat.

The Federal Coalition’s revival of Scott Morrison’s Gas Fired Recovery is likely to increase emissions and keep gas prices high.

A group of Pacific Island Elders, including two former leaders, have written an open letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, urging them to stop approving new fossil fuel projects.

Japan and Australia enjoy a long-standing relationship when it comes to energy trade. According to Japan, “(t)he energy and resources sector is the bedrock of the Japan-Australia economic partnership”. But the two countries’ efforts to decarbonise their economies to reach their respective emissions reduction targets have been threatening to jeopardise this gas-fuelled obsession. Japan has

The people of Australia collectively own all the resources under the ground. This means that the coal in NSW is the property of the Australian people too. Because of this, mining companies have to pay the NSW Government a “royalty” if they want to dig up and sell coal. Royalties are not taxes. They are

Coal royalties do little to fund schools, hospitals, teachers or nurses, despite frequent claims to the contrary from politicians and the mining industry, new research from The Australia Institute has found.

Australians are hungry to grow their own food and the reasons are simple: growing your own food is healthier and better for the planet. Whether it’s herb pots on a windowsill or a rambling backyard veggie patch, Australians say that growing some of their own food makes them feel better, eat better and tread lighter on the planet.

Experts say the move is a disaster for the climate, WA cultural heritage and energy prices.

Is WA heading for a gas shortage? Hardly! In fact, if Western Australia were a country, it would be the world’s third largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) after the USA and Qatar.

Gas exporters in the NT, Inpex and Santos, pay no royalties, pay little tax, receive taxpayer subsidies, and employ few people. They are also significant polluters.

Gas companies and the Australian government claim that Australia faces gas shortages, while multinational exporters are shipping record volumes of gas out of Australia. The prices that Australians pay for gas have gone up, while government revenue from gas production has gone down. What’s going on?

How is Australia’s system unfair? If you get caught speeding in Australia, you will be fined with a flat-rate traffic fine. Exceeding the speed limit by 12km/h in New South Wales earns you a $361 fine, whether you are on government benefits or a billionaire. This is not a fair system. What about the principle:

New research from The Australia Institute shines a light on how much the nation’s two biggest energy retailers are gouging from Australian consumers.

“An Albanese Labor government will restore Australia’s climate leadership, and listen and act on Pacific island warnings of the existential threat of climate change.” Despite a clear election campaign commitment to listen to Pacific Island nations and act on climate change, the Australian government continues to enable and encourage new and expanded fossil fuel projects. When it

Getting coal for Christmas is supposed to be a bad thing. But for Australia’s coal mines, all their Christmases seem to have come at once!

The NSW Government is currently spending significantly more public money promoting coal than helping regional communities’ transition away from it, according to new research by the Australia Institute.

The Wrap with Amy Remeikis Truth and trust can be funny things. Holding someone’s trust means people believe what you say to be true. Speaking the truth consistently wins people’s trust. But trust isn’t always treated with the deference it should be.  Too often it can be abused, with truth usually the first to pay

The Western Australian government’s approval of exports of the state’s onshore domestic gas reserves in 2020 has exposed Western Australians to high global prices, leading to a tripling of wholesale prices in WA’s domestic gas and electricity markets.

If the Western Australian government agrees to Woodside’s proposal to extend the export of the state’s domestic gas, it will be locking in higher energy prices for West Australians for the long term –  for very little in return. 

Australia was one of the first countries to present oral pleadings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) overnight, as the court began to examine what countries are legally required to do to combat climate change and what is their responsibility to assist nations most affected.

New research from The Australia Institute shows that older, sicker and lower-income Australians are at greater risk during heatwaves (days over 35° Celsius).

A decision by the Western Australian government to approve Woodside’s 50-year North West Shelf (NWS) Extension would add up to 4.3 billion tonnes of emissions to the atmosphere and lock in exposure to high global gas prices indefinitely, increasing energy costs for WA households and businesses.

A vast majority of Australians (70%) believe the nation’s biggest polluters should pay for the damage they do to the environment and the role they play in climate change.

From the humble backyard vegetable patch to herb gardens on the kitchen windowsill – 9 million Australians are now growing their own food, according to new research from The Australia Institute, in partnership with Grow It Local.

The United Nations climate change negotiations are skirting around the critical issue of phasing out fossil fuels and are in desperate need of reform, says Sandrine Dixson-Declève.

The NSW government’s latest push to get motorists to buy electric vehicles is failing, according to new research from The Australia Institute.