Research
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Company tax cuts are a costly budget busterIn its desperation to cut the company tax rate the Turnbull government is willing to burden future generations with the kind of record budget deficits it has previously sought to pin on the ALP. As an economic strategy it makes little sense but as a political strategy it makes no sense. Indeed the PM seems so keen to deliver something, anything, that looks like reform that he's managed to trash his party's key political asset: the perce... Read More -
Liddell unreliable, renewables cheaperResearch from The Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy Program has found the Liddell power station to be a major contributor to the unreliability of the NSW grid. 53 breakdowns & failures of gas and coal generation have been tracked by the Climate & Energy Program’s Gas and Coal Watch between December 2017 and March 2018. This includes: Three breakdowns from the Liddell power station that saw 500 megawatts of capacity lost instantan... Read More -
New record lows for foreign aid: reportSince the Coalition’s 2014 decision to cut foreign aid funding by $1.4 billion per year, Australia’s foreign aid record has not improved, with the 2017-18 Budget representing new lows for aid funding, a new report from policy think tank The Australia Institute finds. The reports suggest that Australia’s aid spending, already at record lows, could be cut further to 0.18% of Australia’s Gross National Income. This would make Australia’s aid contrib... Read More -
Charity still ends at homeThe continuing decline of Australia’s official development assistance Reports suggest that Australia’s aid spending, already at record lows, could be cut further to 0.18% of Australia’s Gross National Income. This would make Australia’s aid contribution proportionately lower than that of Greece. -
The Difference Between Trade and 'Free Trade'U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent trade policies (including tariffs on steel and aluminium that could affect Australian exports) have raised fears of a worldwide slide into protectionism and trade conflict. Trump’s approach has been widely and legitimately criticised. But his argument that many U.S. workers have been hurt by the operation of current free trade agreements is legitimate; conventional economic claims that free trade b... Read More
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Majority of Territorians support keeping fracking moratoriumPolling of the electorate of Solomon released today by the Australia Institute shows a majority support keeping the NT fracking moratorium in place. Results: 53% total support for keeping in place the fracking moratorium, to 38% opposed.58% do not trust the NT and the gas companies to implement and enforce all recommendations from the fracking inquiry.When asked to consider water quality recommendations from the inquiry, support for maintaining t... Read More -
Poll shows Australians want stronger emissions reduction targets and 60% want phase out of coalEmissions have increased now for three years in a row, since the repeal of the carbon price. Energy emissions are now at record highs, as revealed by the National Energy Emissions Audit. National polling released today by the Australia Institute’s Climate & Energy program shows only 25% of Australians believe the country is on track to meet its international commitment. A majority (58%) of respondents believed that Australia should increase i... Read More -
#WTF2050 – Big ideas for Tasmania’s futureFirst published in The Examiner, 28 March 2018On Tuesday, The Australia Institute Tasmania launched a new initiative cheekily titled #WTF2050 – What’s Tasmania’s Future? The project brings together some of the state’s best thinkers to answer the question – where do you want Tasmania to be in 2050?What's your big hairy goal and what strengths does Tasmania already have to help us get there?Some say ideas are like backsides – ... Read More
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Big 4 banks gift from company tax cuts: $9.5 billionOver the ten years to 2026-27 when the total benefit to companies is estimated at $65 billion, The Australia Institute estimates the big four banks will receive a ‘gift’ of $9,500 million with Commonwealth Bank alone to receive $2,800 million. -
To those that have, more shall be givenOver the last two years the average tax paid by the companies calling for the Senate to pass the tax cuts was 12.35%; half of them paid no tax last year.