Research
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Are States Filling the Democratic Void?The recent Victorian election results showed Australian voters want governments to play a pro-active role delivering public services, infrastructure, improved labour standards, and sustainability. They showed that in a time of deep cynicism with federal politics, States (and Territories) can play an important role filling the democratic void left by dysfunction and policy paralysis at the Commonwealth level.This commentary from Alison Pennington,... -
"Permanent Casuals," and Other OxymoronsRecent legal decisions are starting to challenge the right of employers to deploy workers in "casual" positions on an essentially permanent basis. For example, the Federal Court recently ruled that a labour-hire mine driver who worked regular shifts for years was still entitled to annual leave, even though he was supposedly hired as a "casual." This decision has alarmed business lobbyists who reject any limit on their ability to deploy casual lab...
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It is greed that has led Australian banks to steal from dead peopleby Richard Denniss, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute.[Originally published in the Guardian Australia 03.10.18]Greed is good. Or so said Michael Douglas’ character Gordon Gekko in the 1980s hit film Wall Street. Gekko went further, stating “Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind”.’But greed also leads Australian banks to steal from dead people.In ha...
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The Coalition's (non) disclosure billby Richard Denniss, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute.[Published in the Australian Financial Review 02.10.18]Was the campaign by the banks to prevent a royal commission into their behaviour "political" in nature? Was the campaign by the Catholic Church to oppose same-sex marriage "political" in nature? And was the campaign by the mining industry to repeal the mining tax "political"?While the ability to influence legislation is...
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35C days in Gladstone have already doubled and expected to triple again New Australia Institute research shows that extremely hot days (over 35 degrees) could triple in Gladstone by 2070. The number of extreme heat days in Gladstone has already increased from 2.6 days per year in the 1960s to 6.5 days per year this century. This increase has now exceeded extreme heat projections for the year 2050 made by the CSRIO and the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). The CSIRO-BoM projects days over 35 degrees will increase from the...
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Our regulators fail to protect the vulnerable from the greedy. Let's find out why.by Richard Denniss.[This article originally appeared on The Guardian Australia 19.09.2018]The royal commission Australia really needs is one into the spectacular – almost complete – failure of our regulators to protect the vulnerable from the greedy. While it is clear that many of our so-called watchdogs are little more than lap dogs, what is less clear is why. It’s time that Australians found out why those tasked with protecting us from exploita...
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Banking against the Reefby Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director of The Australia Institute.[This article originally appeared in the Canberra Times 08.09.18]Watching Brazil’s National Museum burn this week was a tragic reminder that, if we don’t take care, we can snap the threads that bind us to our history forever.Over a matter of hours, tens of millions of artefacts were reduced to ash. There’s no doubt it’s a disaster, but the news that it was likely preventable makes it a...
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More renewables mean lower pricesby Ben Oquist, Executive Director of The Australia Institute.[This article originally appeared in the Australian Financial Review 28.08.18]Scott Morrison is set to make the same mistake as the Business Council of Australia on energy and climate policy. Equating emission reductions with higher prices gets the politics and economics wrong.Australia's climate and energy debates will continue to see a range of legitimate differences of opin...
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We cannot afford to give up on politicsby Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director of The Australia Institute.[This article originally appeard in The Canberra Times 24.08.18]I really enjoy the blood sport of Australian federal politics but I consider it a benign vice on my part, to be discussed only among consenting adults, mostly fellow Canberrans and people on Twitter. I confess I have watched the Liberal party implode this week with the zeal normal people would reserve for an AFL grand final...
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The ABC needs fixing, not 'saving'By Richard Denniss - Chief Economist at The Australia Institute. [This article originally appeared in the Australian Financial Review on 24 September 2018]Wars are expensive and culture wars are no different. Indeed, the opportunity cost of Australia's culture war is enormous as it comes at the expense of developing meaningful energy, broadband and tax policy. But while our Constitution spells out how government should be formed, it ma...