While Australia’s electoral institutions are among the best in the world – like an independent electoral commission, Saturday voting, full preferential voting and compulsory voting – they are not perfect.
Lies in advertising and text spamming are among six key problems identified by The Australia Institute from the campaign, which suggests reforms to fix these areas of concern to safeguard Australia’s democracy.
A poll of 1500 voters was conducted by YouGov in the final week of the election campaign, asking Australians whether they’d seen misleading advertisements.
The government’s Safeguard Mechanism is the key policy designed, apparently, to set Australia on the path to a low-emissions economy. According to the government’s website, the mechanism “requires Australia’s highest greenhouse gas emitting facilities to reduce their emissions in line with Australia’s emission reduction targets of 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050”.
You might then be wondering how is Woodside Energy’s massive existing North West Shelf fossil gas processing facility, which is one of the biggest emitters of CO23 in Australia, is faring under this policy. Surely the Safeguard Mechanism has caused a big change in how it operates?
Alas no. The simple answer is that under the Safeguard Mechanism,the North West Shelf Facility isn’t enacting deep, structural emissions reductions. Woodside happily knows the “Safeguard” part of the Mechanism is safeguarding Woodside and other heavy emitters from having to worry about reducing emissions.
The policy isn’t imposing any material cost on the corporation or affecting the impending approval of the extension of this site for 40 years.
Using the latest data release from the Safeguard Mechanism, here’s a fun collection of facts about the North West Shelf project, and Woodside Energy:
The effects of screens on children are even worse than you can imagine: they can literally break down the human body. In her forthcoming book, The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, Clare Morell tells the story of an optometrist who discovered that an eight-year-old girl seeking relief from pain in her eyes no longer had Meibomian glands—which means her eyes cannot produce lubricating tears. Hours of daily digital screen time had trained the child to stare, which dried up her glands. At such a tender age she runs the risk of eventual blindness, as do thousands of other pediatric patients with her diagnosis. It is a fitting illustration of the tragic phenomenon that technology is having on human beings: pained children with blank stares who are unable to cry tears.
In a discussion with James Poulos, Morell explains that well-meaning parents should not simply set up safeguards to filter out the toxic effects of addictive technology. This is like advising a drug addict to use only less frequently, even though every dose is toxic, mind-altering, and possibly laced with a deadly synthetic.
The outer-Melbourne electorate of Calwell was named “Australia’s most unpredictable seat” by The Age after the election and was – aside from those going to a recount – the last seat to be called. The AEC labelled the counting process for the seat “likely the most complex in Australia’s history”.
The count is complicated because, while Labor led on primary votes, the Liberals, Greens, and three independents each had a significant share of the vote. The AEC had no idea which candidate would make it to the final two alongside Labor, and then if any of them could win from there. In a very rare case, the AEC had to conduct a full count of the seat to an estimate of the final result, which still hasn’t finished (though Labor now seems assured of victory).
Calwell is extra interesting, because it is diverse. It’s one of the handful of electorates in Australia where most people speak a language other than English at home, as well as having one of the largest Muslim populations. Two independents and the Greens candidate made Labor’s response to the genocide in Gaza a significant issue in their campaign.
125 billion worth of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been shipped out of Gladstone, but 9 out of 10 companies involved in Queensland gas exports have paid zero company tax in this time, according to the latest data from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Despite the huge volume of gas being extracted, domestic gas prices have increased significantly, pushed up by excessive gas exports.
Key points:
$125 billion in LNG has been sold out of Queensland over the last ten years, by companies that reported $330 billion in total Australian revenue to the ATO.
The only company involved in Queensland LNG exports to have paid tax in the last ten years is Australia’s Origin Energy, which paid a total of $966 million, not all of which relates to LNG.
None of the foreign-owned companies involved have paid company tax on Queensland LNG exports.
“The gas industry’s annual conference is in Brisbane this week and they will be at pains to avoid talking about tax,” said Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute.
“None of the foreign-owned giant gas corporations like ConocoPhillips or Total, that export gas out of Queensland, have paid a cent in company tax.
“The burning of gas and other fossil fuels is driving disasters like the floods in NSW.
“Gas companies are cashing in while Australian communities are picking up the costs.
On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss Trump’s false claims about ‘white genocide’, the administration’s war on Harvard University, Kamala Harris on the Goldie, and whether Anthony Albanese’s talk about “progressive patriotism” will be backed up with real action.
This discussion was recorded on Monday 26 May 2025 and things may have changed since recording.
Order After America: Australia and the new world order or become a foundation subscriber to Vantage Point at australiainstitute.org.au/store.
Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis
Host: Angus Blackman, Producer, the Australia Institute // @AngusRB
I have been very overdue in telling readers my plans in greater detail. I was going to put out this piece laying out what my plans for Notes on the Crises out last Sunday, but alas I got sick more than a week ago and it took me more than a week to recover.
Which, I guess, is a good place to start. I’ve been working on average at least 60 hours a week since the Trump-Musk Payments Crisis started January 31st. Probably closer to 70 hours if I’m honest. I’ve done a lot to manage my health and keep myself sane in this process; what I got sick with was unrelated to how much I have been working. Nevertheless, the reality is this amount of work is unsustainable in general. The past week of being sick is the longest continuous break I’ve taken from work since the second Trump administration started. Sooner or later I will crash if I try to keep up the depth and breadth of coverage I’ve (more or less) sustained on my own. As long as Notes on the Crises is just a name for what Nathan Tankus is writing, it will always be subject to these kinds of hiccups. Which is why I want to grow Notes on the Crises beyond the "Nathan Tankus show".
Trump’s FDA has recommended that going forward, COVID-19 vaccines be approved only for the elderly and so-called “vulnerable”. They additionally recommend that those who are “healthy” not receive updated shots without new clinical trials to demonstrate durable efficacy at reducing infections, something that new shots may not show. Nonetheless, reducing risk of hospitalization and death is worthwhile- as is reducing the risk of Long COVID, something that those in power rarely acknowledge.
Complicating matters, the shots we refer to as boosters are in fact updated shots that reflect ongoing mutations to the virus. Vaccine makers work to match each fall’s new shots to circulating variants; the closer the strain in the vaccination to the circulating COVID variant genetically, the more effective it will be.
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In 1999, the then state-owned Servicio Postal Mexicano issued a postage stamp celebrating sixty-five years in Mexico of the development bank Nacional Financiera (Nafin).
Everybody’s Home has written to every newly elected Member of Parliament, urging them to make housing affordability a top priority in the next term of government.
The national housing campaign provided each MP with a detailed housing snapshot of their electorate, highlighting the scale of the crisis facing their local communities.
The data reveals alarming rates of homelessness, social housing shortfalls, and rising rental and mortgage stress in the very seats that flipped in this year’s federal election.
The electorate-level housing snapshots reveal:
Rents in many electorates are hundreds of dollars above the national average
Social housing waitlists stretch beyond a decade
Large portions of the electorate are in severe financial stress
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “Voters sent a clear message this election: they want real action on housing. This starts with MPs listening to what is happening in their own communities. We’ve given newly elected MPs a clear picture of what the housing crisis looks like on their doorstep and what needs to be done to fix it.
“New MPs have a responsibility to the people who elected them. These seats didn’t change by accident, people are demanding solutions to cost-of-living pressures, and housing is at the centre of it.
The State of the Housing System 2025 report is a sobering and necessary reminder to urgently invest in social housing and reform tax settings that fuel inequality, national housing campaign Everybody’s Home says.
The report, published today by the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council (NHSAC), found Australia’s housing system is failing to deliver secure, affordable homes.
Rental stress is at record highs, social housing is falling short of demand and access to a safe and affordable home is out of reach for many.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azizie said: “This report echoes what Australians are feeling every day: the housing system is in crisis. The message is clear – we’re not building enough social housing and the tax system is stacked in favour of investors over people looking for a place to live.
“Australia is facing a severe housing crisis which demands immediate government action. This report is a stark wake up call and sends a clear message to all governments: they must find ways to build more social housing.
“The Council has recognised the need to build more social housing and grow it to 10 percent of all homes. This is something that Everybody’s Home has been saying for years – Australia’s housing stock is woefully inadequate to meet the needs of people right across the country.
On this episode, Adelaide Writers Week director Louise Adler joins Paul Barclay to talk about the biggest challenges facing the arts sector, including higher costs and prices, greater reliance on philanthropy and greater vulnerability to political controversies.
This discussion was recorded on Monday 3 February 2025, and things may have changed since the recording.
NBC News: Trump allies press the White House to dial back Elon Musk’s media interviews over his Social Security jabs (2025-03-23): After his election, Donald Trump told NBC News that “we’re not touching Social Security,” other than to make it more efficient. But Elon Musk, who now wields enormous power in his role cutting government … Continue reading "Republicans on Musk’s Social Security comments: Stop talking now"
WCHS: Transgender individuals consider leaving West Virginia amid growing safety concerns (2025-03-16): Last week, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed what he called the Riley Gaines Act; a law that defines the difference between a man and a woman. His reason being, to protect the women in West Virginia. “It’s common sense that women’s spaces … Continue reading "March 18, 2025: The United States is a deeply transphobic and increasingly uninhabitable country"
Refers to: President Trump Addresses Joint Session of Congress (2025-03-04) Zinnia’s commentary and remarks: — He’s misgendering the trans girl in high school who played volleyball against Payton McNabb, and calling trans women “men”. Trump: $8 million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho which nobody has ever heard of. — Everyone has … Continue reading "Zinnia Jones: Remarks on Trump 2025-03-04 speech to Congress"
The interview starts at 9 minutes into the recording.
Text below is from KPFA, linked here, where this podcast was originally posted. You can participate in the fund drive special here.
FUND DRIVE SPECIAL – Pledge $120 and receive Chris Hedges new book, A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine. In it, the Pulitzer Prize–winning former Middle East Bureau Chief for The New York Times, explores zionist settler colonialism in Gaza with a powerful emotional depth. A Genocide Foretold confronts the stark realities of life under siege in Gaza and the heroic effort ordinary Palestinians are waging to resist and survive. Weaving together personal stories, historical context, and unflinching journalism, Chris Hedges provides an intimate portrait of systemic oppression, occupation, and violence.
Chris Hedges and Gabor Maté, introduced by award-winning journalist Aaron Maté, discuss the "moral issue of our time," Gaza. Hedges and Gabor Maté deliver speeches, engage in a two-way discussion and take questions from the audience.
The hyperbolic scare campaign against the government’s changes to the tax concessions of superannuation continues with almost little care of reality or context.
So let’s give you some.
Almost no one will be affected by these changes. 99.5% of Australians currently don’t have more than $3m in super
Using figures reported in the Australian Financial Review 97% of all people currently in the labour force will never have more than $3m in super.
So some questions:
Do you have more than $3m in super? No? Then nothing changes.
Are you ever going to have more than $3m in super? No? Then nothing will change.
At this point, you might be wondering why the big fuss? And you would be right.
To get to $3m worth of super you have to earn an extremely large amount of money your entire working life.
How much money? We’ll let’s create an 18yo who has just left school and see how they go.
OK, you don’t have any qualifications, but lucky you, you got a job that pays the average full-time wage of $106,277. Feeling good? You should! You are now earning more than 75% of all Australians! Not bad for someone with only a Year 12 certificate!
Where do you go in Los Angeles on Memorial Day? Los Angeles is known as Lotusland—the city without a memory. And it’s true that memory rests lightly on L.A. But turn east from Sepulveda Boulevard just north of Wilshire, onto Constitution Avenue, and you immediately recede from the goings and comings of the eternal present and enter a sanctuary of remembrance.
The main gate is opened each morning at 8:00. Visit on an ordinary weekday morning and there isn’t a soul stirring except you and one or two of the groundsmen. The traffic of the 405 freeway will continue to hum behind you, but a sacred local silence takes you in, to the company of over 85,000 veterans and their families, some from as far back as the Civil War, who rest in peace here at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.
In 1999, the then state-owned Servicio Postal Mexicano issued a postage stamp celebrating sixty-five years in Mexico of the development bank Nacional Financiera (Nafin).
