In 1978 counter-protesters met each stop of a tour of Australia by Mary Whitehouse, a self-styled “morals crusader” from the UK who was opposed to what she described as the “permissive society”. Whitehouse’s messages included instructing followers in Perth that “a woman was expected to entertain her husband to stop him from watching too much TV”.
On September 20 in Melbourne Whitehouse addressed what she described as a “disappointing” number of followers at Festival Hall while hundreds demonstrated outside against her campaign to restrict civil and human rights for women, lesbian and gay community members and others. The following day a rally by 30 members of the Christian far-right group Festival of Light (FOL) at the University of Sydney was outnumbered 25 to 1 by their opponents. A later FOL rally the same day was met by 350 counter-protesters who were watched closely by 150 police. Meetings in Perth were also met with counter-protests but it was in Queensland where the most disruptive action took place.
On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Australia Institute Senior Economist Matt Grudnoff and Research Fellow Adam Gottschalk discuss the spin around productivity and why paying workers more – not less – might hold the key to a more productive economy.
Join President José Ramos-Horta at 6pm AEDT, Tuesday 8 October for an evening of conversation at the Sydney Opera House, presented by the Australia Institute as part of its 30 Years of Big Ideas.
Host: Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, the Australia Institute // @MattGrudnoff
Host: Adam Gottschalk, Anne Kantor Research Fellow, the Australia Institute // @adamchalksitup
Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions
We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.
A collection of templates, worksheets and checklists for changemakers collated by the Commons librarians on campaign strategy & planning, tactics and actions, organising, narrative, and more.
Download these templates, or make a copy of Google Docs, and fill them in with your own information. Use the checklists to work through processes or make sure you have what you need to progress. If you need more background before using a worksheet check out the topics in the Commons and our Start Here guides.
This is a living list so let us know what resources you are looking for or if you have one to share. Please note that some of the resources below could sit under multiple topic areas.
The Western Australian Government’s changes to the state’s domestic gas policy give companies more opportunities to export gas and further reduce domestic gas supply, said The Australia Institute.
Key Findings:
Exports of gas are threatening the stability of WA’s gas market.
The policy changes announced today allow more of WA’s domestic onshore gas to be exported, not less.
The cause of the problem is Woodside’s North West Shelf Extension proposal, which has not identified supply sufficient for its export capacity.
“The barbarians are at the gates of the WA domestic gas market and the WA Government is throwing them the keys,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.
“Today’s changes to the WA domestic gas policy allow more of WA’s domestic onshore gas to be exported. Onshore gas that had been set aside for the domestic market is now allowed to be exported.
“This benefits Woodside, which is desperate to take more gas for its North West Shelf Extension export facility. It also benefits gas companies that would rather sell WA’s domestic onshore gas to Woodside than Western Australians.
“This is a disaster for Western Australian gas users because it more closely links the domestic market and the export market.
“This is the east coast gas policy mess all over again.
“If anything, this is worse than the east coast because more WA gas (over 50%) is given away royalty-free and no gas exporters have ever paid Petroleum Resource Rent Tax.
Australia is one of the lowest-taxing countries in the developed world. While it is sometimes suggested that Australian governments spend too much, the reality is that Australia raises very little tax revenue compared to similar countries. Insofar as Australian governments have a problem balancing revenue and spending, that problem lies in the level of revenue collected, not the amount it spent.
Tax is good
This graph shows the 38 economies in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in order of tax revenues as a percentage of their economy (GDP). Only eight have lower tax to GDP ratios than Australia, and these include relatively low-income countries like Türkiye and Mexico, as well as tax havens like Switzerland and Ireland.
If Australia were to increase the level of revenue it collects from taxation to the OECD average—a level similar to that collected by Canada or New Zealand—the Commonwealth would have had an extra $140bn in revenue in 2023–24.
This article was originally published, in slightly different form, on Alex Alsup’s Substack, The Chargeback.It is shared here with permission. All images were provided by the author.
Since the turn of the 21st century, the world has become deeply familiar with the global “war on terror.” Framed by the West’s ostensibly patriotic and “civilized” political narrative that conveniently expands their national security power and geopolitical interests, it also pins Muslims as savage, and Islam as a barbaric religion of people that want nothing but the destruction of the West.
This perception of Islam—and its followers—as wicked and violent, spread wide and far, especially in the United States, Great Britain and other allied countries. This doesn’t happen without the help of the media and influential public figures, who shape public opinion and reinforce stereotypes.
In rare form as ever, JK Rowling has decided to publicly slam a crisis center for survivors of sexual violence in Edinburgh. But it turns out that the third-party review she’s using to justify freaking out about the crisis center is a bit less damning than she thought…
This book was written with one overarching message: that the Black Witness should be believed.
There is a silence engulfing Australia in which the Black Witness must battle. We already have the weaponry. It is contained in the voices of our elders around campfires and kitchen tables, in community meetings and in the stories we tell our children. It is in poetry, in song, in art and in journalism. But we struggle to overcome the voice of the White Witness. The White Witness speaks above us and for us, and it is always the White Witness who is heard most clearly, because they speak the language that has been enforced on us through violence. It is violence that has enacted the silence, that has made the Black Witness an ‘unreliable’ one, a ‘threatening’ one, a ‘violent’ one in itself. It’s not just the violence of the original massacres, but the violence of the education, justice, health, child protection and political systems. The Black Witness is often told they must be legitimised by the White Witness. But this book is here to tell you that the Black Witness should be believed.
On this episode of Follow the Money, Australia Institute Executive Director Richard Denniss joins Ebony Bennett to discuss mining’s latest PR offensive and why politicians shouldn’t fear standing up to the industry.
Join President José Ramos-Horta at 6pm AEDT, Tuesday 8 October for an evening of conversation at the Sydney Opera House, presented by the Australia Institute as part of its 30 Years of Big Ideas.
This discussion was recorded on Tuesday 17 September 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
Guest: Richard Denniss, Executive Director, the Australia Institute // @RDNS_TAI
Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett
Theme music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
This article was reposted, in slightly different form, from the Practice of Place blog, which focuses on the art and science of creating thriving public and shared places. It is shared here with permission. All pictures were provided by the author.
Families with a female reference person generally have lower incomes than those with a male reference person. The two charts below show the profile of each income group by the gender of the household reference person.
2019-20
This chart shows that a clear majority (70%) of households in the highest 20% income group had a male reference person.
New research by ACOSS and UNSW Sydney reveals the widening wealth gap between people with the most and least, even as income inequality slows.
The latest report from the Poverty and Inequality Partnership, Inequality in Australia 2024: Who is affected and how?shows the average household wealth of Australia’s highest 10% growing much faster than the lowest 60%, from $2.8 million to $5.2 million (an 84% increase) over the past 20 years. Meanwhile, the average wealth of the lowest 60% has risen from $222,000 to $343,000 (a 55% per cent increase).
Nearly half (45%) of the increase in household wealth since 2003 went to the highest 10% (those with at least $2.6 million) and half of this increase to wealthy older people (over 64 years).
Wealth inequality is also growing among households aged under 35, even though they hold just 5% of all wealth. The average wealth of the highest 10% rose from $928,000 to $2 million (an increase of 126%) since 2003. At the same time, the average wealth of the lowest 60% of younger households – largely excluded from home ownership – rose just $68,000 to $80,000 (39%).
The report also shows wage inequality falling between 2021 and 2023, when unemployment dropped below 4%. During that time, wages growth for the lowest 10% (up 4.9%) outpaced the highest 10% (up 3.3%).
This chart shows the responses in our Community attitudes towards poverty and inequality survey 2023 to the idea that People can find themselves needing unemployment payments through no fault of their own
It shows that 78% of people in Australia agreed that people can find themselves needing unemployment payments through no fault of their own.
This chart shows the responses in our Community attitudes towards poverty and inequality survey 2023 to the idea that Unemployment payments should be enough for people to be able to see the doctor when they need.
It shows that 84% of people in Australia agreed that unemployment payments should be enough for people to be able to see the doctor when they need.
This chart shows the responses in our Community attitudes towards poverty and inequality survey 2023 to the idea that Poverty is a big problem in Australia today.
It shows that 69% of people in Australia agreed that poverty is a big problem in Australia today.
This chart shows the responses in our Community attitudes towards poverty and inequality survey 2023 to the idea that People who receive unemployment payments do not deserve to live in poverty.
It shows that 59% of people in Australia agreed that people who receive unemployment payments do not deserve to live in poverty..
This chart shows the responses in our Community attitudes towards poverty and inequality survey 2023 to the idea that Unemployment payments should be enough so that people don’t have to skip meals.
It shows that 86% of people in Australia agreed that unemployment payments should be enough so that people don’t have to skip meals.
This chart shows the responses in our Community attitudes towards poverty and inequality survey 2023 to the question whether respondents would be able to live on the current rate of unemployment payment
It shows that 58% of people in Australia said they could not live on that amount and 19% were unsure. Only 23% agreed they could live on the current rate.
This chart shows the responses in our Community attitudes towards poverty and inequality survey 2023 to the idea that Australia should be a country that looks after those in need.
It shows that 83% of people in Australia agreed that Australia should be a country that looks after those in need.
This video is a recording of a talk given by Chris Hedges at the Kairos Club London on September 11, 2024. Drawing on his intimate knowledge of resistance and repression, Hedges detailed the methods we need to adopt to defeat the powerful interests, including the fossil fuel industry and the animal agriculture industry, which have placed their profits above the protection of our species and all life on earth.
Hedges’ talk is preceded by an audio intro from Roger Hallam. Hallam is part of the “Whole Truth Five,” who are five members of Just Stop Oil who were sentenced last month to the longest ever prison sentences for non-violent protest.
Second, the gas expansion the industry wants would come at the cost of other things we need.
Australia already produces an abundance of gas — far more than we could use. The only reason there’s even a remote risk of a shortfall is that we allow gas companies to export as much as they want.
More than 80 per cent of the gas produced in Australia is exported or used to liquify gas (a hugely energy intensive process) so that it can be shipped overseas.
This article was originally published, in slightly different form, on Strong Towns member Michel Durand-Wood’s blog, Dear Winnipeg. It is shared here with permission. All images were provided by the author.
Professor Terri Givens joins Dr Emma Shortis on this episode of After America to discuss race in American politics and whether the country is ready to elect a Black female president.
This discussion was recorded on Friday 13 September 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
Guest: Terri Givens, Professor of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, University of British Columbia
Host: Emma Shortis, Senior Research for International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis
To mark PPE@10 this feature continues a series of posts to celebrate ten years of Progress in Political Economy (PPE) as a blog that has addressed the worldliness of critical political economy issues since 2014.
A frightful hobgoblin stalks throughout Europe and North America. High-income countries are haunted by a ghost, the ghost of rentiers. Hence tropes have emerged about the Parousia of rentiers. Familiar nativity tales of capitalism conjure images of wealthy landlords reaping free gifts of nature due to hereditary title. Meanwhile, immiserated wage-labourers, cunning industrialists and wily merchants fire the crucible of a new society that rewards effort instead of accidents of birth.
Australia Institute research has shown that there is no shortage of gas in Australia, in either the short or medium term, and that it is gas exports that are putting pressure on domestic supply.
Continued attempts by the gas industry to claim a domestic shortage while expanding gas exports show that there is no shortage of either gas or corporate greed from the sector.
Key Findings:
Australia is one of the biggest exporters of gas in the world, alongside Qatar and the USA.
Around 80% of Australia’s gas is exported as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
90% of the gas processed in WA is either exported as LNG or used in LNG export processing.
Over half (56%) of gas exported from Australia attracts zero royalty payments, effectively giving a public resource to multinational corporations for free.
“The gas industry is talking out both sides of its mouth — it is saying there will be domestic shortages if we don’t start opening up new gas fields, while at the same time advocating to expand export facilities like the North West Shelf proposal,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at the Australia Institute.
“We produce, burn and export a staggering amount of gas in this country. The gas industry itself is the biggest user of gas in Australia due to the gas it burns to process LNG exports. To suggest there will be a gas shortage is absurd.
On this bonus After America, Nick Bryant, acclaimed author of The Forever War: America’s Unending Conflict with Itself and former BBC journalist, joins Dr Emma Shortis to reflect on the Harris-Trump debate.
This discussion was recorded live on Thursday 12 September 2024 and things may have changed since recording.
Guest: Nick Bryant, author and former BBC United States correspondent // @NickBryantNY
Host: Emma Shortis, Senior Research for International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis
One of the biggest economic myths is that Australia is dependent upon mining for our prosperity. Yes, mining accounts for around 10% of Australia’s GDP, but almost all of that is its profits – and most of those either head overseas – especially so in the case of gas companies – or are delivered to the very wealthiest in Australia. The vast majority of Australians do not rely on mining at all.
But let’s be clear about who gets those dividends and profits – mostly it is the richest in Australia.
According to the latest taxation data from the ATO, just under 50% of the value of all dividends went to the richest 2.4% of Australians – those earning more than $250,000. Around 0.2% of Australians earned more than $1m a year, and yet that minuscule number received a quarter of all the dividends paid out by Australian companies. So while it might sound like that profit is helping “Australia” in reality, it’s mostly making the rich richer.
The mining industry is now surely the biggest whinger in the Australian economy.
This week it launched an all-out assault on the federal government at Minerals Week in Canberra, with chief executive of the mining industry’s chief lobby group the Minerals Council, Tania Constable, warning the government: “Undermine it at your peril.”
Relative to its size, the mining industry pays nowhere near enough tax in Australia and, perhaps unsurprisingly, they want to keep it that way. It’s obvious the mining industry is trying to cow the federal government into ruling out any policy changes before the election. It wants cuts to taxes and royalties, and IR laws that make it easier to cut wages and fire people. And it would prefer to remove any environmental restrictions preventing mining companies from polluting or opening new gas and coal mines wherever and whenever they want.
But more than that, the mining industry demands Australians all bow at its feet in gratitude. BHP wants praise for paying its taxes, insinuating the public hospital system would collapse without it, while mining billionaire Gina Rinehart asked: “Where is the red carpet for the BHPs and Rios?” As if mining companies aren’t some of the most powerful and profitable companies on the planet, let alone in this country.
Like a toxic boyfriend who wants thanks for doing the dishes (when you remind him), the mining industry demands Australians be grateful for the taxes and royalties they pay.
Mining lobbyists descended on Canberra for the annual Minerals Week. On Thursday morning, the Minerals Council CEO Tania Constable described on Radio National what she sees to be the problem – policy interventions and the looming ‘threat’ of onerous environmental approvals:
We’re seeing major changes in royalties at a state level…That’s a huge impost on the industry.
Let’s be clear, royalties are the price mining companies pay to mine and sell the resources like iron ore, gas and coal that Australians collectively own. Complaining about paying royalties as an ‘impost’ on the mining industry is like a baker complaining he doesn’t get his flour for free.
It’s obvious the mining industry is trying to cow the federal government into ruling out any policy changes before the election. And they are smart enough to make the Minerals Council and BHP front their campaign. Much harder for the gas industry to argue to cut taxes and royalties when the Tax Office has labelled your entire industry “systemic non-payers” of tax and over the half of LNG exports attract zero royalties.
This article was originally published, in slightly different form, onthe author’s LinkedIn.It is shared here with permission. All images were provided by the author.
During Tuesday’s presidential debate, Donald Trump suggested Kamala Harris wants undocumented immigrants to receive free “transgender surgery” while being detained or imprisoned, a bogus claim with a very weird source.
The Australia Institute’s Policy School, is a new webinar series designed to equip policymakers, campaigners, NGOs, and public servants with the tools to advocate for change. Learn from experts about key public policy issues, persuasive messaging, and effective communication strategies to help create a fairer, more sustainable society.
Each fortnight, you will hear from policy experts from the Australia Institute, who will take you through the key things you need to create change on critical public policy issues – like fair tax reform, electoral reform, the Australia/USA relationship, the housing crisis, or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
