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Digital Rights Watch welcomes privacy reform, but more must be done urgently to bring our laws into the 21st century

Today, the Attorney General tabled a set of privacy reforms, which has been described as a first tranche. The proposed statutory tort and the plan for a children’s code together represent a good first step, but Australia remains decades behind other nations. There is a lot more to do to catch up.

Frankly, it is disappointing that we are here after three years of consultation.

Digital Rights Watch calls on the government to lay out a clear time frame for the remaining 100+ reforms that it has committed to implementing. Taking specific reforms to the election will ensure a mandate to resist the push back from the powerful vested interests who have always stood in the way of privacy reform.

The Privacy Act has not been meaningfully reformed in over 40 years, and it is urgent that changes be made, including to:

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor talk about the government’s new international university student caps and the latest house price data.

Greg Jericho is Chief Economist at the Australia Institute and the Centre for Future Work and popular columnist of Grogonomics with Guardian Australia. Each week on Dollars & Sense, Greg dives into the latest economic figures to explain what they can tell us about what’s happening in the economy, how it will impact you and where things are headed.

Host: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @GrogsGamut

Host: Elinor Johnston-Leek, Senior Content Producer, the Australia Institute // @ElinorJ_L

Show notes:

‘A terrace house is for sale in Sydney for $22m. The grotesquely unfair capital gains discount is partly to blame’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (September 2024)

Introduction

Creating change requires engaging audiences, communicating messages, and inviting people to join in action. The resources here will help you get clearer on what communication channels to use and how, how to develop compelling framing and messages, and the skills required to engage media (traditional and new forms) effectively.

This guide will help you navigate the Communications and Media topic on the Commons Library. You may also like to check out our Story and Narrative topic, Digital Campaigning topic and Countering Disinformation project collection.

Learn to savour words and language because no matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world – Robin Williams

Last year the government announced it was considering removing its statutory power to overrule the Reserve Bank. Thankfully it has now reconsidered that move, and the actions of the RBA over the past year serve to remind everyone that it is far from infallible.

In its May Statement on Monetary Policy the RBA looked ahead one month and estimated that in June the annual growth of household consumption would be 1.1%. When the national accounts were released last week, the actual growth was revealed to be just 0.5%.

Now obviously economic forecasting is a bit of a mugs game, but household consumption makes up half of Australia’s economy and accounted for around 45% of all the growth in the economy over the past decade so it is pretty important. It is also the area of the economy most directly affected by interest rate rises. This error of forecasting suggests that the Reserve Bank has rather poorly misread just how greatly households had been impacted by the 13 rate rises that had taken the cash rate from 0.1% in April 2022 to 4.35% in November 2023.

This error is crucial because the main reason the RBA raises rates is to reduce the ability of households to spend. Because you can’t tell your bank that you don’t really feel like paying your mortgage this month, interest rate rises force households to divert money that would have been spent on goods and services to paying your mortgage.

A study update about puberty blockers commissioned by the New South Wales government proves what we’ve all been saying for ages: Puberty blockers are “safe, effective and reversible.” Eat your heart out, Ben Ryan!

On this episode of Follow the Money, Greg Jericho and Matt Grudnoff join Ebony Bennett to discuss the latest GDP figures, the real drivers of inflation and how the Reserve Bank misread the state of the economy.

This discussion was recorded on Tuesday 10 September 2024 and things may have changed since recording.

Guest: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @GrogsGamut

Guest: Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, the Australia Institute // @MattGrudnoff

Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett

Theme music: Pulse and Thrum; additional music by 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.

Claims from the mining industry that they are significant funders of public services in Australia are overblown, ignore the fact that their profits are made off the back of public resources, and are heavily publicly subsidised, the Australia Institute has said.

Key Points:

• Taxes and royalties paid by the mining industry make up just 5 cents in every dollar of state and federal government revenue in Australia.
• 95% of Australia’s public services are paid for by other industries.
• Mining is also heavily subsidised in Australia, receiving the vast bulk of the $11 billion fuel tax credit scheme.

“Relative to its size, the mining industry pays nowhere near enough tax in Australia and, perhaps unsurprisingly, they are keen for that to remain the case,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.

“Australia Institute research shows that Australians dramatically overestimate the economic value of fossil fuel mining to the country.

“If Australia really did rely on the low-employing, tax-avoiding, high-polluting, and largely foreign-owned mining industry for its economic security, we would be in serious trouble.

“Other countries charge far more for their natural resources, while in Australia we subsidise their extraction.

“The fact that the Government collects more money from HECS than it does from the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax is a wake-up call for those in charge.”

What’s your Goal?

A strategic goal should be clear and measurable.

Choosing your strategic goal is the most important choice we make in designing a campaign.

No one strategic goal can solve everything. In order to put our resources to work solving our problems, we have to decide where to focus.

We must ask ourselves: what goal can we work toward that may not solve the whole problem, but will get us well on the way to solving the problem?

Unless we choose a goal to focus on, we’ll risk wasting our precious resources in ways that just won’t add up.

Remember, strategy is nested; a campaign’s ultimate goal, or the “mountain top” goal, is likely not achievable in one attempt.

Introduction

The Intermestic (domestic-international) Learning Series aims to foster a dynamic exchange of knowledge and strategies, experiences and insights among organizers and movement builders from the United States and around the globe, offering participants the opportunity to share on defending and promoting democracy in their respective contexts. This webinar series is a Democracy Resource Hub collaboration.

Welcome to Democracy Resource Hub

The Democracy Resource Hub offers curated tools and connections for democracy practitioners worldwide. Access resources on civic engagement, nonviolent action, peacebuilding, and strategic planning.  Join a global community fostering democratic innovation and resilience through interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Supporting change makers who are building, strengthening and protecting democracy worldwide.

Introduction

The Democracy Resource Hub offers a careful curation of resources for organizers, activists, peacebuilders, democracy practitioners, and trainers working to strengthen democracy. We foster interdisciplinary exchanges and innovation across diverse identities and skill sets.

The Democracy Resource Hub includes two sets of information:

1) a collection of curated tools and information and
2) a directory of organizations and networks that offer ways to get involved in and/or trained on the various skills needed to support the renewal of democracy.

This page is the hub that will help you get to the information you need. The collection is organized into 5 approaches. Below you will find guides to help you find the information you need.

Introduction

This directory has been curated by the Democracy Resource Hub, an online library of resources for organizers, activists, peacebuilders, democracy practitioners, and trainers working to strengthen democracy. We foster interdisciplinary exchanges and innovation across diverse identities and skillsets.

The Democracy Resource Hub includes two sets of information: 

1) a collection of curated tools and information and 

2) a directory of networks, organizations and resources libraries that offer ways to get involved, trained and/or informed about various skills needed to support the renewal of democracy. 

The Democracy Resource Hub Directory is organized into three groups: 

Introduction

A guide with resources, directories and media about peacebuilding collated by the Democracy Resource Hub.

• Explore conflict resolution techniques, mediation skills, and bridge-building strategies to transform conflicts into positive change.
• Learn dialogue facilitation, collaborative problem-solving, and inclusive decision-making processes for pluralistic democracy.
• Discover de-escalation strategies and trauma-informed peacebuilding approaches for community reconciliation.

What is peacebuilding and why is it important for democracy?

Peacebuilding transforms conflicts into opportunities for positive change. It strengthens democracy by:

Introduction

A guide with resources, directories and media about power-building and nonviolent action collated by the Democracy Resource Hub.

• Learn grassroots organizing techniques and nonviolent protest strategies to amplify marginalized voices and drive systemic change.
• Explore civil resistance methods, community mobilization tactics, and intersectional organizing approaches to challenge injustice and shape inclusive democratic processes through peaceful activism.

What are power-building and nonviolent action and why are they important for democracy?

Building power through nonviolent action and community organizing is a cornerstone of a thriving democracy. It:

• Amplifies marginalized voices
• Resists democratic backsliding
• Drives systemic change
• Creates pathways for citizens to shape decisions affecting their lives

In today’s complex political landscape, these skills are crucial for mobilizing people, challenging injustice, and creating pressure for sustainable solutions.

Introduction

A guide with resources, directories and media about strategic planning collated by the Democracy Resource Hub.

• Access movement strategy development tools and campaign planning resources for democratic renewal.
• Learn to analyze political landscapes, set strategic goals, and build powerful coalitions.
• Discover adaptive management techniques and impact measurement strategies for long-term advocacy planning and effective resource allocation.

What is strategic planning and why is it important for democracy?

Strategic planning offers tools to chart the course for democratic renewal. It is a systematic process of setting clear objectives for strengthening democratic institutions and developing strategies to achieve them. Strategic planning helps:

Introduction

A guide with resources, directories and media about Narrative and Storytelling collated by the Democracy Resource Hub.

• Master strategic communication and public narrative techniques for shaping democratic discourse.
• Learn values-based messaging, counter-narrative development, and digital storytelling for advocacy.
• Explore inclusive narrative building and media engagement strategies to mobilize supporters and create a shared vision for democratic renewal.

What is narrative and storytelling? Why is it important for democracy?

Narrative & storytelling is the connective tissue that unites democratic renewal efforts. It:

Introduction

Emergent Strategy is philosophy developed by adrienne maree brown, drawing on the teachings of Grace Lee Boggs, Octavia Butler, the natural world and complexity science. The book Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds was released by AK Press in 2017, and followed by several other books in the Emergent Strategy Series, as well as trainings through the Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute (which has since sunset).

Emergent Strategy is an ideological amalgam that inspires and supports the development of social justice movement and transformation towards a world of dignity and wholeness. It is a set of principles and elements that continually turn us towards life in the midst of violence and devastation. Emergent Strategy is rooted in Black feminist, abolitionist and anti-capitalist thought with deep love for the earth and all life.

In 2022, the government legislated Australia’s emissions reduction targets, “Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of a 43% reduction from 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050.”

The Australian Government claims that Australia’s domestic emissions have fallen by 29% since 2005.

This claim suggests that Australia is well on its way to meeting its domestic emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement, even as the Australian Government subsidises and approves fossil fuel expansion.

But Australia is not actually decarbonising its economy and domestic fossil fuel emissions across the economy have changed very little under the Albanese Government (or previous governments).

Industry emissions (including stationary energy, fugitive emissions, and industrial processes) increased by 3% over the year 2023 while transport emissions also increased by 5%.

So how can Australia claim it is decarbonising when it is not?

On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Alice Grundy reflect on the presidential campaign so far and on the dynamics of the Australia-United States relationship ahead of the third anniversary of the AUKUS deal.

This discussion was recorded on Friday 6 September 2024 and things may have changed since recording.

Join our webinar with Nick Bryant, former BBC United States correspondent and author of The Forever War, at 11am AEST on Thursday 12 September. Tickets are free, but registration is essential.

Host: Emma Shortis, Senior Research for International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Host: Alice Grundy, Research Manager, Anne Kantor Fellows, the Australia Institute // @alicekgt

Show notes:

‘Is America ready to elect a Black woman president?’  by Emma Shortis, The Conversation (September 2024)

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

An Australian TERF group explicitly states their desire to discriminate against trans women.

The Fuel Tax Credits Scheme should be scrapped for the mining industry, not farmers, the Australia Institute has said in response to calls at today’s National Farmer Rally to keep the tax rebate for the agricultural industry.

To mark PPE@10 this post 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. 

From the beginning of February to the end of July this year the Past & Present Reading Group undertook a reading of Grundrisse. Meaning ‘rough plan’ or ‘draft’, Grundrisse is a series of seven notebooks written by Karl Marx between 1857-8. Unpublished in Marx’s lifetime, a defining feature of the work is its unfinished quality. Sprawling in nature at over 900 pages, any attempt to provide a precis of such a work would be a fool’s errand. So, given the acknowledged roughness of the text and, given also that the work formed the materials written in preparation for the more polished outcome of Capital, what is the value of reading this work? Why not just proceed directly to the finished product? In this short blog post I will provide a number of reasons why I think Grundrisse makes for compelling reading and should be read as part of a broader understanding of Marx’s work.

Before Capital and before Capital