The Australia Institute Feed Items

Independent Senator David Pocock and Tony Windsor AM, former independent parliamentarian who held the balance of power during the Gillard minority government, join Amy Remeikis to discuss how they negotiate with the major parties, the growth of the independent and minor party vote, and why there’s so much fearmongering about minority governments in Australia.

This discussion was recorded live on Wednesday 26 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Guest: Senator David Pocock, Independent Senator for the Australian Capital Territory // @davidpocock

Guest: Tony Windsor AM, former Independent Member for New England // @TonyHWindsor

Host: Amy Remeikis, Chief Political Analyst, the Australia Institute // @amyremeikis

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

Show notes:

While Australians struggled with the cost-of-living crisis, the three largest private health insurers of Medibank Private, BUPA and NIB made pre-tax profits of $1.7 billion in 2023-24, according to APRA data.

Even with this these huge profits they continued to ask for more. The private health insurance lobby had been pushing for increases in insurance premiums beyond inflation. On 26 February the Minister, Mark Butler, permitted an average premium increase of 3.73%, which will apply from 1 April 2025. The Minister also claimed to have considered the insurers “years of record profits” yet Medibank, BUPA and NIB all received approval for above-average increases of 3.99%, 5.10% and 5.79% respectively.

The profits of Medibank, BUPA and NIB contradict the insurance industry’s claims that “nearly every dollar that comes into health insurance goes back out to hospitals, to doctors, to physiotherapists to dentists”.

Australia’s private health insurance industry is highly concentrated with the top five insurers (Medibank, BUPA, NIB and not-for-profits HCF and HBF) accounting for 79% of all premium income.

New analysis from The Australia Institute has found that private health insurers are making a killing but have managed to convince the government to let them make even more.

According to the latest data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), the biggest of them all, Medibank, recorded a pre-tax profit of $785 million last year, yet has been given permission to increase premiums by 3.99% from next month … above the average increase and above the rate of inflation.

Medibank’s profit represents a 45% return on equity, which means – in one year – it made almost half the overall amount the company’s shareholders have invested in the company.

BUPA made $607 million and is putting premiums up by 5.10%, while NIB made $289 million and will hike premiums by 5.79%.

“While Australians struggle through a cost-of-living crisis, health insurers are raking it in,” said David Richardson, Senior Research Fellow at The Australia Institute.

“They know their customers are struggling. But they obviously care more about profits.

“How much profit is enough? Medibank made three-quarters of a billion dollars yet is still putting premiums up by more than most.

“When they’re making a fortune, there is no justification for increasing premiums above the rate of inflation.

“Do they even live in the real world? This is a dud industry which is milking profit from customers’ pain.”

Mass farmed salmon deaths are continuing in southeast Tasmania, with rotting corpses washing up along the state’s beaches.

Tasmania’s Environment Protection Authority appears to know very little about what is going on.

A similar event occurred in Macquarie Harbour last year, with 10 per cent of farmed fish dying.

Concern among Federal Parliamentarians is increasing with Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie and Independent MP  Andrew Wilkie calling out the unsustainable practices of the salmon industry in recent days.

Meanwhile, the science remains clear that salmon farms are the number one threat to the endangered Maugean skate, recognised for its world heritage value.

Now, the salmon industry has admitted the real number of local people whose jobs would be affected if the industry moved out of Macquarie Harbour.

“The Australia Institute has shown the real number of jobs for west coast locals in Macquarie Harbour is fewer than 76 since 2023,” said Eloise Carr, Director of The Australia Institute Tasmania.

“Now the salmon industry has finally owned up and admitted it’s 60, not the 400 so often claimed.

“Jobs like those in processing and administration, already based elsewhere, do not have to rely on industrial fish feedlots that destroy world heritage.

“This misleading behaviour may have caused the government to invest in oxygenation trials when in fact it would be more economically prudent to destock and provide direct support to affected workers.”

In a poll of 2009 Australians, conducted before the weekend’s disastrous White House event with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, 31% rated Trump the greatest threat to world peace, compared to Russian President Putin (27%) and Chinese President Xi (27%). 15% were unsure.

Almost half (49%) said they felt less secure since the election of President Trump. 17% feel more secure.

Respondents were asked if they thought Australian interests would be better served by a closer alliance with the United States or a more independent foreign policy.

44% said they’d prefer a more independent foreign policy. 35% would prefer a closer alliance with the United States.

The research also found:

• 56% of women feel less secure since the election of Donald Trump
• 53% of Baby Boomers, 51% of Gen Xers, 44% of Millennials and 45% of Gen Zers say they feel less secure since the election of Donald Trump
• 48% of Labor voters would prefer a more independent foreign policy, while 30% would prefer a closer alliance with the US. Among Coalition voters, 49% would prefer closer ties with the US and 34% would like a more independent foreign policy

“This is a potentially seismic shift in Australian thinking about America,” said Dr Emma Shortis, Director of the International & Security Affairs Program at The Australia Institute.

On this episode of After America, Dr Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss the shocking public disintegration of relations between the United States and Ukraine, why many Australians are feeling less secure with Trump in office, and what that means for the future of the Australia-US alliance.

This discussion was recorded on Monday 3 March 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Read more about the research on the Australia Institute website.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Host: Angus Blackman, Producer, the Australia Institute // @AngusRB

Photo: Biden White House Archived/Flickr (US Government Work)

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

On this bonus episode of Follow the Money, Walkley Award-winning journalist Stephen Long speaks to three young climate advocates about the impact of climate change in Tuvalu and Kiribati, their dismay at the continued expansion of fossil fuels by Australia and other developed nations, and how they are fighting for the future of their societies.

Subscribe to Between the Lines, the Australia Institute’s fortnightly newsletter.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Guest: Gitty Yee, Communications Officer, Tuvalu Climate Action Network

Guest: Aselu O’Brien, Draughtsman, Lands and Survey Department, Government of Tuvalu

Guest: Robert Karoro, National Coordinator, Kiribati Climate Action Network

Host: Stephen Long, Stephen Long, Senior Fellow and Contributing Editor, the Australia Institute // @StephenLongAus

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

Show notes:

The Coalition’s recent statements committing to “prioritise supply to the domestic market” is welcome recognition that gas exports are hurting Australians.

“The government can achieve this tomorrow by capping exports. It is not complicated,” said Richard Denniss, Executive Director at The Australia Institute.

“We have provided certainty of supply and price to the Chinese market for decades, while ripping off customers at home.”

Australia is one of the largest exporters of gas in the world. There is no shortage of gas in Australia, as highlighted in the Coalition’s recent statements.

Multinational gas export corporations already export 80 per cent of Australia’s gas and control almost all of Australia’s gas reserves.

On this episode of Follow the Money, Dr Emma Shortis and Ebony Bennett discuss Trump’s efforts to “rinse” Ukraine for its resources, the administration’s moves to dismantle significant portions of the Federal Government, and how the Australian Government can use its significant bargaining power to push back against the American President.

This discussion was recorded on Tuesday 25 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Subscribe to After America now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @emmashortis

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

Show notes:

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Hayden discuss the latest monthly inflation data, the proposed improvements to Medicare, and Australia’s misguided obsession with federal budget surpluses.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 27 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Subscribe to Between the Lines, The Australia Institute’s fortnightly newsletter.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

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

Host: Hayden Starr, Digital Media Manager, the Australia Institute // @haydenstarr

Show notes:

But new research by The Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work has found that sacking public servants actually costs the country money and makes providing services less efficient.

The new briefing paper – Restoring Public Sector Capability Through Investment In Public Service Employees – debunks several of the myths promoted in the political debate around the size of Australia’s public service. One such myth is that Australia’s public service is “bloated” or “inefficient”.

The research found that, despite claims to the contrary, most of the public service jobs created since 2022 were not based in Canberra.

It also found:

Salmon are dying in the pens of commercial farms and their rotting remains have been washing up along Tasmania’s beaches for the past week.

The foreign-owned salmon industry must come clean about the scale of this disaster and ensure Australians that not a single diseased fish is processed for sale.

The industry must ensure diseased fish do not end up on Australian supermarket shelves or dinner plates.

“Hundreds of thousands of salmon are continuing to die,” said Eloise Carr, Director of The Australia Institute Tasmania.

“The regulation of this industry is completely inadequate, so we don’t know much. But it looks like the dead fish are being extracted too slowly from pens that are still full of other fish. You can see the carcasses rotting and falling apart.

“Tasmanians are rightfully starting to ask what is being done to protect the health of consumers in all this?

“The salmon industry claims it gets more scrutiny than on-land agriculture. When there is a breakout of avian flu on land, the entire chicken flock is euthanised. In salmon pens, it appears the dead and live salmon are in the same pen. The dead ones are taken to the tip. What happens to the live ones?

“The Environment Protection Authority has not provided an update about this disease for a week now. Australians deserve better. Is this bacteria transferable or harmful to humans?”

Wealth inequality in Australia has dramatically worsened over the past 20 years, mainly being driven by investment properties (excluding the family home).

The richest 10% have seen their property assets grow by an average of $2.2 million per household over the last two decades.

Wealth is being taxed more generously than income, with $100 billion of tax concessions going to the three biggest assets: other property, superannuation, and the family home.

Key points:

• ‘Other’ property is the most concentrated with half of their increase over the last 20 years going to the richest 10%. This was worth $900,000 per household.
• The poorest half of Australian households got just 7% of the benefit ($24,000 over 20 years).
• Superannuation was the second fastest growing of the three major assets, with 37% of the last 20 years growth going to the richest 10%. The bottom half received 15%.
• Huge tax concessions worth $100 billion per year are going to the three major assets. These concessions reduce taxes on wealth and add to wealth inequality.
• Investment properties benefit from negative gearing and the CGT discount, with 73% of their benefit going to the top 10% of income earners.
• Cracking down on these tax concessions would reduce wealth inequality.

Research from The Australia Institute shows closing tax loopholes on wealth will make housing more affordable and reduce wealth inequality.

• Plummeting royalties: Last year NWS royalties made up just 1.3% of WA’s budget revenue. However, the gas fields subject to royalties are depleting and being replaced by non-royalty paying fields. By 2027-28, WA Treasury expects NWS royalties to drop by almost two-thirds, making up just 0.6% of WA government revenue, around one-sixth the amount paid WA motorists in vehicle registration fees. Research.
• Threat to WA domestic gas reserves: Woodside’s offshore gas fields are depleting rapidly, and it has not identified sufficient gas to fill its enormous export capacity, equivalent to more than double WA’s entire domestic gas use. Woodside is proposing it become a third-party tolling export facility for the next 46 years, able to buy gas from the domestic gas market. This is unprecedented in Australia. All previous LNG projects have included gas fields sufficient (at least in theory) to feed their exports. Research.
• NWS export of domestic gas has already tripled WA’s wholesale Gas and electricity prices: The WA government’s approval of exports of the state’s onshore domestic gas reserves from Waitsia in 2020 has exposed Western Australians to high global prices, leading to a tripling of wholesale prices in WA’s domestic gas and electricity markets.

On this episode of After America, Dr Gorana Grgić joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss Trump’s plans for Ukraine, the MAGA movement’s support for Europe’s resurgent far-right parties, and the new Cabinet’s approach to ‘prioritising’ China.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 20 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Guest: Gorana Grgić, Senior Researcher, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zürich // goranagrgic.com

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes: 

Bridges across regions: the effects of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific cooperation on European security architectures by Gorana Grgić, International Politics (January 2025)

The Climate Change Authority report concludes that additional emissions under the coalition plan would see Australia miss its 2030 emissions target and delay the overall transition to clean energy.

“The Climate Change Authority’s slap-down of the Coalition’s nuclear proposal is welcome, but it is yet another distraction from the big climate issues,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.

“We’re talking about nuclear yet again, not about Australia’s uninsurable regions, massive fossil fuel subsidies and dodgy offset schemes.

“It suits both major parties to have a fake fight about nuclear and avoid these real problems in Australia’s climate policy, on which Labor and Liberals largely agree.

“It would be more useful if the CCA focused on Australia’s subsidised fossil fuel expansion and rising domestic emissions.

“Nuclear is a distraction that avoids scrutiny of Australia’s real climate problems.

The post Fake fight over nuclear a distraction from real climate issues appeared first on The Australia Institute.

The Wrap with Amy Remeikis

In amongst the gestures, *everything* happening in the world this week, the Albanese government delivered two lessons in power.

The first came through Anthony Albanese’s latest intervention in the fight to save the Maugean skate from extinction.

For those unaware, the Maugean skate, also known as the ‘dinosaur fish’ because of its direct lineage to the Gondwana era, is the only known brackish water skate in the world. It only lives in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, one-third of which sits in the state’s Wilderness World Heritage Area.

So far, pretty simple; Australia has a literal dinosaur fish and the only known example in the world.  So we should protect it, right?

Well, yes.  And it would be simple if it wasn’t for vested interests.  Enter the multi-billion foreign owned salmon farming industry, which, through intense lobbying dressed up as a ‘jobs versus the environment’ fight, has some people convinced is on the verge of collapse if environment minister Tanya Plibersek follows the science and winds back marine farming in Macquarie Harbour.

As new powers and alliances emerge, the traditional dominance of the US comes into question and Australia’s unwavering allegiance to the United States risks aligning climate and security strategies with a partner that is failing to lead on the most pressing issue of our time.

Watch:

By acting more independently and forging stronger partnerships with nations and blocs to advocate for genuine decarbonisation and adaptation funding, Australia has an opportunity to play a meaningful leadership role on the global stage. By embracing this potential and asserting itself as a proactive and innovative leader in the fight against climate change, Australia can secure its own prosperity and influence in a rapidly changing world.

Presented by Dr Emma Shortis, International & Security Affairs Director, The Australia Institute

Fortescue’s chief climate scientist discusses the rewards of replacing Net Zero with Real Zero targets that set clear deadlines for fossil fuel phase out – and the economic losses awaiting businesses and governments that fail to do so.

Watch:

Presented by Dr Shanta Barley, Chief Climate Scientist, Fortescue

The post Real Zero. Real corporate leadership – Dr Shanta Barley | Climate Integrity Summit 2025 appeared first on The Australia Institute.

Senator David Pocock will explore the ethical responsibility of current leaders and policymakers to prioritise long-term policy solutions relating to environmental protection, distribution of resources, and governance structures that ensure a healthy environment for future generations.

Drawing from international principles and his Duty of Care Bill, Senator Pocock will discuss the specific concept of intergenerational equity in climate action and its potential to drive more ambitious and effective climate policies for the benefit of all.

Presented by Senator David Pocock, Independent Senator for the Australian Capital Territory

The post Intergenerational Climate Equity – Senator David Pocock | Climate Integrity Summit 2025 appeared first on The Australia Institute.

“Demanding better from our leaders is often met with threats like ‘well if you push too hard then you’ll get nothing’.”

“Ignore this. It shows you’re winning.”

Watch:

In his opening remarks, Richard shows how far we have come since the Australia Institute’s first Climate Integrity Summit 3 years ago.

Wrapping the Summit up, Richard explains the power that each of us hold, and can use to hold our leaders to account.

Watch:

Highlighting the link between climate change and global security, Dr Helder da Costa will emphasise how global challenges like climate change exacerbate conflict, undermine stability, and disproportionately affect fragile and conflict-affected states, and how to pursue resilience therein. Wealthy nations play a pivotal role in supporting the g7+ goals, and achieving true ‘security’ through genuine partnerships, enhanced climate financing, and knowledge-sharing.

By aligning its efforts with countries affected by conflict and fragility, Australia can not only contribute to global stability but also strengthen its own domestic security by addressing the far-reaching impacts of climate-driven instability. This session will underscore the urgency of collective action and the mutual benefits of prioritising climate resilience in places affected by conflict and fragility as a cornerstone of global and national security.

Presented by Dr Helder da Costa, General Secretary, The g7+ Secretariat

Australia’s domestic policies across climate, human rights, environmental protection, and democratic institutions create ripple effects that shape international responses to global challenges.

With the 2025 federal election approaching, this timely discussion underscores how Australia’s domestic choices have far-reaching implications for international cooperation on climate change, ecosystem protection, and human security.

Far from being too small to matter, the integrity of Australia’s actions at home fundamentally shape our capacity for meaningful leadership abroad.

Presented by Polly Hemming, Climate & Energy Director, The Australia Institute

The post Integrity at home shapes global outcomes – Polly Hemming | Climate Integrity Summit 2025 appeared first on The Australia Institute.

A prosperous and unified ‘Pacific family’ is essential for regional security, from climate resilience to geopolitical stability, and the alignment of Australia’s promises with its actions are more important than ever.

Watch:

Presented by Savenaca Narube, Unity Fiji Party Leader & Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji

The post Australia and the Pacific ‘Family’ – Savenaca Narube | Climate Integrity Summit 2025 appeared first on The Australia Institute.

They see “discount” signs on products they know were cheaper only months ago.

They know polluters claiming to be carbon neutral are pulling the wool over their eyes.

But they feel helpless to stop them. Apart from reporting lies and rip-offs, what can they do? Take their business to the multi-national over the road which does exactly the same thing?

The Australia Institute welcomes the latest move to give the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) more resources to take on these companies, on our behalf.

“An extra $30 million in funding will help the ACCC to continue its oversight of the grocery sector,” said Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute.

“Coles and Woolworths have long dominated the sector and our research has shown that they are less interested in competing against each other than working together against smaller operators.

“Both Coles and Woolworths have higher profit margins than supermarkets chains in the UK, USA and Europe. Australian shoppers are paying for those profits.

“Even while inflation is coming down, Australians deserve a better supermarket sector – one where companies actually compete on price rather than do all they can to ensure their duopoly remains strong.”

On this crossover episode of Follow the Money and Dollars & Sense, Greg Jericho and Ebony Bennett discuss what’s going on with inflation, the performance of the Reserve Bank and whether the Government deserves the credit for setting the economy on a better course.

This discussion was recorded on Wednesday 19 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

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

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

Show notes: 

Corporate profits increase inflation, the Australia Institute (December 2024)

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

Like all borrowers, The Australia Institute welcomes the 0.25% cut in the official cash rate. It should have happened months ago.

History tells us that interest rate cuts never happen as a one-off.

Whether or not we are in an election campaign, even if we’re just days out from an election, on April 1, the RBA should cut again.

“To suggest there should be no cut in April because it would appear political is absurd,” said Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute.

“Treasurer Jim Chalmers constantly reminds us the Reserve Bank is independent of government.

“A rate cut in April would have nothing to do with politics. In fact, it would be political not to cut just because we are in an election campaign.

“Home owners should not be denied the next cut because of politics. It should be a purely economic decision.

“Today, the RBA has finally recognised that with inflation in the bottom half of its target range, with wage growth slowing and unemployment remaining steady and with the government subsidising energy prices to keep inflation down that the time has come to cut rates.

“The 25 basis point cut will save households around $100 a month on a $600,000 loan. It is small but necessary drop that has been long overdue but it better late than never.”

Changes to Australian law should come from public debate and democratic will, not deals to appease corporate interests ahead of an election.

“Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s overriding of government processes and his own Environment Minister recalls the ‘captain’s picks’ of Tony Abbott – like knighting Prince Phillip and scrapping the proposed paid parental leave scheme,” said Bill Browne, Director, Democracy & Accountability Program at The Australia Institute.

“The NSW gambling industry used ‘MoUs’ with politicians to prevent action on gambling harm for a decade. Albanese’s pledge to change environmental laws if they do not suit polluters is just as disappointing.

“In Australia’s Westminster system of government, ministers are responsible for their portfolios – and Tanya Plibersek is Minister for the Environment. It is Ms Plibersek, not Mr Albanese, who promised zero extinctions under a Labor government and who is accountable to Parliament.”

“The salmon industry cannot rely on the Prime Minister’s pledge to make Australia’s environmental laws “appropriate” for the industry: it is Parliament that makes Australia’s laws, and the Labor Party has not controlled both houses of Parliament since World War 2.”

It is still unclear whether the salmon industry has the necessary approvals under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

On this episode of After America, Senator David Shoebridge, the Australian Greens Spokesperson for Defence and Veterans Affairs, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss cultural cringe, the Australian Government’s response to Trump’s tariffs and why the AUKUS submarine deal makes Australia less safe.

This discussion was recorded on Tuesday 11 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Guest: David Shoebridge, Senator for New South Wales and the Australian Greens Spokesperson for Defence and Veterans Affairs // @davidshoebridge

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes:

Standing up to Trump with Malcolm Turnbull, After America (November 2024)

Trump’s administration is hostile to checks and balances and the rule of law. He has already pardoned the January 6 insurrectionists and signed various executive orders that are unconstitutional.

Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza is horrifying. Making the announcement while standing beside Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for whom the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, is nauseating. It’s in direct violation of international law. Many world leaders condemned Trump’s remarks publicly, including UK Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese repeatedly avoided the opportunity to reject Trump’s plan, saying he would not be giving a “daily commentary” on remarks by the US President.

On one hand, that’s a sensible strategy. Albanese is trying to make sure Australia is exempt from Trump’s tariffs and avoiding stepping on any landmines in the lead-up to our federal election. And Donald Trump is nothing if not a firehose of chaos. He makes announcements and then backtracks, sometimes within the same sentence. There is no way leaders can respond to every last policy brain fart from him or his administration.

No such letter has been sent to others in the local and broader community, ensuring the safety of the endangered Maugean skate, the health of the harbour, the tourism industry or recreational fishing.

If legislation, reportedly proposed by the PM, does not take in to account a long-awaited review of the damage being wreaked upon Macquarie Harbour, it could undermine Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s commitment to no extinctions under her watch.

One third of the harbour is World Heritage listed and the only home of the endangered Maugean skate, recognised for its world heritage values, which date back to the dinosaur era.

Scientific evidence shows salmon farming operations in the harbour are “almost certain” to be “catastrophic” for the skate.

“Special legislation for foreign-owned companies that is likely to condemn the Maugean skate to extinction should not be rushed through in the dying days of this government,”  said Eloise Carr, Director of The Australia Institute Tasmania.

“If the reports are true, the Prime Minister is willing to introduce special new laws that will protect companies which employ only a handful of Australians and send the profits overseas.

“Introducing special legislation to protect the salmon industry would be highly unorthodox. It raises concerns that science could be ignored and due process undermined.

The report identifies three key areas where the climate crisis is directly driving up costs for Australians: insurance, food, and energy.

These sectors combined have accounted for over a fifth of the consumer price inflation experienced in Australia since 2022.

Key findings:

• Insurance premiums have soared due to an increase in natural disasters, with some households now spending over seven weeks of gross income just to cover home insurance
• Food prices have risen by 20% since 2020, with climate-related disruptions wiping out harvests and making it harder for some regions to grow food
• Energy costs remain high due to a reliance on fossil fuels, underinvestment in renewables, and fossil fuel exports forcing Australians to compete with the global market for Australia’s resources
• The impacts of the climate crisis are disproportionately affecting lower-income and regional households, who are already feeling the financial strain more severely

The report underscores the need for urgent climate action to protect Australian households from these escalating costs. Addressing the root causes of climate change is essential to lowering future risks and alleviating the economic strain that millions of Australians are facing.

“Insurance costs keep on rising and, while competition across big business sectors is needed, the thing that is driving insurance costs is climate change,” said Richard Dennis, Executive Director at The Australia Institute.

The Australia Institute’s detailed analysis of the bill identifies several loopholes the major parties could exploit; unfair treatment of new entrants and independent candidates; and the danger that tens of millions of dollars of new taxpayer funding are spent on misleading advertising.

Labor’s compromises with the Coalition have made a bad bill even worse:

Last night, Liberal Senator Jane Hume announced they’d done a deal with the Albanese Labor Government on electoral laws – and some twelve hours later, it became law, having been rushed through both houses of Parliament.

Labor’s compromises with the Coalition have worsened the bill even further:

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Greg and Elinor discuss the bogus claims made by American officials about Australia flooding the US market with aluminium, the latest housing data (still no house for Elinor *sadface*) and Australia’s urban-rural divide.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 13 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

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

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

Show notes:

‘Trump’s latest tariff bid shows the old rules of trade no longer apply. Scraps of paper will not save us’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (February 2025)

On this episode of Follow the Money, Senior Economist Matt Grudnoff joins Ebony Bennett to explain how tariffs work, Trump’s 25 per cent levy on steel and aluminium imports, and how big a deal this will be for Australia.

This discussion was recorded on Tuesday 11 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

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

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

Show notes: 

After America, the Australia Institute

‘Trump’s latest tariff bid shows the old rules of trade no longer apply. Scraps of paper will not save us’ by Greg Jericho, Guardian Australia (February 2025)

The latest figures from the Bureau of Statistics today reveal that the size of the average home loan over just the past 5 years has increased by more than $198,000 in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.

Everyone knows Australian house prices are high and putting home ownership out of reach for many new home buyers. These most recent mortgage figures only serve to remind people just how expensive it is to buy a home.

While often the media commentary is about Sydney house prices, the home loan figures show all states are affected. For example, the average new home loan in South Australia in just five years has gone from $372,000 to $580,000 – a 56% increase at a time when the average full-time earnings in South Australia have increased only around 18%.

But while the current situation is dire, if the pace of the past 20 years continues, owning a home will not so much be the Australian dream, but a ludicrous fantasy unavailable to everyone except to the very richest.

One clear way to demonstrate just how unaffordable housing is now compared to the past is to compare dwelling prices with average earnings. If average earnings went up at the same pace as house prices, then housing now would be just as affordable as it was before.

The problem, as you can see from the first graph above, is that is not the case.

The Australia Institute’s Democracy Agenda for the 48th Parliament proposes reforms aimed at strengthening Parliamentary debate, increasing government accountability, and enhancing the integrity of our political institutions.

Joined by Greens Senate Leader Larissa Waters and independent MPs Kate Chaney, Zoe Daniel, Helen Haines, Sophie Scamps, Monique Ryan, Andrew Wilkie, the Australia Institute’s Director of Democracy & Accountability Bill Browne launched the report today with a press conference at Parliament House.

Key proposals include:

The supposedly large campaigns run by community independents have been used to justify the Albanese Government’s rushed changes to electoral laws. Labor Special Minister of State Don Farrell explicitly linked the laws to an attempt to limit funding for community independents, saying “if you can’t get your message across after spending $800,000, then maybe you shouldn’t be in politics”.

Liberal MP Paul Fletcher claimed that “[t]hese amounts being spent on campaigns in individual electorates are without precedent in the Australian political system”.
Since these claims are being used to justify sweeping changes to Australian electoral law, they warrant close scrutiny.

The data reveals that the line being pushed by the two major parties does not stack up.

Despite what the Labor and Liberal parties might wish to suggest, million-dollar campaigns were not uncommon before the 2022 election.

In a letter, published in newspapers today, CEOs, investors and academics have called for governments to stop subsidising and approving fossil fuel projects and to implement policies that will drive investment in decarbonisation.

Signatories include business leaders and investors across a range of sectors including resources, retail and superannuation.

According to the letter Real Zero means:

• Setting a deadline for ending fossil fuel use, rather than relying on offsets.
• Rapid reduction in fossil fuel use and absolute greenhouse gas emissions, not delays based on future technology promises.
• A managed end to fossil fuel production, including a phase out of subsidies.

“A critical mass of Australian businesses have declared their support for or signed voluntary climate commitments aligned with 1.5 degrees of global warming. It is welcome to see the private sector actually start to align their advocacy with these existing commitments,” said Polly Hemming, Director, Climate & Energy Program at The Australia Institute.

“To have any chance of staying within the liveable bounds of climate change, we must all be as ambitious as we say we are. ‘Real Zero’ must be the aspiration. ‘Real Zero’ must be the goal.

On this episode of After America, Matt Duss, Executive Vice-President at the Washington DC-based Center for International Policy, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss Trump’s Gaza announcement, the freeze on US development funding, and the new Cabinet’s approach to China.

This discussion was recorded on Friday 7 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Guest: Matt Duss, Executive Vice-President, Centre for International Policy // @mattduss

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes:

‘Trump’s Gaza Proposal is Less Original Than He Thinks’ by Matthew Duss, Foreign Policy (February 2025)

There have been improvements, including the replacement of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, increased funding to some agencies and the introduction of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), although without the power to hold public hearings whenever they are in the public interest.

Overall, the government’s broader record on integrity and transparency remains wanting.

• There is no Whistleblower Commissioner or Office as Labor promised in 2019.
• This government’s record on dealing with freedom of information requests remains poor.
• Integrity agencies remain underfunded even as their responsibilities expand.
• Ministers are not required to, and do not proactively, publish their diaries to reveal who they are meeting with.
• The response to the Robodebt scandal has failed to achieve justice for victims of the unlawful scheme, with the NACC subject to adverse findings over its handling of the matter.
• David McBride is behind bars for blowing the whistle on alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan.

This Tuesday, the Australia Institute and Fairer Future will convene a roundtable of integrity experts and officeholders emeritus to discuss the decline in accountability and the role of the integrity arm of government: including auditors, ombudsmen, anti-corruption commissioners and information commissioners.

The media is invited to attend community independent Senator David Pocock’s keynote address, which will open the roundtable. 

The Wrap with Amy Remeikis

On September 30, 1938 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain stood outside 10 Downing Street and declared the Munich Agreement had appeased German Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s territorial aims.

“I believe it is peace for our time,” he said.

“…Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.”

Germany violated the agreement almost immediately.  Six months later it had invaded all of Czechoslovakian territory and another six months after that, after German troops marched on Poland, the world was at war.

We know how that ended.

We know how history has judged the appeasement policy of 1930s leaders, which included both major parties in Australia, who held tight to the British empire’s coat tails even as other commonwealth nations pushed for independence.  Australia’s government did not ratify the 1931 Statute of Westminster, a British law which gave formal legislative independence to commonwealth nations, until 1942.  John Curtin was prompted to ratify it after the Fall of Singapore, which put to bed the deep belief Britain would be able to protect Australia in a war.

Australia began turning to America. And we’ve been turning blind eyes, ever since.

None of this should be new information to any student of history.

What may be new is the role of the British press during the appeasement policy.

As I watched the fires in Los Angeles unfold in January this year, my mind of course reflected on the 1999-2000 Black Summer bushfires in Australia. Both these seasons have wrought significant damage to humans and other animals, and to land, infrastructure and property. There has been a huge personal, collective and financial toll involved. Climate change is of course driving these unprecedented events, and there are significant health impacts for people.

During these disasters we are conscious of the direct risk posed to fire fighters, but the air pollution generated presents health and safety challenges for workers and others more broadly. When working hard physically in any role we of course breath more deeply, taking in more smoke and ash from the fires. Ultimately, the 2019–2020 Black Summer fire period in Australia burned 24.3 million hectares, killed or displaced 3 billion animals, and killed 33 people directly — with a further 455 people killed indirectly due to the smoke and ash pollution, which enveloped four-fifths of Australia’s population.

Less than a week out from The Australia Institute’s 2025 Climate Integrity Summit, it’s been revealed that organisations like Telstra, Australia Post, PWC and the NRMA – and more than a hundred others – have walked away from the Federal Government’s Climate Active scheme.

Australians are fed up with polluters buying carbon credits of questionable quality rather than making real investments in real reductions in the amount of fossil fuels they are burning.

The public knows the difference between greenwashing and real action on climate change. Now, corporate Australia is getting the message. Many companies are choosing not to be associated with programs which lack integrity.

“Even PwC doesn’t respect the integrity of the accounting standards behind the Commonwealth Government’s own carbon offsetting scheme. When PwC is telling you to pull your socks up, you know you have an integrity problem,” said Richard Denniss, Executive Director of The Australia Institute.

“A growing number of Australians are sick of the greenwashing and accounting tricks, and simply want their governments to drive a real reduction in fossil fuel use. That’s why climate scientists and business people like Andrew Forrest are calling for real zero targets to replace the vague net zero targets which rely on carbon offsetting.

Australia’s productivity growth has reverted to the same stagnant pattern as before the pandemic, according to the Productivity Commission’s latest quarterly report.

Productivity is complex and often misunderstood in media and policy debates. So before we read too much into this latest data, here are six key things to understand about productivity.

1. It’s about quantities, not costs

Productivity “measures the rate at which output of goods and services are produced per unit of input”. So it’s about how many workers does it take to make how many widgets?

Most Australian workplace managers don’t know how to measure productivity correctly.

If someone says “higher wages mean lower productivity”, they don’t know what they’re talking about. Wages aren’t part of the productivity equation. People often cite “productivity” as a reason for a policy they like because they can’t say “we like higher profits”.

In fact, high wages can encourage firms to introduce new technology that improves productivity. If labour becomes more expensive, it may be more profitable for firms to invest in labour-saving technology.

But lower productivity isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes higher selling prices can lower productivity. It seems odd, but works like this: if prices for commodities such as iron ore or coal are high, it becomes profitable for mining companies to dig through more rock to get to it.

On this episode of Dollars & Sense, Australia Institute Senior Economist and Elinor Johnston-Leek discuss how our housing and superannuation policies are fuelling wealth inequality.

This discussion was recorded on Thursday 6 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Host: Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, the Australia Institute and Centre for Future Work // @mattgrudnoff

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

Show notes:

Superannuation tax concessions are making inequality worse by Greg Jericho, the Australia Institute (July 2024)

Income and wealth inequality in Australia by David Richardson and Frank Stilwell, the Australia Institute (July 2024)

Australia’s higher education system is broken. University Vice-Chancellors – the CEOs of today’s corporatised higher education system – are among the highest paid in the world. Meanwhile, students suffer from expensive degrees, expanding debts and meagre income support, and staff are subjected to job insecurity, casualisation, hours of unpaid work and even outright employment law contraventions.

None of this is inevitable. Government choices matter, Australia created the current system, and Australia can create a better system that prioritises students and workers. Other countries have shown that this can work. In the words of Australia Institute Executive Director Richard Denniss

“…just consider the fact that in Norway, they tax the fossil fuel industry and give kids free university education, in Australia we subsidise the fossil fuel industry and charge kids a fortune to go to university.”

On this episode of Follow the Money, Democracy & Accountability Director Bill Browne joins us to discuss the latest political donations data and why tens of thousands of Australians are concerned about the Government’s proposed electoral changes.

This discussion was recorded on Tuesday 4 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Guest: Bill Browne, Director, Democracy & Accountability, the Australia Institute // @browne90

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

Show notes: 

Electoral Reform Bill analysis by Bill Browne and Joshua Black, the Australia Institute (February 2025)

SIGN NOW: Protect our elections!, the Australia Institute

Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions

On this episode of After America, Associate Professor Clare Corbould joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the relentlessness of the new Trump administration and the media coverage of his first two weeks in office.

This discussion was recorded on Friday 31 January 2025 and things may have changed since recording.

Order What’s the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website.

Guest: Clare Corbould, Associate Head of School, Research, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University // @clarecorbould

Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis

Show notes:

Presidency Pending hosted by Clare Corbould and Zim Nwokora, Deakin University

Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis (September 2023)