Economic data can tell us a lot about what’s happening the economy and society, but it’s easy to get lost in data. Introducing the Autralia Institute’s brand new podcast, Dollars & Sense, with Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at the Australia Institute and the Centre for Future Work and popular columnist of Grogonomics with Guardian Australia. In Dollars & Sense, each week, Greg Jericho will dive into the latest economic figures, and explain what they can tell us about what’s happening in the economy, how it will impact you and where things are headed. In this episode, Greg unpacks gross ..read more

Clive Palmer isn’t a noted Singaporean. The closest the Queensland billionaire and erstwhile Australian MP seems to have got to Singapore lately is when his super yacht ran aground off its coast. Yet Palmer is suing Australia as a “foreign investor” under the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), demanding compensation for a landmark court ruling that put a stop to his proposed Waratah coal mine. It’s the third such case he’s launched this year against Australia, pursuing a total of more than $A400 billion in damages. The saga highlights the ongoing danger posed by trade agreements ..read more

But that is what is happening, according to the new 2023 Production Gap Report, which shows that major fossil fuel producing countries, including Australia, plan to produce double the fossil fuels in 2030 than allowed if we are to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. That’s a recipe for crop failure, intense drought, frequent bushfires, loss of native species, regional instability, extreme heat and disasters caused by extreme weather. Climate change is already wreaking havoc in every corner of the globe, not least Australia, as fossil-fuel-derived CO2 emissions reached a record high in 20 ..read more

The report proposes reforms targeted at increasing transparency and diversity as an alternative to existing measures that have failed to rein in vested interests or cash-for-access and made it harder for new voices to enter politics. A piecemeal approach to political finance laws from the major parties would also go against the wishes of a majority of voters, who identify political contributions from corporations, candidates, MPs and foreign sources as the payments most threatening to our democracy. With the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters report into the 2022 federal election ex ..read more

In a less than ideal week for the government, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has copped some criticism for how much overseas travel he’s been doing. Most PMs have been subject to criticism for travelling, so how seriously should we take it this time? This was recorded on Tuesday 21st November 2023 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Guest: Dr Emma Shortis, Senior Researcher, International & Security Affairs program, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebony_bennett Pr ..read more

All cartoons © Judy Horacek To get Judy Horacek’s exclusive cartoon for the Australia Institute, subscribe to our Between the Lines newsletter – the biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight-ish. The post Look over there! appeared first on The Australia Institute ..read more

The Wrap with Ebony Bennett Today is our annual Go Home on Time Day, when we shine a spotlight on the unpaid overtime of workers across Australia. This year’s report found that employers were stealing more than 280 hours from workers each year, exposing a heavily uneven labour market rife with insecure work and often insufficient hours for those who need them most. The exploitation of workers is bad news at any time but is particularly chilling in a cost-of-living and housing crisis. It’s particularly galling, therefore, to hear RBA Governor Michele Bullock announce that the 4% rise in wages m ..read more

Recently in parliament, responding to the temporary blocking of a legislative favour to Santos, Foreign Minister Penny Wong berated the opposition. The bill – which did eventually pass – is designed to facilitate massive expansion of the gas industry. Wong told those opposite that: ‘Maybe those who care about national security should think about the fact that the governments of Korea and Japan have been asking us to pass this legislation.’  The claim that supporting the gas industry is about ‘national security’ is both wrong and dangerous. It implies that any failure to facilitate the expansio ..read more

That’s the finding of the Australia Institute’s 2023 report, Short Changed, tracking annual work hours and unpaid overtime for Go Home On Time Day on November 22. It has also found the average worker is losing out on $11,055 a year, or $425 a fortnight, to unpaid overtime. Key findings: The Australia Institute surveyed 1,640 people between August 29 and September 6. Of those, 61% were in paid work.  Employees reported doing an average of 5.4 hours of unpaid work a week overall Full-time employees perform an average of 6.2 hours, and casuals or part-timers four hours Workers aged 18 to 2 ..read more

Held at Spring Bay Mill, the Ocean Summit brought together a diverse array of marine community members to address Tasmania’s dual crises of conflict over marine resources and climate change impacts. Representatives from across Tasmania’s marine sectors, scientists, economists, management experts and Tasmanian Aboriginal communities issued a statement to the Tasmanian Government: Participants at the Tasmanian Ocean Summit 2023 call on the Tasmanian Government to urgently implement wholistic, integrated management in Tasmania’s coastal waters/Sea Country, that: includes comprehensive stakeholde ..read more