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The Australia Institute The Australia Institute is an independent Canberra-based think-tank established in 1994. Authorised by E. Bennett, The Australia Institute, Canberra 2604.
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As it happens, earlier this week, Australia Institute co-CEO Dr Richard Denniss sat down with Alex Fein, a researcher an...
21/10/2026

As it happens, earlier this week, Australia Institute co-CEO Dr Richard Denniss sat down with Alex Fein, a researcher and strategist at political research and polling firm RedBridge, for his podcast What’s the Point?

Ms Fein holds focus groups “most nights of the week”, digging into the “why” behind the figures.
Dr Denniss’ first question: “Why are so many Australians so angry?”

“I think people aren’t just angry. They’re also scared. They’re really scared and their trust in the system is collapsing,” said Ms Fein.

Read the full piece on The Point: https://thepoint.com.au/new/261021-cost-of-living-pressures-declining-trust-driving-public-anger

Taylor and Canavan are simply restating one of the most pervasive lies in Australian public debate: if we don’t dig it u...
21/10/2026

Taylor and Canavan are simply restating one of the most pervasive lies in Australian public debate: if we don’t dig it up, someone else will. If Australia doesn’t dig up huge amounts of coal, gas and oil, some other country will do it instead, so we might as well mine as much as we can.

While it may have a basic logic to it at first glance, the idea that stopping a mine in the Hunter Valley makes no difference is contrary to basic economics. NSW is a globally significant coal supplier, and less coal coming out of the state will increase coal prices and some buyers will choose not to buy coal at all.

The current Middle East wars are demonstrating daily that reducing the supply of fossil fuels increases their price. This is driving increases in renewable energy investment.

Read the full factcheck on The Point: https://thepoint.com.au/factchecks/261020-factcheck-when-australia-shuts-down-coal-mines-do-trading-partners-simply-look-elsewhere

"Young Australians are doing it tough. They’re struggling to find affordable housing, juggling work and study, and findi...
21/10/2026

"Young Australians are doing it tough. They’re struggling to find affordable housing, juggling work and study, and finding it harder than ever to get a foothold in adult life" writes Paul McDonald, CEO of Anglicare Victoria.

"For those who are between 18 and 22 years of age and getting by on Youth Allowance, they’re doing it even harder. That’s partly because of a strange rule built into our social security system: young adults get $150 less money to live on each fortnight simply because of their age."

"There is no youth discount on rent, food or petrol. There shouldn’t be a youth discount on the safety net either."

Read the full piece on The Point: https://thepoint.com.au/opinions/261021-rent-doesnt-come-with-a-youth-discount-why-does-income-support

Cancellations for people who fail to reconnect with employment services within four weeks are set to resume on October 2...
21/10/2026

Cancellations for people who fail to reconnect with employment services within four weeks are set to resume on October 26, more than two years after being paused.

“We are extremely alarmed by this announcement that will see the screws turned even tighter on welfare recipients who are already under so much strain,” said The Antipoverty Centre co-coordinator Jay Coonan.

Two subsequent reports by the Commonwealth Ombudsman exposed unlawful cancellations and failings in how affected people were compensated.

But welfare groups have accused the government of pushing ahead without detailing how it has fixed the identified failures.

“Last year, our own analysis revealed that roughly 310,000 people had had their payments cancelled illegally,” said Economic Justice Australia CEO Kate Allingham.

Read the full piece on The Point: https://thepoint.com.au/new/261021-welfare-groups-criticise-albanese-governments-plan-to-restart-centrelink-payment-cancellations

The drawn-out war in the Middle East has enabled Woodside to significantly increase gas prices, which The Australia Inst...
21/10/2026

The drawn-out war in the Middle East has enabled Woodside to significantly increase gas prices, which The Australia Institute estimates has driven the company’s profit up by around $1.3 billion in three months compared to the same time last year. The obvious answer to ensuring Australians get a fair share for their resources is to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports.

Read the full article here! ⤵️
australiainstitute.org.au/post/woodside-records-mega-war-profits-while-australians-pay-through-the-nose/

Sign our petition calling for a plebiscite for a 25% gas export tax via our website!

21/10/2026

“This Labor government needs to stop listening to the gas lobby and start listening to the Australian people who are demanding a tax on gas exports.” – Senator Barbara Pocock AM at the Revenue Summit last week.

Buy Richard’s latest Vantage Point essay “More Fool Me: How the Gas Industry Tricked Australia” here! ⤵️
australiainstitute.org.au/store/more-fool-me-vantage-point-issue-6

Sign our petition calling for a plebiscite for a 25% gas export tax via our website!

While the 2,500 jobs cuts are horrific enough for the workers and their families, worse still is the commentary that thi...
20/10/2026

While the 2,500 jobs cuts are horrific enough for the workers and their families, worse still is the commentary that this is due to increased use of AI and other companies will need follow.

The productivity “benefits” of AI are all about cutting jobs and raising profits rather than living standards for Australian workers.
Richard Denniss was at the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence last week, where he talked about the true cost of this new technology.

To hear Richard break the issue down further listen to his “What’s the Point?” episode on Data Centres here! ⤵️
australiainstitute.org.au/post/whats-the-point-of-data-centres/

To read more visit our website! ⤵️
australiainstitute.org.au/post/will-the-data-centre-boom-make-us-better-off/

20/10/2026

In this week’s special episode of “What’s the Point?”, co-CEO Richard Denniss interviews Redbridge researcher and pollster Alex Fein, asking her exactly what Australians are so angry about.

Listen here or wherever you listen to your podcasts! ⤵️
australiainstitute.org.au/post/special-guest-whats-the-point-of-getting-angry-at-government-with-pollster-alex-fein/

Buy Richard’s latest Vantage Point essay here! ⤵️
australiainstitute.org.au/store/more-fool-me-vantage-point-issue-6

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PO Box 3839 Manuka
Canberra, ACT
2603

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