The dodgy, so-called “offsets” that undermine Australia’s central climate policy
Fergus Green & Frances Medlock
According to the Australian Financial Review (AFR), Tania Constable, the head of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), was in Canberra yesterday ‘launching a “Hands off our Fuel” online messaging blitz’. Unsurprisingly, the mining lobby's ads are full of misleading, or downright false, claims.
Australia's flagship climate policy is failing to reduce actual emissions because major polluters are relying on unlimited carbon offsets, according to new research. The Australia Institute report argues Labor’s Safeguard Mechanism has failed to deliver the promised reductions in gross emissions from Australia's largest industrial facilities.
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Today, the ABS has released its latest survey on barriers to work, and more than a quarter of women aged 18-64 who were not retired but would like to work, or would like to work more hours, cited child care as the main reason for not doing so.
Over the weekend, we got some modelling that claimed the changes to negative gearing would increase rents by $2,000 per year, or $40 a week. Now, economic modelling can be a powerful tool to understand the impacts of a policy change. But if it doesn’t properly capture relevant changes, it can produce completely nonsensical results.
Australia’s total foreign aid budget was $5.097 billion in 2025-6. According to Animal Medicines Australia’s major survey and study of pet ownership, Australians spent $21 billion on their animals in the year to March 2025.
It isn’t always easy to keep up with what’s happening in the US. “Shorter America” is a series where Dr Emma Shortis loops you in on what’s going on in America and shares news and analysis that you can trust.
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Each year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) puts out its 'Australian Industry' figures, providing a detailed snapshot of how different sectors of the economy are performing. This year’s figures cover the 2024-25 financial year. And the sector with the highest profits margin (by a sizeable margin) was the oil and gas sector.
One of conservative media's favourite stories is finding property and fund manager researchers to speculate about how much house prices will fall. When you look at the data though, maybe it's time to calm the farm about these falling house prices.
A star Socceroo has delivered a powerful message to the world about multiculturalism, diversity and the contribution of refugees, ahead of Australia’s next game at the football World Cup. Adelaide-based winger Awer Mabil, one of four Socceroos who came to Australia as refugees before finding their way into the national soccer team, spoke to journalists in the build-up to the clash with co-hosts the USA on Saturday.
