After talking a very big game for a very long time on freedom of speech, it is interesting how quickly important institutions in the US have folded up, and rolled over at the first real sign of pressure.

Given this is making some waves - here is the piece and you can judge for yourself. (I'm fine, there are no issues - right wing ecosystem just doing what right wing ecosystem does). Take care of you - it's rough out there! Ax amyremeikis.substack.com/p/charlie-ki...

Keep up with the news today with @amyremeikis.bsky.social on our Live Blog! From reports of a 20-year methane leak at the Santos gas export hub in Darwin to the weekend's neo-Nazi supported rallies. All the day's events, with fact checks, as it happens. #auspol live.australiainstitute.org.au

Australia is building homes at a faster rate than the population has increased. “Scare campaigns about immigration are as old as history. But the latest version of them falls apart when subject to the evidence.” - Matt Grudnoff @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social #auspol

Global mail services have suspended parcel deliveries to the United States. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social explains why the Trump administration's chaotic implementation undermines any potential upside of tariffs & why Australia's latest inflation data isn't cause for panic. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/4fYVYUh

I'm speaking at Monash Uni tomorrow about Australia's gas policy mess and Woodside in particular. @australiainstitute.org.au @nteumonash.bsky.social

Foreign-owned gas corporations are getting over half the gas they export from Australia for FREE. The gas industry is ripping Australians off, and our governments are letting them. ✍️Add your name to the call to tax the gas industry properly theaus.in/increasePRRT #auspol

A reminder that the RBA and other compliant economists spent a couple years telling @australiainstitute.org.au that companies were not marking up prices in 2022-23. The failure of Australia’s economic establishment was truly embarrassing

My high school legal studies and economics teacher came to see me speak last night. He remembered me because of how argumentative I was in class. Always question the orthodoxy kids!

The RBA has cut interest rates – five weeks too late. Does this make up for its bad call at the last meeting in July, when it left rates on hold? Read Matt Grudnoff’s op ed in The New Daily on RBA's interest rate cuts and why this should have happened sooner. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social #auspol

“The RBA shows a lot of concern when inflation is above the band and too little concern when it is below the band." Read Matt Grudnoff’s article in The New Daily on if the Reserve Bank will learn from its mistakes or allow inflation to fall below 2% instead. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social #auspol

“There has been no indication yet that the Australian government would reduce pharmaceutical tariffs for higher US drug prices in Australia. I think they’d be crazy to do it. "Our trade is nowhere near big enough to warrant the pain.” @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social in news.com.au #auspol

If investors are silly enough to wait tillthe end of the 5th year, then that's their problem, not a policy one. Also. So what? Someone has to buy those houses being sold... Great - more affordable housing!

Australia's preferential voting system is often praised, and for good reason. But in terms of reflecting overall votes cast it's not much better than first past the post. My look at how our winner-takes-all voting system skews election outcomes for @australiainstitute.org.au 👇 #auspol

Australia has a politician problem: not too many, but too few. There are nine times the number of voters than in 1903, but the number of MPs has only doubled. Maybe it's time for our representative democracy to get a bit more representative? @australiainstitute.org.au #auspol

With inflation at 2.1%, @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social reminds us that the RBA has not been great at hitting its target and also needs to worry about inflation falling *below* the target range #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/when-ta...

Me on why Trump wants us to get rid of the PBS with a great price table by @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social on the differences in prices of medicine here and in the US live.australiainstitute.org.au/2025/07/aust...

With GST revenue slowing and states struggling with the growing costs of vital services, there are calls for GST to be broadened. “Many who talk about wanting more tax revenue to come from the GST would baulk at the easiest services to broaden it too.” @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social #auspol

When tobacco ads were banned, sports in Australia didn't collapse. Neither did free-to-air TV. So why shouldn't gambling ads be banned? Senior Economist @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social unpacks proposed limits on gambling ads on Dollars & Sense! #auspol

"People are suffering. People can't afford rents...let alone to buy." @amyremeikis.bsky.social & @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social join @ebonybennett.bsky.social to discuss the housing crisis, Treasury's advice to the Government & the first parliamentary sitting week. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/4lLKHIM

Fix the GST to unlock more than $2 billion for SA Noah Schultz-Byard, director of the Australia Institute South Australia asks whether South Australia will accept our shrinking share of the GST and risk even deeper service cuts by 2030, or will we fight for tax reform. #sapol

The government doesn’t allocate a specific percentage of GDP to health or education. Why should defence be any different? On this Dollars & Sense, @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social & @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social discuss 'magic' defence dollars & the PM's China trip. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/3TMzpb6

It's magic money that doesn't count. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social #auspol australiainstitute.org.au/post/special...

The AFR with the list of 50 richest CEOs in Australia. Weirdly they are counting unrealised share holdings to determine how rich they are. But the AFR has been telling us that you can't count such things when trying to tax super balances above $3m. Guess these people aren't really rich at all....

While GST revenue shrinks, it's time for new ideas from the Federal Government to support our struggling states. It could: Impose a new excise on gas exports. Introduce a wealth tax for people worth more than $100m. Reform capital gains tax discount and negative gearing @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social

Leaked Treasury advice shows the Government is unlikely to reach their target of 1.2 million homes in 5 years. There are many ways to make up this revenue gap, like fixing the PRRT or negative gearing. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social #auspol

The latest unemployment figures show the RBA has utterly failed its role of maintaining full employment. #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-lat...

@mattgrudnoff.bsky.social makes some really interesting points here about why the dominance of for-profit childcare in Aus is bad & pretty odd. Plus: the interest rate decision & why it's so important to defend the PBS. @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social australiainstitute.org.au/post/rba-mov...

The RBA's decision to keep interest rates on hold means more unnecessary suffering for Australian borrowers. “The high interest rates are slowing the Australian economy at a time when economic growth is on life support,” said @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social, senior economist at the Australia Institute.

“Regardless of what the US drug companies think of this practice, the Australian government has a sovereign right to design policy that benefits Australians," said @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social.

The king is dead (sick). Long live the king. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social standing in for @grogsgamut.bsky.social on today's Dollars & Sense. Episode out later today. @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social

I'd really rather they just paid more tax. www.smh.com.au/world/north-...

Oh look, Env Minister Murray Watt just tripled the area of native habitat that tax-shy gas company Arrow Energy can destroy! When LNP's Greg Hunt approved this, he imposed "some of the strictest env conditions in Aus history" Not so strict anymore...1/4 @australiainstitute.org.au

Australia, Canada, Norway and U.S. are responsible for nearly 70% of projected carbon-dioxide (CO2) pollution from new fossil fuel projects between 2025 and 2035. Also Australia - "we are a renewable powerhouse and should host COP31" #nonewcoal #nonewgas #climatecrisis oilchange.org/blogs/planet...

Members of the crossbench have written to Deputy PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles, calling for an urgent parliamentary inquiry into Aukus. In April, polling by @australiainstitute.org.au found 56% of Australians support such a move.

We always hear that farmers will be smashed by the super tax changes. But last year ASFA noted that "The reality is quite different" "nothing to do with primary production or the only connection is owning a boutique winery that is run at a tax loss." 😬 www.superannuation.asn.au/wp-content/u...

There’s a simple reform the federal government could introduce to bring house prices down. Directing APRA to force banks to limit loans given to investors would make it easier for people to buy a house they actually want to live in. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social #auspol

Check out how crazy profitable Australian gas exports are! 47.8%!!! Amazing what happens when you pay no royaltes, and let other people pay for the climate change you cause...

The king is dead. Long live the king. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social standing in for @grogsgamut.bsky.social on Dollars & Sense today. @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social seems pleased?

Very excited that @ketanjoshi.co is working with @australiainstitute.org.au!!! Check out his post on Woodside, dodgy offsets and the safeguard mechanism... australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-saf...

"The outer-Melbourne electorate of Calwell had "the most complex count in Australia's history", but almost nobody was talking about it before the election. Why? Only four journalists live in the seat, the least of anywhere in Australia. @rodcampbell.bsky.social writes ⤵️ #auspol

Worried you might one day have more than $3m in super and then might get less of a tax break? First off, seriously, you are worried about having $3m in super?? Secondly, as @grogsgamut.bsky.social writes, stop worrying you are not going to ever have $3m australiainstitute.org.au/post/dont-be...

There's a lot of fearmongering about a potential modest change to super tax concessions. As Greg explains, the changes would only marginally affect the very wealthiest; those with over $3m in super, less than 1% of all Australians. It's a good idea. @grogsgamut.bsky.social #auspol

Hilariously, the AFR is showing just how absurd is the scare campaign against the super tax changes. They give an eg where someone's super goes from $2m to $3.18m in a year! Yep a $1.18m increase. How much extra tax? $1,528! OMG!! THAT'S OUTRAG... err... oh actually that's bugger all

Lot of scares about "oh but it's the unrealised gains thing". Ok but first acknowledge we're talking about a *small* number of people and also only some of those with more than $3m in super. If you have it in a retail or industry fund, you aren't worrying about unrealised gains at all.

Looks like Labor is about to approve the North West shelf gas expansion, which among bad news for the planet and WA energy costs is terrible for the nearby Murujuga rock art - which is so old, it has one of the first known depictions of the human face australiainstitute.org.au/post/woodsid...

Allan Behm has written a brilliant paper on who has responsibility for war crimes... and it is fair to say it has rustled all the feathers in the defence force establishment... australiainstitute.org.au/report/war-c...

Critics of the changes to super tax want to scare you by saying many people will one day be affected. But their *own* numbers show that very few people under 30 currently working will have more than $3m in super #OffTheCharts @grogsgamut.bsky.social australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-cha...

For too long, investors have had a huge advantage over owner occupiers, with huge tax breaks for property speculators. There's a simple reform option: limiting loans for investors. It's a solution the Government has implemented before, and it worked. Read more from @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social ⤵️