The Federal Government's plan for university reform is welcome and much needed. Australian unis are overseen by Vice-Chancellors paid vast sums of money, who preside over a sector failing its staff and students. 📺Senior Economist Jack Thrower on WIN News @jack-thrower.bsky.social #auspol

What did we learn from yesterday's election data drop and why will we have to wait till February for the full picture? @rashidajourno.bsky.social explains on SBS News. www.sbs.com.au/news/article...

Many NSW residents don't realise that the "Westpac" Rescue Helicopter's operations aren't funded by Westpac, but by taxpayers. Ripper piece from @sydmorningherald.bsky.social www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw...

The ANU says it's in crisis. Does this look like a financial crisis to you?

open.spotify.com/episode/1OPE... In this week's DS episode @jennaprice.bsky.social, Sinclair Davidson, Mark and I discuss the governance crisis in the Australian University sector. It is telling when folk from across the political spectrum agree on the problem and most of the solution A thread🧵

"The core problem is a vacuum of accountability. In the university sector, no one is held responsible for failure, at least no one at the top." @jack-thrower.bsky.social in the Canberra Times Read: www.canberratimes.com.au/story/906393...

Tickets are on sale now for our Revenue Summit 2025! Speakers include Steven Miles, David Pocock, Kate Chaney, Jordan van den Lamb, and more! 📅Wed 29 Oct 📍Parliament House, Canberra Get your tickets! 👇👇 #auspol

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

Proof that we're different people (mostly...)

"Australians should insist that the country’s leaders represent the interests of Australians, not multinational gas corporations," writes @markogge.bsky.social. Why is the Prime Minister gaslighting Australians on North West Shelf? – @thenewdaily.bsky.social

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

Today is the LAST CHANCE to make your tax-deductible donation before the End of Financial Year, and double your impact! Thank you to everyone who has already donated! 🧡 theaus.in/EOFYbsky1

Nearly a quarter of the seats in parliament are "non-classic" contests - where either 1st or 2nd is not a major party - incl the seats held by the ALP, Lib & Nats leaders #OffTheCharts @browne90.bsky.social @skyelark.bsky.social @joshuablackjb.bsky.social australiainstitute.org.au/post/for-maj...

ANU attacks union poll for lack of integrity, but keeps its own survey results secret @jack-thrower.bsky.social in the Canberra Times, writes on the ANU's scandals and lack of transparency.

“In other words, the ANU is saying that the success of their work depends on the public staying in the dark about how ANU staff members are actually feeling.” @jack-thrower.bsky.social with yet more evidence of opacity and poor governance at ANU. www.canberratimes.com.au/story/899301...

Australia has an opportunity to get out of AUKUS. We should take it. We ask the Albanese Government to prioritise Australia's interests and security, and to join the UK and the US Governments in undertaking an independent parliamentary inquiry into AUKUS. ✍️ Add your name: theaus.in/AUKUS_inquiry

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.

Oh look, Env Minister Murray Watt could approve a brand new coal mine in the next 10 days. @australiainstitute.org.au #CoalMineTracker 1/2

"Confected outrage at the very wealthy paying slightly more tax is misguided and misdirected." Great piece on proposed super changes by @gemkillen.bsky.social womensagenda.com.au/latest/dont-...

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...

Presumably he will tell him there is no way his government will approve a 50-year extension Woodside’s climate destroying North West Shelf gas EXPORT terminal that will cause 4.3 BILLION tonnes of emissions and make floods more frequent and extreme….

Woodside’s North West Shelf gas EXPORT terminal has caused WA gas and electricity prices to triple since @walabor.bsky.social stupidly let them to export WAs domestic gas reserves from Waitsia Will @australianlabor.bsky.social approve a 50-year extension- decades of higher energy bills for WA? 🧵👇

Claims that North West Shelf (NWS) extension are necessary for firming electricity are pure gaslighting. NWS is about EXPORTS It exports more of WA’s domestic gas reserves than it supplies to WA. NWS = LESS gas for WA Receipts in 🧵👇 thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Read that again. One giant gas export project, worse than all Australia’s coal power stations. 6 BILLION + tonnes of emissions. Will @australianlabor.bsky.social approve it? If so, their climate climate credentials will be in tatters. Worse than Morrison. reneweconomy.com.au/new-legal-ch...

Approving this would be the greatest giveaway of Australia’s natural resources ever. $200 billion +of Australia’s gas given royalty free to Woodside. It is against Australia’s national interest. Selling Australians out to corporate interests. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

"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

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...

Australian newspapers used to be good at backing winners. Over the past 30 years, most major newspapers backed the winner. Until 2022 and 2025, that is, when newspaper editorials came down on one side and voters came down on the other. 1/6 #Auspol2025

The Aus's Dennis Shanahan devoted a column to @australiainstitute.org.au 's new report on declining media power & this was the best he could do: "the big election editorial has never counted for much with voters. To suggest there’s been a decline of their influence ignores the political reality." 🧵

An op-ed from @jack-thrower.bsky.social and myself in @canberratimes.bsky.social this morning: how ANU became mired in scandal, and what can be done to steady the ship ANU boasts some of the world's finest scholars and teachers. They deserve better governance ASAP @australiainstitute.org.au

Today's retail trade figures show the RBA failed when it did not cut rates in April #OffTheCharts @grogsgamut.bsky.social australiainstitute.org.au/post/retail-...

Unsure about the opposition's policies? It's your own fault, because as Skye Predavec writes, Peter Dutton has been "very clear"... repeatedly. #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/this-el...

Same costs, less pay: Australia pays young workers less and makes renting harder. @jack-thrower.bsky.social looks at the real impact of junior pay rates #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/same-co...

University is expensive, especially so for humanities students If the next parliament wants to show that it is serious about helping graduates with the cost of living, it would scrap the unfair Job-ready Graduates package @jack-thrower.bsky.social @australiainstitute.org.au

The debate about defence ignores that Australia is already a spends a huge amount on defence and the military. As @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social writes lifting spending to 3% of GDP would be more than Sth Korea! #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/austral...

35 years after the beginning of HECS, Skye Predavec finds that students are paying much more for much less #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/at-aust...

Comparison of policies here for readers’ interest theconversation.com/the-major-pa...

Both major parties talk big about how important it is to prevent domestic and family violence but as @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social & @jack-thrower.bsky.social note - when you look at the size of spending a lot of other things seem more important... #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-tal...

These new funds proposed by the LNP are not taxes on windfall profits, but just a boondoggle that pretends that getting the budget figures wrong is a windfall #OffTheCharts @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-lib...

If business groups had their way, the lowest-paid workers would now be paid $160 a week less. The FWC should ignore the fears of business groups and give those on awards and the minimum wage a decent pay rise. @grogsgamut.bsky.social #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/if-busi...

Uni Canberra is in the news today about cutting more staff. But @joshuablackjb.bsky.social looked at their budget and sees a lot of spending on things they don't need #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/uni-can...

Nationalise childcare #ABC730

When there is no such thing as a safe seat, we can finally stop talking about "bellwether" seats writes @browne90.bsky.social & @joshuablackjb.bsky.social #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/now-tha...

This election looks again like seeing migrants blamed for housing prices. But as @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social writes, the facts don't back that up. At all. Instead, we need to look at our tax system that has turned housing into speculation #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/migrant...

You'll hear a lot of things about independents, crossbenchers and minor parties in the next 5 weeks. One thing's for sure: there's no such thing as a safe seat. theconversation.com/australias-e... @australiainstitute.org.au @theconversation.com

Halving the fuel excise is a bad policy for the environment, but does it even deliver the $750 benefit Peter Dutton suggests? @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social ran the numbers and suggests most will get nothing like that amount #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/fuel-ex...

Probably the best graph on the Budget is by @nickevershed.bsky.social - the size of Budget Paper 2 (which has all the new spending and revenue measures) it was record thin. There really was nothing there.