Another cracking article from Greg on @thepointau.bsky.social

Every paragraph in this article is more infuriating than the last. It's almost unbelievable just how much we're being taken for a ride.

Paul Keating on @thepointau.bsky.social Love it!! thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

Damning report into the Albanese Govt from the Auditor-General. They already knew that: Govt denies access to some or all information sought in 4 out of 5 cases. And when the impartial umpire reviews, the dept *got it wrong* most of the time.

5/ Even this table fr a 2020 report by the neoliberal-oriented PaulsonInstitute, The Nature Conservancy & CornellAtkinson Center for Sustainability says DOMESTIC BUDGETS & TAX POLICIES are the LARGEST means of ⬆️ing $$ flows for conservation PUBLIC MONEY FOR PUBLIC GOODS w @euanritchie.bsky.social

4/ As @richarddenniss.bsky.social (@australiainstitute.org.au) likes to say, "Democracies thrive on high expectations". Do NOT settle for the mere appearance of action We can easily afford AND deserve the promised commitment & serious investment in our life-sustaining, life-enriching environment

3/ How'd we get here when the majority of 🇦🇺s rated the govt as terrible, poor or average on protecting the environment❓ & voters of all stripes supported 💪strengthening nat environmental laws 💪establishing nat standards Why's @albomp.bsky.social so comfortable ignoring the majority of voters?

2/ 👆was Enviro Min Plibersek in 2022 @euanritchie.bsky.social & I write about the dissonance of: ⚠️ environment funding in 2026-27 amounting to a paltry 0.06% of the total federal budget (set to decline to <0.04% in 2028-29) & ⚠️ environment policy settings re-tuned to favour business imperatives

1/ "Australians really care about the landscapes they live in, & abt the precious places they will never visit, but want protected anyway. They just need a govt that cares as much as they do.[..] I will be guided by 3 essential goals. To protect, to restore, & to manage Australia’s environment."

Albanese's softly-softly just won't cut it any more www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politic...

After >30 months of livestreamed genocide, massacres, war crimes, deliberate starvation of a population, total destruction of civic infrastructure, hospitals, water treatment facilities, universities, schools, ecocide, finally @senatorwong.bsky.social finds something a step too far

On FOI, the Tasmanian Government cannot control its own business enterprises/state-owned companies -- 9 of 15 don't even reply when Govt asks them nicely to publish logs of FOI documents. As Treasurer Abetz says: "It is potentially indicative of a culture that is unacceptable".

Great article in Japanese on Australia's gas-tax debate and Japan's role in it. Minimal coverage of this in Japan to date. I'll post link to English version in comments below. @kikonet.org @australiainstitute.org.au @foejapan.bsky.social @marketforces.org.au

《新着記事📰》 【なぜオーストラリアは自国のガスをタダ同然で手放すのか】 「どうして世界有数のガス輸出国の一つの国に住んでいるのに、ビールからの税の方が多いんだ？」 なぜオーストラリアのガス開発は巨額の利益を上げる日系や他の多国籍企業には有利で、オーストラリア国民には不利なのか。 なぜ政治家はそんな制度を放置し、変えようとしないのか。 ☟ globalnewsview.org/archives/987...

A 25% gas export tax would raise $17 billion a year to fund essential services. Australian gas belongs to all Australians, not the Prime Minister, and they deserve a fair return. ✍️ Add your name to the petition for a 25% tax on gas exports! ⤵️ nb.australiainstitute.org.au/gas_export_t...

Anthony Albanese says we at the Australia Institute need to be fair dinkum about a 25% gas export tax. Well, this is us being fair dinkum! @richarddenniss.bsky.social #auspol

"Power and resistance flow through everyday acts of courage. Together, we hold quite a lot of power." - Polly Hemming There's bravery out there right now, in Australia and around the world. You can pre-order our new book about bravery here: https://australiainstitute.org.au/store/a-time-for-bravery

The Farrer by-election result is another example of how there is no such thing as a safe seat. Director of The Australia Institute's Democracy & Accountability Program Bill Browne explains. Read more here: https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/power-sharing-in-australian-parliament/

Angus Taylor''s plan to bar migrants from accessing welfare until they become citizens ignores the fact that the vast majority of those people already face up to decades-long waits to access welfare. "It's just another bomb in the culture war." @amyremeikis.bsky.social #auspol

Reminder: France has a plan to phase out fossil fuels. Perhaps we should too, Australia? thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

Australia, your Prime Minister has gone full gas shill. Here's the transcript...ON HIS OWN WEBSITE. www.pm.gov.au/media/radio-...

. @albomp.bsky.social has said today that @australiainstitute.org.au "needs to be fair dinkum" about gas taxes. Well he keeps saying the PRRT is ramping up. Guess what PM, your own budget papers show there is a ramp...but it ain't heading up. Fair dinkum, mate. Give the gas company spin a rest

Sarah Ferguson humiliates Tim Wilson who can’t stop looking at his talking points. “When you talk about ‘honesty’, do you need to read that off your notes?”🔥 Total car crash. He can’t even find the truth without a cheat sheet. #auspol

Dr Richard Denniss credits Labor for changing the CGT discount saying it’s a “political winner” & “good economic policy.” Says it’s time to bin Peter Costello’s 27yr old scheme as gifting property investors with tax breaks isn’t working. ‘it’s a failed experiment’🔥 #auspol

There was no ambition in the budget to end the free ride for big gas. And not only will the beer excise continue to raise more than the PRRT, the gap between them is growing! @grogsgamut.bsky.social @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social #auspol #Budget2026

Every day that Chris Minns delays introducing this bill is another day that turtles and other aquatic wildlife are denied life saving environmental water. Call Minns now 👉 Phone: (02) 7225 6000 www.nswlabor.org.au/chris_minns

On behalf of all Australian taxpayers, thank you for the $88 billion, Dave Richardson, Ben Oquist, @australiainstitute.org.au! Could not be more proud of you guys. live.thepoint.com.au/2026/05/the-...

Losers? Journalists and media outlets that don't even bother to discuss the environment and climate change in their budget assessments. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05...

Jim Chalmers says when the LNP introduced the CGT discount in 1999, they “fundamentally distorted how investment happens” by “encouraging ppl to pile into existing housing” which pushed prices up & locked young ppl out.💥 The 27-year free ride is finally over. #auspol

The gap between the beer excise and PRRT is getting bigger thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

In 18 years of closely watching federal budgets, I've never seen a budget measure with this level of social spending cuts (not even in Joe Hockey's 2014 budget). $36b in NDIS cuts over the forward estimates

For more info about the 2026 Budget ⤵️ australiainstitute.org.au/post/help-fo...

The rumours were true, the budget brought big changes for negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount! "For the first time in forever, I'm actually optimistic about housing affordability." - @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social @grogsgamut.bsky.social #auspol #Budget2026

Is this the first ever budget to focus more on raising revenue than on spending cuts? If so, this seems pretty important. Thoughts welcome, my piece on Point Liveblog here and below... live.thepoint.com.au/2026/05/the-...

No one in govt is talking about before the budget, but just FYI, the level of Jobseeker is now 42% below the poverty line - worse than it was during the Howard years... live.thepoint.com.au

Don't rush Victoria's new donation and election laws, warn 37 integrity and Vic community groups in a new open letter in the paper today. The old laws were unfair, self-interested, unconstitutional -- to introduce new laws with the same old defects would repeat this error.

Fri 8 May We ask pple to HONK FOR CLIMATE ACTION so Josh Burns' no appt-no entry office knows we're STILL here opposing the @albomp.bsky.social govt's 👎Approval of WoodCIDE's North West Shelf Extension 👎Approval of 32 other Coal+Gas projs 👎Obscene Fossil Fuel subsidies 👎Gas profits protectn racket

The AFR take on tax reform: "take from the poor and gives to the rich." My colleague Dave Richardson nailing it over on @thepointau.bsky.social liveblog w @amyremeikis.bsky.social live.thepoint.com.au/2026/05/the-...

The Australian Government raises less revenue from Australian gas exports than Japan does. How can this be? Here's my explainer on @thepointau.bsky.social thepoint.com.au/explainers/2...

Great to see gas tax facts from @australiainstitute.org.au all over the @australia.theguardian.com site! www.theguardian.com/au

This gas industry ad is trying to convince you they pay their fair share of tax... Eeven though it says exactly what we've been saying: the government gets more from the beer excise than the PRRT! @richarddenniss.bsky.social #auspol

“We now have one of the most segregated education systems in the OECD,” writes Jane Caro in Rich Kid Poor Kid: The battle for public education. Read the full extract: https://theaus.in/4thfkci Preorder Rich Kid Poor Kid via the Australia Institute Press online store: https://theaus.in/4dqPTzd

Turns out the big winners so far from selling our Defence land to private developers, are KPMG & some lawyers. Shoebridge “lawyers getting about $4.5M, KPMG getting $16.8M” “I assume the real estate industry is gathering round, like seagulls around a packet of hot chips”💥 #auspol

“The Labor Government is right to look at options to reduce tax concessions for property investors,” said Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist at The Australia Institute. Read the research ➡️ https://theaus.in/3R3B2Tw

"Rich Kid, Poor Kid reinforces the urgency and devastation of the school funding problem in Australia. @janecaro.bsky.social delivers the story in a way that should propel readers into action" says Elisa Di Gregorio in The Conversation theconversation.com/australias-f...

JUST DO THIS, AUSTRALIA!!! "Australia is one of only a few high-income nations in the world that does not provide children with a free meal at school each day."

Freedom of information laws doing their job in South Australia -- revealling the Premier's Department "requested" that public comms stop calling it the Harmful Algal Bloom. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05...

Aus taxpayers put massive subsidies and investments into the gas export industry. Now it's payback time. 25% gas tax now! Great deep dive piece on North West Shelf www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05...

One year on from Spain's blackout, it is clear the villain of modern power grids is expensive and unreliable fossil fuels. Spain has protected itself more than its neighbours, thanks to its heavy solar investments. Me, in the Guardian -->>> www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

“Medical misogyny risks turning healthcare into a tale of two systems, where young women have a worse experience than older men, starting at the front line – their local doctor’s surgery,” said Skye Predavec, Researcher at The Australia Institute. Read more: https://theaus.in/48yorxF