The Australia Institute

Research

The Australia Institute undertakes economic analysis with special emphasis on the role of the public sector as well as issues such as taxation and inequality, including gender inequality, poverty, privatisation, foreign investment, and corporate power. Some of The Australia Institute's contributions involve analysis of modelling exercises on the part of other groups such as assessing some of the pandemic modelling as well as the modelling behind the government's intergenerational report. The fiscal response has prompted attention to the tax base and so The Australia Institute described the principles of a good tax and a report on how to make the budget less sexist. These are some of the topics among the hundreds of reports on economic issues generally.

The Australia Institute has produced research in the climate and energy space since 1994. In 2017, The Australia Institute took over the work of the Climate Institute, including continuing the Climate of the Nation report, the longest continuous survey of community attitudes to climate change in Australia. The Australia Institute also published the National Energy Emissions Audit until October 2021.

The Australia Institute's Democracy & Accountability Program was established to "research the solutions to our democratic deficit and develop the political strategies to put them into practice". Issues pursued by the program include truth in political advertising laws, how state and federal governments have handled the COVID-19 pandemic, and freedom of information laws.

In October 2019, The Australia Institute established the International and Security Affairs Program to examine "the global connectivity that both underpins and impacts on Australia’s place in the world and the well-being of our citizens". The program addresses a broad range of contemporary global issues, including new thinking on what security means, a contemporary Middle East policy, the proper use of the defence force, the ANZUS Treaty, Australia's relations with China, and how Australia might improve its performance in the Pacific.

The Australia Institute's researchers are prominent commentators on public policy issues, including work on climate change and energy, emissions trading, taxation policy, and inequality.

History

Clive Hamilton helped establish The Australia Institute in 1994 to generate public debate on building a better society, particularly the environment. It was formally established on 4 May 1994. The first directors of the institute were Professor Max Neutze (inaugural chair); Hugh Saddler, a consultant in energy policy; and John Langmore; then a Labor Party MP; John Neville; Russell Rollason, then executive director of the Australian Council for Overseas Aid; Elizabeth Reid, the former first women's adviser to the prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1973; Barbara Spalding, an expert in social welfare and education; and Professor Marion Simms, an expert in the fields of gender studies and political science.

Hamilton was the executive director until his resignation in 2008. He was succeeded in the role by Richard Denniss, who stepped down in 2015 to take up the role of chief economist.

Ben Oquist was executive director from 2015 to 2022. He was succeeded by Richard Denniss, who returned to the role in 2022. In October 2025, the board announced an executive leadership restructure in which Leanne Minshull was appointed co-Chief Executive Officer alongside Richard Denniss, who continues in the co-CEO role.

Description and standpoints

The Australia Institute claims to take a bipartisan approach to research but has been described as a "progressive" or "left-leaning" think-tank.

Climate change and energy

The Australia Institute is active in promoting global warming mitigation measures and has been critical of the Australian federal government's perceived lack of action on climate change. The Australia Institute was critical of the Howard government's decision to refuse to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and claims that the former Prime Minister and some senior ministers deny the scientific evidence for global warming and that the resources sector drives government energy policy. Leaked minutes of a meeting between the Energy Minister, the Prime Minister and fossil fuel lobbyists provide evidence for those claims.

The Australia Institute has been active in promoting renewable energy development and other mitigation measures and has campaigned strongly against developing a nuclear industry in Australia.

The Australia Institute criticised the Rudd government's proposed Australian emissions trading scheme (or Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme) by arguing that it failed to adequately take into account voluntary action and delivered excessive compensation to polluting industries.

The Australia Institute viewed positively the design of the carbon price mechanism implemented by the Gillard government and argued that beginning with a fixed price and transitioning to an emissions trading scheme made sense since there was no consensus about what the emissions reduction target should be.

In 2014, Ben Oquist, who was the Australia Institute's strategy director, was involved in the Palmer United Party's decision to vote against the abolition of the Renewable Energy Target, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, and the Climate Change Authority. Oquist wrote, "The Australia Institute is disappointed that the carbon price is likely to be repealed". However, "The Palmer-Gore announcement has re-set climate policy and politics. Keeping the CCA, the RET and the CEFC is much more than most expected from the PUP. We have avoided a big step backwards".

In 2017, The Australia Institute reported that Australia's greenhouse gas emissions had been "rising rapidly" since the abolition of the carbon price, with the economist Matt Grudnoff criticising the National Energy Guarantee proposed by the Turnbull government by saying that it would be "likely to cause our emissions to rise even faster".

In 2017, The Australia Institute took over The Climate Institute's intellectual property after that institute's closure, and it subsequently launched a Climate and Energy Program to continue that work. The first Climate of the Nation report produced by The Australia Institute was released in 2018.

Tax reform

The Australia Institute employs several economists, who have published papers arguing for tax reform, particularly in the areas of superannuation tax concessions, negative gearing, capital gains tax, and goods and services tax.

During the 2016 Australian federal election, The Australia Institute published a series of critiques of the Coalition's proposed policy of cutting the company tax rate.

The Australia Institute criticised the final two stages of the Turnbull government's three-stage income tax cut plan and released research into how the benefits from the tax cut are distributed more heavily to those with incomes, and wealthy Liberal electorates.

Funding and resourcing

The Australia Institute is a registered not-for-profit organisation under the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. It had a total gross income of A$10.8 million in 2025 (A$10.04 in 2024, and $9.05M in 2023) and is funded by donations from philanthropic trusts and individuals, as well as grants and commissioned research from business, unions, and non-government organisations. The Australia Institute reported 42 full-time equivalent staff in 2024.

In its first decade to 2003, The Australia Institute was largely funded by the Poola Foundation and the Treepot Foundation, philanthropic organisations run by the Kantors. Other significant funders include the McKinnon Family Foundation; David Morawetz's Social Justice Fund, a sub-fund of the Australian Communities Foundation; the US Rockefeller Foundation, Diana and Brian Snape, and the Susan McKinnon Foundation. In 2025, it was reported that the Minderoo Foundation, a philanthropic charity established by mining magnate Andrew Forrest, made an undisclosed donation to the Australia Institute. The contribution, described by media sources as "substantial", drew attention due to Minderoo’s policy alignment with the Institute on issues such as emissions reduction and climate policy.

In recent years, The Australia Institute has reported the number of donations that it has received from individuals, with 2,000 individual donors in financial year 2015 and 2,700 in the financial year 2017.

The Australia Institute does not disclose its sources of funding but claims that it does not accept donations or commissioned work from political parties.

References

References

1. "The Australia Institute Ltd". [[Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission]].
2. (8 November 2024). "30 Years of Big Ideas Annual Report 2023–24". The Australia Institute.
3. (2005-12-10). "Thinkers of influence".
4. (November 6, 2023). "The Australia Institute's links with the Greens revealed". [[The Australian]].
5. "The Australia Institute’s links with the Greens revealed".
6. (3 September 2021). "What the Doherty Modelling really tells us about opening up at 80 per cent vaccination". The Australia Institute.
7. (25 August 2021). "The Intergenerational Report ignores booming wealth and capital gains". The Australia Institute.
8. (August 2021). "Principles of a good tax".
9. (27 April 2021). "How to make the Budget less sexist". The Australia Institute.
10. "Climate & Energy". The Australia Institute.
11. (3 November 2022). "Climate of the Nation".
12. "Electricity Markets & the Grid Research". The Australia Institute.
13. (2021-06-15). "Introducing our Democracy & Accountability Program". The Australia Institute.
14. Jervis-Bardy, Dan. (2021-09-02). "'Protect our democracy': Labor, Greens back truth in political advertising laws".
15. (2021-07-18). "Australians believe states managing Covid pandemic better than Canberra, study finds".
16. (2 September 2021). "'A sore loser': Scott Morrison attacked over move to keep national cabinet deliberations secret". The Guardian.
17. "International & Security Affairs". The Australia Institute.
18. (20 April 2020). "Re-thinking national security in the age of pandemics and climate change catastrophe". The Australia Institute.
19. (15 January 2020). "Australia's interests in the Middle East: A presence in search of a policy". The Australia Institute.
20. (24 January 2020). "Calling it out". The Australia Institute.
21. (28 July 2020). "ANZUS and Australia's Security". The Australia Institute.
22. (26 June 2020). "How Good is the Australia-China Relationship?".
23. (2 October 2020). "Rethinking Official Development Assistance". The Australia Institute.
24. Schmidt, Lucinda. (2008-07-30). "Profile: Clive Hamilton".
25. (4 May 1994). ""Trash" fights back". The Australia Institute.
26. (2020). "The Australia Institute". The Australia Institute.
27. (2015-06-28). "Special Announcement: New Executive Director and Chief Economist at The Australia Institute". The Australia Institute.
28. (2025-10-01). "Australia Institute Executive Leadership Update".
29. (2005-12-10). "Thinkers of influence".
30. (2023-05-05). "RBA slaps down union inflation claims as it warns of more rate rises".
31. "Notes of LETAG Meeting". The Australia Institute.
32. "The Dirty Politics of Climate Change: Speech to the Climate Change and Business Conference, Hilton Hotel, Adelaide, 20 February 2006". The Australia Institute.
33. "Siting Nuclear Power Plants in Australia - Where would they go?". The Australia Institute.
34. Denniss, Richard. (November 2008). "''Fixing the Floor in the ETS''". The Australia Institute Policy Brief.
35. "Carbon price architecture looks good, but proof will come in construction". The Australia Institute.
36. Aston, James Massola, Tom Arup, Heath. (2014-06-26). "The four who brought together Clive Palmer and Al Gore".
37. "What to make of Palmer's gambit - A message from Ben Oquist". The Australia Institute.
38. "The survey that could mark the beginning of the end of the coal boom". News.com.au.
39. Kenny, Mark. (2017-09-24). "Climate crunch: Australia to fail on Paris commitments without massive renewable switch".
40. (2018-06-12). "Australia 'unfairly shirking global responsibilities' on climate change". Financial Review.
41. Pečinka, Lukáš. (11 September 2018). "Climate of the Nation: climate change concern reaches five year high". The Australia Institute.
42. "Organisational structure". The Australia Institute.
43. (13 July 2023). "Research".
44. (26 June 2018). "Cutting through the Company Tax Cuts Guff".
45. Hutchens, Gareth. (2018-05-27). "Richest taxpayers get $12.7bn windfall from Coalition plan, thinktank says".
46. (2018-06-06). "Wealthy Liberal seats among biggest winners of Turnbull tax cut plan".
47. "Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission".
48. (12 August 2003). "Think tank secrets".
49. Seccombe, Mike. (2018-07-28). "Rinehart's secret millions to the IPA". The Saturday Paper.
50. Belot, Henry. (2025-09-02). "Mining magnate Andrew Forrest's Minderoo charity makes undisclosed donation to the Australia Institute". The Guardian.
51. "The Australia Institute Annual Report 2015-16". The Australia Institute.
52. "The Australia Institute Annual Report 2016-17". The Australia Institute.
53. "About The Australia Institute". The Australia Institute.