News, media releases, opinions and articles from the Centre for Future Work.
Australia does not have a “productivity crisis” – new research
New research by The Australia Institute reveals there is little evidence of a “productivity crisis” in Australia, despite claims to the contrary from business leaders and politicians.
Like the rest of the world, productivity has been sluggish since the COVID pandemic, but that is largely due to b…
Australia’s Gas Use On The Slide
The Federal Government has released a new report that includes projections of how much gas Australia is set to use over the coming decades. There is no ambiguity in its message: Australia reached peak gas years ago, and it’s all downhill from here.
“Gas consumption is projected to decline to 2040…
Dutton’s nuclear push will cost renewable jobs
As Australia’s federal election campaign has finally begun, opposition leader Peter Dutton’s proposal to spend hundreds of billions in public money to build seven nuclear power plants across the country has been carefully scrutinized. The technological unfeasibility, staggering cost, and scant de…
The continuing irrelevance of minimum wages to future inflation
Minimum and award wages should grow by 5 to 9 per cent this year
Updated analysis by the Centre for Future Work at The Australia Institute reveals that a fair and appropriate increase to the minimum wage, and accompanying increases to award rates, would not have a significant effect on inflation….
Commonwealth Budget 2025-2026: Our analysis
As expected with a Federal election looming, the budget is not a horror one of austerity. However, the 2025-2026 budget is characterised by the absence of any significant initiatives. There is very little in this budget that is new, other than some surprise tax cuts, which are welcome given they mostly benefit people on low…
Climate crisis escalates cost-of-living pressures
A new report has found direct connections between the climate crisis and rising cost-of-living pressures. Failure to lower emissions now will only aggravate the crisis, with each moment of inaction compounding the pressure on households.
The report identifies three key areas where the climate cri…