Media Releases // Economics
November 2024
Go Home on Time Day 2024: Exposing the $91 billion rip-off smashing exhausted Aussie workers
Despite new Right to Disconnect laws coming into force earlier this year, new research reveals Australians are still working an average five weeks’ unpaid overtime each year.
August 2024
Off-Peak Hot Water: One Simple Change to Support Renewable Rollout
Australia’s off-peak hot water systems should be reconfigured to consume electricity in the middle of the day, rather than at night, according to new research from the Australia Institute and Buildings Alive.
July 2024
New union rights to boost workplace cooperation
New rights for volunteer union delegates are set to make workplaces more, not less, cooperative, according to a new analysis by the Australia Institute.
March 2024
Increasing minimum wage would not drive inflation up: new report
A significant increase to the minimum wage, and accompanying increases to award rates, would not have a significant effect on inflation, according to new analysis by the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute.
Aged care wage rise decision crucial for elderly Australians
The Australia Institute says wage rises for aged care workers will improve the lives of elderly Australians after a crucial Fair Work Commission decision.
Most Coalition voters back right to disconnect
Two-thirds of Coalition voters back newly legislated protections for employees’ right to disconnect from emails and calls outside of work, new research from the Australia Institute shows.
Aged care reforms fall short on quality, safety
Mandating sector-wide aged care training requirements would make elderly Australians safer while bolstering workforce stability, according to a new analysis by the Australia Institute.
February 2024
Fels’ Review Confirms Corporate Practices As Key Drivers of Inflation
The Australia Institute welcomes the report of the Inquiry Into Price Gouging and Unfair Pricing Practices, chaired by Prof Allan Fels, and delivered today to the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
December 2023
New Report Reveals Changing Face and Future of Self-Employment
A new report by the Australia Institute shows self-employment in Australia has changed in recent years, towards fewer business owners and more gig work.
Special Issue of Journal Marks Halfway Point of First Albanese Government
The Journal of Australian Political Economy, a peer-reviewed journal based at the University of Sydney, has today published a special issue evaluating the record of the Albanese government during the first half of its term in office.
November 2023
Employers Steal More than 280 Hours from Workers Each Year: Go Home on Time Day Report 2023
Despite record-low unemployment, Australian employers are still managing to steal more than 280 hours from their employees each year.
September 2023
Deteriorating Disability Worker Pay, Conditions Undermining NDIS
An urgent overhaul of poorly paid and casualised disability support work is needed to ensure the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s viability and protect participants from substandard care, a new report by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work says.
Corporate Profits Must Take Hit to Save Workers
Historically high corporate profits must take a hit if workers are to claw back real wage losses from the inflationary crisis, according to new research from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work.
August 2023
Report Reveals True Potential of Fully Funded Public Schools
A new report from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work is calling for increased investment in public school funding to lift flagging school completion rates and spark economic growth.
Australia at risk of exclusion from renewable manufacturing boom
Australia risks being left out of lucrative new markets for renewable energy-related manufacturing unless government provides an urgent, domestic response to match powerful incentives introduced by the U.S and several other industrial nations. The finding is published in a new report released today by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, as part of the
July 2023
Australian and Global Union Leader Sharan Burrow to Deliver Second Annual Carmichael Lecture
Former Australian Council of Trade Unions president Sharan Burrow will deliver the second annual Carmichael Lecture on August 16. Ms Burrow, who was ACTU president for a decade from 2000, was also general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation between 2010 and 2022. She will speak on the topic ‘Global Worker Solidarity for a
June 2023
Fair Work: 5.75% Award Wage Boost will not cause “Wage-Price Spiral”
Today’s 5.75% award wage increase is a necessary boost for the lowest paid workers but does not keep pace with inflation. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has today explicitly said this increase “will consequently not cause or contribute to any ‘wage price spiral’”. Key Points: Award wage increase of 5.75% is less than inflation, which
May 2023
Profit-Price Spiral an Inconvenient Truth for Big Business: Economists
Despite a mainstream shift in the national conversation away from baseless claims of a “wage-price spiral”, some big business proponents and conservative economists appear unwilling to accept the economic evidence of a profit-price spiral.
Workplace Law Reform Must Limit Cancer of ‘Gig Work’ in Care Economy: Research
New research reveals the growth of ‘gig’ employment in the NDIS and care sector is undermining minimum employment conditions for tens of thousands of workers, with thousands of workers likely earning below-award wages, missing out on superannuation and experiencing inferior WHS protections and gender pay equality outcomes.
April 2023
7% Minimum Wage Rise Would Tackle Inflation, not Feed it: Research
A 7% National Minimum Wage rise for low paid workers would help tackle the rising cost of living for those on award wages while having a virtually undetectable impact on economy-wide prices, new research from leading economists at the Centre for Future Work has found. The data comes as the Fair Work Commission deliberates about
March 2023
Women Earn $1m less than men & $136,000 Less in Super over Working Life
New research released on International Women’s Day reveals Australian women earn $1.01m less over their working lives than men, based on median income data. Women earn $136,000 less in superannuation over their working lives than men, based on median income data. Women earning the median wage will accumulate approximately $393,676 in super, $151,000 below what
February 2023
Profit-Price Spiral: Excess Profits Fuelling Inflation & Interest Rates, not Wages
New empirical research reveals the main driver for inflation in Australia is excess corporate profits, not wages, and that inflation would have stayed within the RBA target band if corporates had not squeezed consumers through the pandemic via excess price hikes.
Carmichael Centre Announces Appointment of Prof. David Peetz as Laurie Carmichael Distinguished Research Fellow
The Carmichael Centre at the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work is proud to announce the appointment of Prof. David Peetz, one of Australia’s most outstanding labour policy experts, as the new Laurie Carmichael Distinguished Research Fellow. Prof. Emeritus Peetz has recently retired from a long career at Griffith University, where he served as Professor
November 2022
Deal on IR Reforms Sets Stage for Faster Wage Growth
Industrial Relations Reform Sets Stage for Significant Acceleration of Wage Growth.
Australians Working 6 Weeks Unpaid Overtime, Costing Economy Over $92 Billion: Go Home on Time Day Report
New research shows Australian workers are on average working 6 weeks unpaid overtime per year, costing over $92 billion dollars in unpaid wages across the economy. The average worker is losing over $8,000 per year or $315 per fortnight due to what researchers have branded “time theft”. 23 November 2022 marks Go Home on Time
Restoring Collective Bargaining Coverage Would Boost Wage Growth: Research Report
Proposed reforms to Australia’s industrial relations laws are likely to support higher coverage for collective bargaining in the national labour market, and provide a boost to stagnant wage growth according to new research from the Centre for Future Work. The report reviews historical data on the erosion of collective bargaining in Australia, and its close
IR Reforms To Close Off The ‘Nuclear Option’ Will Protect Wages and Entitlements
New research from the Centre for Future Work quantifies the dramatic risks faced by workers whose employers unilaterally terminate enterprise agreements during the course of renegotiations. This aggressive employer strategy, which became common after a precedent-setting 2015 court decision, would be curtailed by new industrial relations legislation proposed by the Commonwealth Government.
October 2022
The Reserve Bank needs to acknowledge the failures of the inflation target
A comprehensive review of inflation released today by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work reveals that the inflation targeting in place since the early 1990s is not the neutral policy many assume it is. In that time inflation has missed the target more from below than above, and has coincided with a shift of national income away from workers to profits as wages have stagnated.
September 2022
International Seafarers Suffer $65 Million in Wage Theft Annually in Australian Waters
Seafarers working on foreign-registered freight ships in Australian waters face regular theft of wages and other entitlements due to legal loopholes and lax enforcement of labour standards, according to a new research report published today by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work. The report, titled Robbed At Sea, examines records of wage inspections conducted
June 2022
Exit Poll: Overwhelming Majority of Australians Want Wage Growth in Line with Cost of Living
As the Fair Work Commission prepares to announce this year’s increase in the national minimum wage, new polling data shows that the vast majority of Australians support lifting wages to keep up with rising inflation. The Australia Institute conducted a special exit poll, surveying a nationally representative sample of 1,424 Australians on the evening of
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