Jack Thrower

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

Big bills, no seat: Some of the federal election's big spenders didn't actually win Independent candidates received and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to get elected to federal parliament — some unsuccessfully.

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...

‘Every dollar counts’: Westpac Rescue spends big on high teas, golf days, lavish balls The service, which has announced an investigation into allegations of a toxic and unsafe workplace, splashes more on fundraising and events than other agencies.

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?

Universities in crisis

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...)

Why is the PM gaslighting Australians on North West Shelf? Given Labor's climate-change assertions, its approval extension of the most climate destroying fossil project in Australia is shocking.

"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 - News | InDaily, Inside South Australia Will South Australia accept our shrinking share of the GST and risk even deeper service cuts by 2030? Or will we fight for tax reform?

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

Chart showing the growth of seats where a crossbench party or indep either came first or 2nd. IN 1990 it was 3, in 2025 it was 35.

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 Staff trust is necessary for any successful project.

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.

ANU attacks union poll for lack of integrity, but keeps its own survey results secret Staff trust is necessary for any successful project.

“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

Don't let the confected outrage fool you, the super tax reform is good for women Confected outrage at the very wealthy paying slightly more tax on their super is misguided and misdirected.

"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...

Murray Watt knocks back objections to Woodside’s North West Shelf extension and clears way for final decision Environment minister due to decide on controversial plan by end of the month in one of his first major challenges in new portfolio

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...

Why the election’s closest seat went unnoticed: Too close to Calwell - The Australia Institute The outer-Melbourne electorate of Calwell was named “Australia’s most unpredictable seat” by The Age after the election and was – aside from those going to a recount – the last seat to be called. The ...

"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

Chart showing that there are 5.5m people aged 15-29, 4.25m people aged 15-29 in the labour force and that the Financial Services Council expects only 204,000 people under 30 currently paying tax to be one day affected by the changes to the super tax concession applying to super balances above $3m

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