Brisbane Residents United

graph of tariffs collected over time

The US brought in nearly $30 Billion in tariffs in July, triple the amount collected in previous years

That's not good news

Tariffs are taxes on Americans

That $30B was collected from you and me when we bought food, clothes, electronics...

Let that sink in.

Bernie Sanders demands that RFK Jr step down as health secretary Vermont senator says Kennedy is endangering the health of the American people as head of the US health department

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

An apartment complex. A headline reads: "Did Switzerland Solve The Housing Crisis?"

The way that housing co-ops work in Switzerland may seem foreign to many. But the central idea is simple: What if homeownership had no profit motive and no capital gains? Advocates say their model could reshape how the world thinks about affordable housing. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/r...

We humans are all one species.

The stupid concept of race was created by European nobles. They told people that looked like me that they were superior to people that didn't look like me so that we would commit the atrocities of colonialism. #auspol www.instagram.com/reel/DHYzoT0...

A missing cat and motel homes: inside Queensland’s crackdown on those in need of housing help Critics say the state’s harsher policies, intended to prioritise those in ‘genuine need’, won’t reduce homelessness

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

When Judith "apologised" for saying teachers earn $147k, she then got another dig in by saying that teachers get 3 months holiday a year. By that measure, do MPs only work on the days parliament is sitting (about 90 days according to Google)? #NZPol

No one owns the Water.
No one owns the Land.
No one owns the sand.
These are given by Our Mother.
The Planet provides for Free.
Only by the hands of the Greedy does the Earth require a Fee 🌺

Disasters like the algal bloom in SA are becoming more and more frequent due to climate change.

Australia Institute research shows a climate disaster fund, paid for by big polluters, would save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars a year. #auspol

Are the mRNA vaccines incredible? YES!

Are the mRNA vaccines perfect? No.

Have the mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives? YES!

Can we make the mRNA vaccines even better? YES!

Can we use mRNA vaccine technology to prevent and treat many other diseases? YES!

Fund mRNA research!

"Now we're talking about 'should we be giving copyright intellectual property away for free to the data miners?'

"We're giving our gas away for free, of course the data mining industry want a deal as sweet as the gas industry."

🔊 @richarddenniss.bsky.social #auspol

Battery records tumble again as second stage of country’s biggest battery bursts into action The second stage of what will be Australia’s biggest battery to date has burst into action, helping change the evening profile on the country’s biggest isolated grid.

The second stage of what will be Australia’s biggest battery to date has burst into action, helping change the evening profile on the country’s biggest isolated grid.

Festival fallout: Antisemitism code sparks exodus from Bendigo writers' event An ironic censorship saga has threatened the very existence of an entire literary festival.

Festival fallout: Antisemitism code sparks exodus from Bendigo writers' event
independentaustralia.net/politics/pol...

Australians are pushing back against ‘authoritarian’ anti-protest laws in ‘a return to the spirit of the 60s’ After the extraordinary crowds at the Sydney Harbour Bridge march, advocates say political attempts to crack down on freedom of speech are out of step with community attitudes

When governments aren't listening protesting is one of the only methods the community has of forcing politicians to pay attention. At a time where our politicians are increasingly captured by special interest groups the right to protest is vital to the community. www.theguardian.com/law/2025/aug...

Australians are pushing back against ‘authoritarian’ anti-protest laws in ‘a return to the spirit of the 60s’ After the extraordinary crowds at the Sydney Harbour Bridge march, advocates say political attempts to crack down on freedom of speech are out of step with community attitudes

www.theguardian.com/law/2025/aug...

No targets: How Australia’s wealthiest state went rogue on emissions Report reveals WA’s gross emissions have ballooned by nearly 50 pct above 2005 levels, largely due to the development of its massive gas industry.

Report reveals WA’s gross emissions have ballooned by nearly 50 pct above 2005 levels, largely due to the development of its massive gas industry.

The Australia Institute welcomes the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision to cut interest rates today but borrowers are still at least 0.25% behind where they should be.

While the cut from 3.85% to 3.60% will provide relief for mortgage holders, it should have happened five weeks ago.

#auspol

RFK Jr. in interview with Scripps News: ‘Trusting the experts is not science’ HHS Secretary RFK Jr. sat down with Scripps News for a wide-ranging interview, discussing mRNA vaccine funding policy changes and a recent shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1. "'Trusting the experts is not a feature of either a science or democracy," Kennedy said."

It's literally a vital feature of both science and of representative democracy.

I've written a fair bit about trust in expertise as a vital mechanism in the collective epistemology of science.

Tonight’s dumb napkin cartoon…

The Flooding Will Come “No Matter What”: Climate Change is Already Forcing People From Their Homes The complex, contradictory and heartbreaking process of American climate migration is underway.

The Flooding Will Come “No Matter What”

The complex, contradictory and heartbreaking process of American climate migration is underway.

(Published April 2024)

Hunter Valley residents want to see sunsets again, not a coal plant rebooted as a “wood incinerator” Hunter Valley residents tell a public hearing they have had enough of energy plants that burn things to generate electricity and the environmental and health impacts they continue to inflict on the…

Hunter Valley residents tell a public hearing they have had enough of energy plants that burn things to generate electricity and the environmental and health impacts they continue to inflict on the region.

“The Australia Institute’s findings point to deliberate price manipulation… Santos told investors its Gladstone export terminal was “as much about raising the domestic gas price as it was about exports”.”

Great to see our research used in Petroleum Australia!

#auspol

"A lot of people think evidence-based policy is centrist."

"I think one of the key things out of the essay is that actually evidence-based policy is quite radical."

The new Vantage Point essay by Executive Director Richard Denniss is out now! 📖
#auspol @richarddenniss.bsky.social

Mean Streak has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards in the non-fiction category. Stoked, of course, but particularly because I think this episode deserves to linger in the consciousness for as long as possible.

How Mosman became ground zero in the NIMBY debate A proposed six-storey boutique apartment building has the residents of Sydney harbourside suburb Mosman up in arms.

Councils need to bring residents along with them & try & find solutions that fit the community instead of always being at loggerheads with them. Increasingly our town planning is not planning for the community it development good or bad at any cost.
www.afr.com/property/res...

Israeli Hostage Families Call for Nationwide Work Stoppage Relatives of captives held by Hamas excoriated the Israeli government for what they called “an endless war without purpose.” It was unclear how many would join them.

The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have appealed for a nationwide work stoppage on Sunday to call for a cease-fire agreement with Hamas to free their relatives, even as Israel’s government has moved to expand the nearly two-year military campaign in the enclave.

Why Your Park Lands Matter — Adelaide Park Lands Association Two essays - from two APA Members - give different yet complementary reasons for why your Park Lands matter: “For democracy” and as “An economic asset”.

This is a very relevant article and reflects what is happening at Victoria Park in Brisbane. www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/blog/2025/7/...

Want affordable housing in NSW? Don’t buy strata In NSW particularly, government housing affordability policy is focused on promoting apartment living. However, the breadth and depth of problems within this sector are insufficiently recognised, let ...

This applies in Queensland as well as NSW. thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spin...