The Federal Government’s greenhouse policy is mainly based on nuclear energy and clean coal technology. The policy includes some measures to promote alternatives like energy efficiency and renewable energy. However, these alternatives are viewed as secondary. The emphasis in the Government’s policy statements has been on clean coal technology and nuclear energy. To gauge the...

In March 2007, The Australian newspaper carried several stories that suggested there had been a dramatic reversal of attitudes towards nuclear power in Australia and that more people now supported nuclear power than opposed it. However, The Australian compared the results of two different survey questions, and any conclusions are therefore invalid. To test the...

The debate over an emissions trading system in Australia periodically refers to the claimed benefits of the so-called hybrid model of emissions trading developed by McKibbin and Wilcoxen. This model has not been subject to critical scrutiny, a gap this paper seeks to fill. The hybrid model proposes a national system with two types of...

In recent years manufacturers have devoted special attention to young children, or ‘tweens’ aged between six and thirteen. But as manufacturers have attempted to engage with this young age group to develop brand loyalty for life, children have been put under increasing pressure to consume. This paper finds that whilst mobile phones are marketed to...

This paper is a response to the Federal Government's criticism of an Australia Institute report that examined conflicting estimates of carbon emissions. This paper argues that the Federal Government's National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS) is not transparent. Members of the public cannot gain access to crucial NCAS data (for example, maps of identified Kyoto forests...