Why blaming childcare for inflation is absurd In the aftermath of the Reserve Bank’s decision to raise rates, the various parties that now make up the non-government side of things (“Opposition” feels far too a cohesive term) have taken to trying...

My post on why blaming childcare subsidies (and govt spending generally) for inflation is absurd #OffTheCharts #ThePoint
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

Eight of 10 companies vying for a single P.G. cannabis license are linked to one source. Read the full article on Monterey County Now.

Eight of 10 companies vying for a single P.G. cannabis license are linked to one source. #pacificgrove #cannabislicense #permitstacking #otc #offthecharts

How Australian democracy has changed since 1975, in six charts 50 years on from the Dismissal, how has Australian democracy changed? Here are six ways that Australian politics looks very different to when Gough Whitlam was PM in November 1975.

"How Australian democracy has changed since 1975, in six charts" @browne90.bsky.social #OffTheCharts #ThePoint

thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

PM Albanese’s culture of secrecy, in three charts If he doesn’t change course, the Prime Minister may end up leading exactly the kind of 'shadow government' that he derided his predecessor for.

"PM Albanese’s culture of secrecy, in three charts"

Damning work by @skyelark.bsky.social on this govt's secrecy
#OffTheCharts #ThePoint
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

The energy rebates have stopped, but the cost of fossil fuels keeps electricity prices rising Electricity price were the biggest reasons for the unexpected jump in the inflation numbers out this week.

Me having a look at the increase in the electricity prices in the latest CPI figures #OffTheCharts #ThePoint
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

SKULLDUGGERY!
#Root #GameNight #OfftheCharts

Charts showing inflation since 2012 - with just eight of the last 43 quarters in the band of 2% to 3%

With inflation at 2.1%, @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social reminds us that the RBA has not been great at hitting its target and also needs to worry about inflation falling *below* the target range #OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/when-ta...

Chart showing the percent of people with private health insurance by total income range: Percent with private health insurance $0-$25,000 44 $25,000-$50,000 46 $50,000-$100000 53 $100,000-$150,000 75 $150,000-$250,000 89 $250,000-$5000,000 96 $500,000-$1m 97 $1m+ 98

New analysis of ATO figures shows private health insurance is the domain of the rich, and it should be subject to GST #OffTheCharts @grogsgamut.bsky.social

australiainstitute.org.au/post/private...

Chart showing Shares in Aust Total Emissions from exports Coal Oil & Gas 2010 5.048% 2.212% 2011 5.277% 2.440% 2012 5.653% 2.765% 2013 5.924% 2.988% 2014 6.183% 3.136% 2015 6.535% 3.712% 2016 7.402% 4.039% 2017 7.073% 5.133% 2018 7.637% 6.070% 2019 7.921% 8.751% 2020 8.071% 8.842% 2021 7.705% 8.170% 2022 8.481% 9.956% 2023 8.310% 9.451%

In light of the ICJ ruling this week, new analysis shows that nearly a fifth of Australia's emissions come from the production and extraction of fossil fuels for exports #OffTheCharts @pollyjhemming.bsky.social

australiainstitute.org.au/post/nearly-...

#Auspol #RBA #OffTheCharts

Chart showing the the unemployment rate is now the highest it has been since the end of 2021

The latest unemployment figures show the RBA has utterly failed its role of maintaining full employment.
#OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-lat...

Chart showing the breakdown of LNP and ALP first pref and preference from minor parties

Analysis of the 2025 election makes it clear that minor party and independent preferences behind Labor’s landslide victory
#OffTheCharts @browne90.bsky.social @skyelark.bsky.social @joshuablackjb.bsky.social
australiainstitute.org.au/post/major-p...

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...

The #Danger of allowing this to proceed when #WeKnow he shares the aspirations
of Vladimir Putin/Kim Jong Un/Bibi Netanyahu is #OffTheCharts

Consider this…

bsky.app/profile/dsto...

Chat showing votes for ALP and LNP and independents+minor parties since 1944 and in 2025 the LNP got 31.8% while indep/minor parties got 33.6% (the ALP got 34.6%)

With Bradfield now called, @skyelark.bsky.social points out that the 2025 election was the first time where the votes for independents and minor parties were *larger* than for one of the ALP or LNP #OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-202...

Chart showing Woodside met its 2023-24 Safeguard Mechanism target by buying offset, not reducing emissions AT ALL

Excellent work by @ketanjoshi.co in his first #OffTheCharts for us pointing out that the Safeguard Mechanism just safeguards gas companies from having to worry about reducing emissions
australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-saf...

The Safeguard Mechanism helps gas companies take the piss - The Australia Institute The Government's Safeguard Mechanism is supposed to limit emissions; instead it just lets companies cheat.

Excellent by @ketanjoshi.co on how the Safeguard Mechanism is a total crock. #OffTheCharts

australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-saf...

End of the LNP Coalition would makes this the largest crossbench in the post-WWII era - The Australia Institute A large crossbench might seem unusual, but before WWII they were commonplace in Australia.

If the LNP remains split, @joshuablackjb.bsky.social & @browne90.bsky.social note it would be the biggest crossbench since WWII.

But before WWII big crossbenches were common #OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/end-of-...

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...

Charts showing that since 1988-89 CPI has risen 110% while book prices have risen just 28%

Authors and publishers need urgent assistance to keep Australia’s literary culture thriving - we are in danger of losing Australian voices writes @alicektg.bsky.social #OffTheCharts

australiainstitute.org.au/post/authors...

2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022-23 Revenue ($m) 542.96 630.84 717.71 756.07 854.77 839.39 903.96 1031.43 1150.11 1352.07 Tax paid ($m) 3.21 5.13 15.71 8.01 5.12 7.35 4.41 1.03 1.28 0

Tasmanian salmon - an industry with lots of revenue, lots of pollution, and, as @rodcampbell.bsky.social writes, almost no tax paid
#OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/tasmani...

#auspol #OffTheCharts

Chart showing retail spending in the March quarter is 3% below the per-pandemic trend

Today's retail trade figures show the RBA failed when it did not cut rates in April #OffTheCharts @grogsgamut.bsky.social
australiainstitute.org.au/post/retail-...

Times Peter Dutton said "clear" and "very clear" = 92

Unsure about the opposition's policies? It's your own fault, because as Skye Predavec writes, Peter Dutton has been "very clear"... repeatedly. #OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/this-el...

Chart showing that because of junior rates of pay people aged 16-20 have to work more hour to afford rent than do over 21s

Same costs, less pay: Australia pays young workers less and makes renting harder. @jack-thrower.bsky.social looks at the real impact of junior pay rates
#OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/same-co...

Chart showing defence spending as a % of GDP: 2023 Ukraine 36.70% Saudi Arabia 7.10% Russia 5.90% Israel 5.30% Poland 3.80% United States 3.40% South Korea 2.80% India 2.40% United Kingdom 2.30% Taiwan 2.20% France 2.10% Australia 1.90% China 1.70% Italy 1.60% Germany 1.50% Spain 1.50% Netherlands 1.50% Canada 1.30% Japan 1.20% Brazil 1.10%

The debate about defence ignores that Australia is already a spends a huge amount on defence and the military. As @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social writes lifting spending to 3% of GDP would be more than Sth Korea! #OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/austral...

Chart showing that since 1990 Law degree and society and culture degree fees have gone up 705%, whereas they would have only risen 160% if they went up in line with inflation. Meanwhile staff per student numbers have fallen 42%

35 years after the beginning of HECS, Skye Predavec finds that students are paying much more for much less #OffTheCharts australiainstitute.org.au/post/at-aust...

“Negative home for Australians” #OffTheCharts
#housingmarket #speculation
#housingcrisis
#homelessness

Chart showing that a teacher in Sydney in 2015 needed $159,925 for a deposit on a median prices house. In Dec 2024 after a decade of saving they still need another $187,871

Get a good job that pays good money? Sorry Joe Hockey but over the past decade no one with a good job would have been able to save up for a deposit in Sydney on their own. And as @grogsgamut.bsky.social writes - most couples could not either #OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/its-imp...

Chart showing that even though Australia's population has grown quickly after the COVID pause - it is still lower than would have occurred under the trend growth in the 5 years before COVID

Blaming migrants for housing prices is not only wrong it also ignores the fact that Australia's population is now *lower* than it would have been had we not had COVID. Migrants are not taking our houses (or jobs)@mattgrudnoff.bsky.social writes #OffTheCharts
australiainstitute.org.au/post/migrati...