For over a decade, Australia's climate debate has been tethered to the trauma of 2013, when the federal Coalition prosecuted a highly effective campaign against the Gillard-Rudd governments’ carbon price, branding it a ‘great big tax on everything’.

The Coalition won the subsequent election, and ever since the prevailing orthodoxy in Canberra has been that carbon pricing is a third-rail issue – a policy so toxic that its mere mention could trigger instant electoral backlash. 

However, in a recent webinar for The Superpower Institute, Redbridge Director of Strategy and Analytics Kos Samaras argued that this strategic paralysis is based on outdated, and often incorrect, assumptions. 

In this episode, we bring you that webinar in full. Kos unpacks new national polling on pollution, fairness and Australians' attitudes towards the sale of public gas resources. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative research, he explains how voter attitudes have shifted – and why the old 'climate wars' frame may be masking a much deeper consensus around economic fairness.

He also explores what this means for proposals such as a Polluter Pays Levy and a Fair Share Levy, how resilient that support might be under political attack, and where the obstacles to reform now lie.

A video version of podcast is available at: https://www.superpowerinstitute.com.au/news/webinar-why-we-shouldn-t-be-held-hostage-to-the-past-unlocking-the-consensus-on-pricing

Learn more about the Polluter Pays Levy and the Fair Share Levy at: https://www.superpowerinstitute.com.au/work/the-case-for-pricing-pollution

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Kos Samaras – Director Strategy and Analytics

Kos Samaras specialises in compiling and interpreting research, statistical data and polling to provide a unique insight into the cause and effects of social and political issues impacting communities across Australia.

Often sought for expert commentary on polling data and its impact on all levels of politics, Kos’s keen understanding of the nature of political parties and government decision-making (drawn from more than 25 years of political experience with Victorian Labor) allows him to deliver effective solutions for a broad range of clients.

In February 2024, Ross Garnaut and Rod Sims took the stage at the National Press Club to propose a new approach to pricing carbon pollution – one grounded in economic efficiency and fairness, designed to make major polluters pay, strengthen the federal budget, and better position Australia for the industries of the future.

Two years on, the need for action has only grown clearer. Rising fiscal and emissions reduction challenges are renewing the case for practical, lasting reform.

In this episode of The Opportunity, TSI chair Rod Sims and Carbon Pricing and Policy Lead Ingrid Burfurd are in conversation with Australian Financial Review Economics Editor John Kehoe ,as they discuss the economic and political context behind The Superpower Institute’s major new report The Case for Pricing Pollution.

The report makes the case that Australia’s current policy mix is falling short on both climate and the economy, and sets out a way forward that would deliver faster emissions reductions and economic renewal – a package that is fair, efficient and politically durable. It puts two ideas at the centre: the Polluter Pays Levy, and the Fair Share Levy.

Learn about these two policies at the TSI website: https://www.superpowerinstitute.com.au/work/the-case-for-pricing-pollution

In this debut episode of The Opportunity, we take you inside the recent World Economic Forum / First Movers’ Coalition Green Iron Summit in Adelaide, co-hosted by Greenhouse and supported by Boundless Earth.

The summit brought together government, industry, and finance leaders from across the Asia-Pacific to explore how South Australia can position itself as a first-mover hub for green iron production and exports.

In this episode you’ll hear:

Professor Ross Garnaut, co-founder of The Superpower Institute, on Australia’s unique advantages in green iron and the particular strengths of South Australia.

A panel moderated by Joanna Kay (TSI Program Director, International Strategy) with:

- Sam Crafter, SA Government / Whyalla Steelworks Transformation

- Jeremy Conway, Chief Executive, Infrastructure South Australia

- Max van Sommer, Managing Director Australia, Bivios

- John Tsalaptis, General Manager, ZEN Energy

The Superpower Institute is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping Australia seize the extraordinary economic opportunities of the post-carbon world. 

The global shift to net zero is Australia’s opportunity. 

TSI specialises in practical research and policy development to support the policy settings and market incentives necessary for making Australia a green export superpower to support global development in a post–carbon world. 

Our role is to embed climate ambition in a broader economic context and to change the public narrative, so that decision-makers are comfortable adopting the required policies and incentive structures that will unlock the Australian superpower.   

Read more about The Superpower Institute at https://www.superpowerinstitute.com.au

The Opportunity was recorded and edited on the lands of the Kaurna People and the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present.