Dr. Fraser Thompson

Australia is a continent of natural wonders, from the world-famous Great Barrier Reef, teeming with marine life, to lush forests that shelter unique species found nowhere else on Earth. Today, these wonders are under unprecedented threats. The State of the Environment 2021…

Australia’s Productivity Commission has been clear that public support for the net-zero transition should rest on a hard fact base. In its interim report on Investing in cheaper, cleaner energy and the net zero transformation, Commissioner Barry Sterland framed the task bluntly: “Australia’s net zero transformation…

As economist Paul Krugman famously quipped, “Productivity isn't everything, but, in the long run, it is almost everything.” This is particularly the case in Australia where an ageing workforce, slower birth rates, and tighter immigration is constraining growth in the labour force,…

By Fraser Thompson (Cyan Ventures), with insights from David Yeh and Bernie Yoo (Precursor); and Julian Ryba-White (Mark1). Historians may look back on this decade as the moment heavy-industry decarbonisation either leapt forward or stumbled. The deciding factor will be whether we…

Ready for Take-off? Aviation plays a vital role in New Zealand’s economy. It underpins the tourism sector, supports high-value exports, and connects New Zealand with the rest of the world. At the same time, aviation is also a significant contributor to New Zealand’s…

Low-carbon liquid fuels (LCLF)— think sustainable biofuels and synthetic e-fuels—are the workhorses of deep decarbonisation. They slip straight into aircraft, ships, heavy trucks and high-heat industrial processes where batteries and electrification still stumble, cutting lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions without tearing up the existing…

After a lost decade of incoherent energy policy, Labor’s first three years have restarted the clean energy engine. Renewables’ share of the National Electricity Market jumped from 35 percent in 2022 to 39 percent in the March quarter of 2024; the Safeguard…