ACIL Allen Consulting

The Tasman Institute was founded by Michael G. Porter in 1990 as a neoliberal think tank, based on his attempts in 1987 to found a private university and his earlier think tank, the Centre of Policy Studies.[7] During the 1990s, it became one of the three largest neo-liberal think tanks in Australia.[7] Through its consultancy arm, Tasman Asia-Pacific, it advised Asia-Pacific and Eastern European countries on privatisation and deregulation,[8][7] in what academic Damien Cahill identifies as a rare example of a think tank "that puts neo-liberal theory into practice".[7]

The Tasman Institute consulted for the Greiner government in 1991 on the privatisation of the Hunter Water Board.[7]

With the libertarian think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, and funding from Victorian employer associations, the Tasman Institute prepared "Project Victoria" which proposed a neo-liberal program for the incoming Kennett government.[7] The Tasman Institute was also awarded a government contract to consult on electricity privatisation in the state.[7] Transport Minister Alan Brown would later describe the Tasman Institute as having a "profound effect" on government policy.[7]

In 1995, the Tasman Institute and Tasman Asia-Pacific affiliated with the University of Melbourne.[7]

In 2000, Tasman merged with the deregulation and privatisation consultancy London Economics (Australia), forming Tasman Economics. In 2002, Tasman Economics merged with ACIL Consulting, forming ACIL Tasman.[8] Tasman Institute founder Porter became the executive chair. London Economics founder and Tasman Economics CEO Nick Morris became the CEO.[9]

Nick Morris stepped down as CEO in October 2005 and left ACIL Tasman in February 2006,[10] after he and ACIL Tasman senior consultant Jeffrey Rae were charged with recklessly or dishonestly failing to exercise their director's duties in good faith and for proper purpose.[11]

ACIL Tasman merged with rival consultants Allen Consulting Group in 2013.[12]

ACIL Consulting had operated for more than two decades covering key industries of energy, natural resources, agriculture and water.

ACIL Allen’s Director Jerome Fahrer provided expert evidence on behalf of the claimants in the Robodebt class action in 2020.[13]

ACIL Allen has developed the methodology for setting electricity benchmark prices for the Queensland Competition Authority. Since 2019, ACIL Allen has been engaged by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), to apply the ACIL Allen methodology to estimate the wholesale energy costs for New South Wales, South Australia, and south-east Queensland. This is done as part of the AER’s determination of the Default Market Offer (DMO) which acts as a price cap for retail electricity offers.[14] [15]

With increasing focus on hydrogen as an alternative energy source, in January 2020, ACIL Allen research found renewable electrolysis to be the most expensive method of hydrogen production, when compared with other methods.[16]

ACIL Tasman was criticised in newspaper The Australian in September 2012, with Tristan Edis saying that its predictions on renewable energy, fossil fuels and electricity markets were poor - although it "does have an excellent understanding of operating costs for existing large electricity generators in Australia". Edis noted that, at the time, large emitter lobby group the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network's last two chief executive officers were ACIL Tasman consultants and the organisations shared an office.[17]

Prior to the merger in 2013, ACIL consulted extensively in the mid 1990's to Philip Morris and the Australian Tobacco Industry, preparing economic and public polling reports.[18][19][20] Since then, ACIL Allen has worked with the AGS supporting the government’s case with the WTO against big tobacco on plain packaging.

In the 2018 South Australian state election, the Liberal Party was required to issue a retraction by the electoral commissioner after they misrepresented ACIL Allen modelling.[21]

In 2020, ACIL Allen conducted an independent review into the functions, performance and efficiency of Meat and Livestock Australia.[22][23]