Despite Australia avoiding a recession, thanks largely to the Government’s stimulus packages, there remains a real risk of entrenching an underclass of unemployed.

In August, women’s unemployment increased by 0.2 percentage points while men’s fell by 0.2 percentage points. The female underutilisation rate increased by 1.0 percentage points to 15.5 per cent while men’s actually fell 0.6 percentage points to 11.9 per cent

Women account for up to 80 percent of Australia’s hidden unemployed, new research into the current economic downturn by The Australia Institute reveals. The report finds that not only are child-care responsibilities the most common reason why women struggle to rejoin the workforce, but those same responsibilities are a major reason that women are excluded

Discusses how the July 2009 tax cuts are highly skewed towards the rich. High-income earners get $41 per week and low-income earners get nothing at all.

The national survey of 2000 adults found that the notion of paying blood donors does not have widespread community support. Seventy-one per cent (71%) of respondents did not think that donors should be paid for their time when they donate blood.

Australia could introduce a paid parental leave scheme that pays for itself, creates nearly 9,000 new jobs and boosts the economy. The flow-on effect of paid parental leave on women’s participation in the labour market is likely to generate additional GDP of at least $2.5 billion and additional Government revenue of $625 million. This means

The Choice of Fund Policy has failed to resolve widespread consumer disengagement with superannuation. As few as four per cent of workers switch super funds each year and around half of this is ‘passive’ choice due to job change or fund closure. Choice of Fund has also been largely unsuccessful in lowering the number of

The value of time wasted on unsolicited telemarketing calls in Australia amounts to $1.58 billion annually. Two in three Australians believe that telemarketing should be banned altogether.

Highlights how the Australian Government has increasingly been making judgments about the character of individuals in migration and other areas over the last decade.

High income earners are using low-cost private health insurance products to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge according to a report released today by the Australia Institute. The Institute’s analysis uses unpublished ABS data to estimate that the practice is costing Australian taxpayers $230 million a year in lost revenue. The findings are made in Using