Artists, authors, musicians and other creatives have a huge impact on Australian culture, how Australians see themselves, and how the world sees Australians. Australia’s arts and culture cannot be produced overseas, and cannot be moved offshore. It must be made here. 

To get a firearm licence in Australia requires having a “genuine reason” to own a gun. In most jurisdictions, this requirement can be satisfied by being a paid-up member of a sports shooting club. Shooting groups promote this fact, advertising that you can join “from the comfort of home”. This may explain why up to 253,000 NSW firearms licences list shooting sports or recreational hunting as a reason for gun ownership, but fewer than 36,000 people in NSW participated in either activity in 2025.

State government cultural funding is dependent on federal revenue, yet Australia’s Federal Government raises little tax revenue by international standards. Arts advocates and state leaders should be vocal in urging the Federal Government to raise more revenue. Raising the State’s GST revenue to match economic growth since 2001 could put $76 million per year into

The use of hunting as a conservation method, which the Bill proposes, has been generally unsuccessful and sometimes counterproductive. Invasive species policy requires a level of care and rigour that is not reflected in the proposed approach. Additionally, the Bill risks undermining Australian gun control through establishing a “right to hunt” in NSW.

YouGov conducted a national survey of 1,535 voters on behalf of The Australia Institute between 6 and 11 June 2025, using an online survey polling methodology. Full details are provided in the methodology statement. The poll is compliant with the Australian Polling Council’s requirements. The margin of error on the effective sample size is 3.2%.

Almost 30 years after Port Arthur, there are more guns in Australia than ever before, and the Howard Government’s landmark National Firearms Agreement is falling short of its stated aims. There is no National Firearms Register and minors can use firearms in every state. Eight OECD countries have lower gun homicide rates than Australia.

Despite Australia’s significant gun reforms following the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre, there are now over four million guns owned by civilians nationwide — 25% higher than in 1996. This equates to one firearm for every seven Australians. Guns are widespread in metropolitan and suburban areas, with one in three firearms in NSW located in major cities.

Traffic fines in Australia hit low-income earners disproportionally hard. One potential solution to this problem is traffic fines that are proportional to the income of the offender. This discussion paper outlines one way of applying this model – drawn from Finland –to Australia, including a breakdown for states.

Australians continue to invest in the production of nuclear weapons through their superannuation. In 2023, major superannuation funds invested at least $3.4 billion in companies that produce the worst weapons of mass destruction.