This study comprises a comprehensive assessment of public spending on education, employment, health and housing services for indigenous Australians compared with non-indigenous Australians. It shows that, contrary to claims made recently, public spending on programs for indigenous people is not excessive, and the advantages indigenous people gain from this expenditure are minuscule compared with the

The purpose of this paper is to explore a number of feasible reforms to business taxation that go further than the Ralph review. It argues for the early introduction of a domestic emissions trading system as part of the tax restructuring program, in order to address our greenhouse commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. It recommends

Competition policy and competitive tendering has caused much anxiety in the welfare sector. Will the supposed increase in efficiency cost too much in terms of reduced cooperation between welfare agencies, reduced choice for clients and increased administrative costs for agencies? This study is based on extensive interviews with 37 people from five States and Territories,

Submission presented jointly the Australia Institute, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Medical Association to the Senate Committee

Address to the Horizons of Science Forum, UTS

This report evaluates the impact of the privatisation of ACTEW on the financial position of the ACT public sector. In so doing, it examines the structure of ACTEW and the impact of the competitive electricity market on ACTEW’s profitability. It also assesses the options for dealing with the government’s unfunded superannuation liability. It concludes that

This report evaluates the likely effects on atmospheric emissions of the proposed changes in indirect taxes put forward in the Coalition’s GST Tax Package. While there is no mention of the environment in the Tax Package, changes in prices of energy intensive activities induced by the Tax Package may affect energy consumption and thus atmospheric

A briefing to delegates at the Bonn climate change negotiations

Only 2% of national tax revenues come from gambling. But the ethics, economics, and fairness of gambling taxes are becoming a critical issue as ‘the global economy’ challenges the sovereignty of governments. The ever-narrowing range of revenue options has left state governments with little choice but to conform with nearby jurisdictions pursuing expansionary gambling policies.

It has long been recognised that GDP growth does not correlate well with changes in social welfare, i.e. national well-being. The GPI adjusts GDP by 23 factors that reflect some of the social and environmental costs of economic growth to give a better measures of changes in national prosperity. This paper explores these issues in

Australia’s unique wildlife is a vital factor in attracting foreign tourists and the future of the tourism industry depends heavily on the protection of our natural environment. This study evaluates the economic contribution of the koala to the Australian tourism industry.

While there is firm public support for stronger environmental protection, action on these issues in the past has been seriously constrained by the belief by governments that protecting the environment will have large economic costs. Ecological tax reform shows this need not be the case by arguing that carefully devised measures can both protect the

The increasing growth in Australian cannot be matched with employment. To counter oncoming large unemployment there needs to be a ‘work-sharing scheme.’ Such a scheme would allow more jobs and give workers more leisure time, thus solving the rise in unemployment.

This paper considers the implications for the proposed uranium mine at Jabiluka of the Resource Assessment Commission’s inquiry into mining at Coronation Hill, also within the boundaries of Kakadu National Park. There are some important parallels in the issues and the way they have been treated.

At a time of high and chronic unemployment, Australia is also faced with a crisis of overwork. Work-related stress and illness have been intensifying while the social problems associated with mass unemployment multiply. There are a number of flexible work schemes operating or under negotiation in Australia, but so far they affect very few employees.

This paper collects together some of the papers from the Australia Institute’s conference entitled Citizens in the Marketplace: The implications of competition policy for citizenship. The conference was motivated by the desire to bring together various strands of thought which are being knit into an alternative to economic rationalism. The notion of citizenship, and the

This paper considers the impacts of logging in forests on the quantity and quality of water available for users. It also considers the economic implications of the effect of logging on water yields and water quality and the lessons for policy makers.

This paper is designed for Landcare participants and policy-makers and outlines some economic approaches to land-use decision-making that could be used to evaluate Landcare.

This paper analyses the fiscal impact on the Commonwealth of the sale of Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CSL) and relates this impact to the market environment in which CSL operates. It raises serious concerns about the returns to tax-payers from the sale.

This article shows that the public debt interest savings associated with privatisation are, on average, less than the profits foregone, implying that privatisation reduces public sector net worth. A copy is available on John Quiggin’s website.

The Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG, President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal and Chairman of the Executive of the International Commission of Jurists and Professor Max Neutze, Inaugural Chair, at the public launch of The Australia Institute on 4 May 1994, Brassey Hotel Canberra.