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Economics
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- Gender at Work
- Gig Economy
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- Public Sector, Procurement & Privatisation
- Retirement
- Science & Technology
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- Tax, Spending & the Budget
- Unions & Collective Bargaining
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- International & Security Affairs
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November 2009
What a waste: An analysis of household expenditure on food
Australian households are throwing out more than $5 billion worth of food each year, more than Australians spend on digital equipment, and more than it costs to run the Australian Army. In addition to the direct financial costs of this waste, the environmental impact associated with excessive greenhouse gas emissions and water use is substantial.
October 2009
What does $50,000 buy in a population survey?
This piece is a comparison between a phone surveying and an internet surveying, costing $56,000 and $6000, and lasting one month and six days respectively. The participants were common in sex, state/territory, country of birth, working status, highest level of education, household income and area of residence; and only had marginal differences in age. As
Woolly figures
Agricultural emissions are a significant source of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions yet they will be excluded from the initial stage of the Rudd Government’s proposed CPRS, with a view to incorporating them from 2015. This paper examines Treasury’s modelling of the likely impact of the CPRS on the agricultural sector and finds it could be
Harder to do than to say?
Coal-fired power stations comprise the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia, accounting for 36 per cent of total emissions in 2008. Any determined effort to tackle what Prime Minister Rudd has referred to as the ‘moral challenge’ of climate change would presumably seek to reduce emissions from that source significantly. The proposed Carbon
August 2009
Zero-sum game?
July 2009
State of denial
While the Commonwealth will receive a windfall of more than $10 billion per year in revenue from auctioning pollution permits, state and local governments will transfer more than $2 billion a year to the Commonwealth Government. In addition, the states will be liable for tens of billions of dollars-worth of expenditure associated with adapting to
May 2009
Future Economic Thought- discussion paper
The goal of sustainability has been a dangerous and destructive distraction for both citizens and policy makers concerned with the development of a society that protects our natural environment and promotes the wellbeing of our citizens. This paper argues that the goal of sustainability needs to be abandoned in all but its broadest metaphorical sense.
February 2009
Increasing the Newstart Allowance: A necessary part of equitable fiscal stimulus
The arguments for a higher Newstart Allowance or unemployment benefit include the fact that the unemployed have a low propensity to import and to save and are geographically distributed across the country. There is the added virtue of helping to address an increasing problem of horizontal equity, the notion that those in a similar financial
November 2008
Fixing the Floor in the ETS
Emissions trading will impose a ‘floor’ below which emissions cannot fall as well as a ‘cap’ above which emissions cannot rise. When the government has decided on an acceptable level of pollution, it will issue a corresponding number of pollution permits. If households use less energy and create less pollution, they will simply free up
October 2008
The case for a new top tax rate
Discusses the benefits of introducing a new tax threshold specifically aimed at very high income earners. It argues that the current top tax rate of 45 per cent, which applies to incomes of over $180,000 per year, is inadequate in a corporate environment where CEOs can be paid very large salaries indeed.
The role of a higher age pension in stimulating the economy
When the economy is slowing governments can stimulate economic activity by spending more money, thereby increasing the level of demand for goods and services. The Commonwealth Government could start injecting tens of millions of dollars into the economy each week simply by increasing the size of a payment such as the age pension.
August 2008
The Impact of an Emissions Trading Scheme on State Government Budgets
The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) places a $20 per tonne of CO2 price on carbon pollution. While the government advocates schemes to help businesses pay this increase, no such scheme has been passed onto the states and territories. The states and territories would pay a projected $1.5b, or 15,000 teaching, policing and nursing jobs.
May 2005
March 2005
Wasteful Consumption in Australia
This report estimates that Australians spend more than $10.5 billion each year on goods and services from which they derive no benefit. The paper examines the phenomenon of wasteful consumption and explores its implications.
Who benefits from private health insurance in Australia?
The private health care rebate of 30% costs the government $2.5b per year. Only 24% of households under $25,000 per year have private health care, this increases to 69% for household over $100,000 per year. Single parents, young people and poor families are the least likely to have private health care. Due to this the
February 2005
Demographic trends in private health insurance membership
The Howard government promised to rise in the private health care rebate from 30% to 35% for people over 65 and 40% for people over 70. However between 2001 and 2004 there has been a decrease in private health insurance for people under 55 by 4.8%, while people over 55 have increased 13.7%. Prices for
November 2004
Property Rights and the Environment: Should farmers have a right to compensation?
This paper examines the claim that farmers require a statutory compensation scheme to protect them from legislation designed to improve environmental outcomes.
20th November: Take-the-rest-of-the-year-off day
New Studies have shown that Australia works the longest hours per year than any other industrialised country, and 500 hours more than Norway. This has been linked to less productivity and less time to buy luxury goods. The recommendation is to significantly reduce the working hours per week.
August 2004
The Accountability of Private Schools to Public Values
This report considers some of the failings of private schools to protect public values and argues that the receipt of government funding should be contingent upon upholding them.
July 2004
Overconsumption of pet food in Australia
Despite the fact that real incomes are increasing majority of Australians believe they cannot afford the necessities. This extends to pet care. 64% of Australians have pets; our total expenditure on our pets is $2.3b in 2002. Some pet products cost $800 and dog food can be $100kg. The luxury pet goods industry is emblematic
June 2004
Silencing Dissent: Non-government organisations and Australian democracy
NGOs play an indispensable role in Australian public debate. This paper discusses the wide-spread alarm among NGOs about their lack of ability to speak out in support of those they represent without being denigrated and having their funding cut.
May 2004
January 2004
Buying an education: Where are the returns highest?
The Australian education system is currently experiencing rapid change at all levels. This paper considers the recent trends in private school enrolments and fees in light of the new university arrangements which allow for Australian citizens to enrol as full fee paying students rather than having to rely solely on academic merit to earn a
December 2003
November 2003
September 2003
Health Spending in the Bush: an analysis of the geographic distribution of the private health insurance rebate
The coalition’s introduced a 30% private health insurance rebate, costing $2.5 billion per annum. This policy favours urban centres as rural areas have less private hospitals; less money from the rebate going to them, on a per capita bias; and will be affected by the yearly rise in prices after the age of 30. As
July 2003
Annual leave in Australia: An analysis of entitlements, usage and preferences
Australians may believe that they live in the land of the long weekend but new data lead The Australia Institute to question this assumption.
The double dividend: an analysis of the job creation potential of purchasing additional holiday leave
More than half of the workforce would forgo a 4% pay rise, if it guaranteed them an extra two weeks leave annually. This would create approx. 146,000 new jobs, and help address the over 1 million underemployed and unemployed Australians.
May 2003
Trading in Our Health System? The impact of the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
Examines a possible trade-off the Australian Government might be tempted to make in order to achieve a Free Trade Agreement with the US.