-
Economics
- Banking & Finance
- Employment & Unemployment
- Future of Work
- Gender at Work
- Gig Economy
- Industry & Sector Policies
- Inequality
- Infrastructure & Construction
- Insecure & Precarious Work
- Labour Standards & Workers' Rights
- Macroeconomics
- Population & Migration
- Public Sector, Procurement & Privatisation
- Retirement
- Science & Technology
- Social Security & Welfare
- Tax, Spending & the Budget
- Unions & Collective Bargaining
- Wages & Entitlements
- Young Workers
- Climate & Energy
- Democracy & Accountability
- Environment
- International & Security Affairs
- Law, Society & Culture
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.
February 2003
Funding sport fairly: an income-contingent loans scheme for elite sports training
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) spent $97 million of taxpayer’s money from 2001-2002 on scholarships for athletes. With each scholarship averaging $23,000 per year, per student, there should be a HECS style sporting scheme. This would entail athletes earning more than $100,000 per annum having to repay the AIS.
December 2002
Tax Flight? An analysis of the ‘duty free’ system in Australia
Duty free stores in Australia have tax exempt status, on goods such as tobacco and alcohol, goods which the government places high taxes on to create a disincentive. The Australian government also loses over $100 million per annum through duty free stores, disproportionately to the wealthiest 20% who can afford to travel overseas. This piece
November 2002
Health Insurance Tax Rort
High-income earners over $50,000 for individuals and $100, 000 for families pay a Medicare Levy Surcharge of 1 %( $500 and $1000 respectively). High-income earners can be exempted from the surcharge if they have private insurance, insurance companies exploit this and provide policies with annual costs under the respective $500 and $1000. The insurance policies
March 2002
Taxes and Charges for Environmental Protection
The structure of the tax system can play an important role in either protecting or causing harm to the natural environment. This report examines existing taxes, charges and related incentives that encourage either environmental protection or degradation in each of the areas of transport, stationary energy, land, water, forests and waste. The study also considers
February 2001
Measuring Employment in the 21st Century: New measures of underemployment and overwork
The system of labour market statistics in Australia is in urgent need of reform. In addition to calling for the collection of new data on the desired amount of work for all workers, this report outlines the benefits of work sharing, and suggests mechanisms for achieving a fairer distribution of work.
December 2000
Tracking Well-being in Australia: The Genuine Progress Indicator 2000
This paper reports an updated version of the GPI published by The Australia Institute in 1997. The paper is in two parts, the first providing the rational for the GPI and raising some methodological issues. The second part provides a comprehensive discussion of each component making up the GPI.
October 2000
Taxing Concern? The Performance of the Green Power Scheme in Australia
This paper examines the effectiveness of the Green Power scheme in encouraging the use of low-emission forms of electricity.