Research
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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
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.
October 2004
Trading in Food Safety? The impact of trade agreements on quarantine in Australia
Australia has always enjoyed rigorous national food standards that were applied equally to both domestically produced and imported food. The capacity to maintain and apply these standards, however, is now being undermined by international trade agreements and procedures for settling trade disputes with a result that challenges to public health are being significantly increased.
September 2004
Geosequestration: What is it and how much can it contribute to a sustainable energy policy for Australia?
Examines how much emissions abatement geosequestration may be able to deliver, how soon it may be able to do so, what the cost of such abatement may be and how it compares with other energy policy options to reduce emissions. Geosequestration: Supporting on-line material
August 2004
Work and family futures: How young Australians plan to work and care
A study of the attitudes of teenagers showing that the gender wars are set to continue into the next generation with boys and girls making conflicting plans about who will do the housework and look after the children.
The Disappointment of Liberalism and the quest for inner freedom
The disappointments of money and freedom must be seen as a profound challenge to liberalism, and especially its more dogmatic child, libertarianism.
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
Taming the Panda: The relationship between WWF Australia and the Howard Government
WWF Australia describes itself as an independent, supporter-based and non-party political conservation organisation. This paper provides an analysis of this statement.
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.
Greenhouse gas emissions in industrialised countries: Where does Australia stand?
Reports calculations showing per capita greenhouse gas emission on a comprehensive basis for all industrialised countries which show that Australians have the highest emissions per person of all industrial countries.
Public policy, complexity and rulebase technology
Examines the growing complexity in legislation and public administration. It explores the consequences and offers some possible solutions.
May 2004
Lost children: Condemning children to long-term disadvantage
Unpublished ABS data shows that 23,000 Australian children from low and middle income families are being priced out of child care:12,000 children from low income families and 11,000 children from middle income families miss out on child care because of cost, and they are more likely to experience developmental disabilities as a result.
Carpe Diem? The Deferred Happiness Syndrome
Deferred Happiness Syndrome affects 30% of Australians and occurs when employees are not satisfied with work but do it to achieve happiness later on, often through money and material interests. This often results in downshifters that voluntarily reduce working hours to ensure better lifestyles.
March 2004
The benefits of an ageing population
Examines the benefits that an ageing population will bring to many areas of Australian life and concludes that there is a silver lining to the fog of pessimism currently clouding the perceptions of policy makers and governments.
February 2004
Can’t Buy Me Love? Young Australians’ views on parental work, time, guilt and their own consumption
Examines the perspective of young people about their parents’ paid and unpaid work, its implications for their lives and the links between work and consumption.
Getting a Life: Understanding the downshifting phenomenon in Australia
Explores in detail the life changes and attitudes of 20 downshifters to answer the questions prompted by the first study on downshifting completed in January 2003. The in-depth interviews were augmented by four focus groups held across the country and aimed to explain why people downshift, how they change, how others react, what are their
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
Democratising excellence? Chamber music and arts policy in Australia
Analyses the conditions that facilitate access, participation and pleasure at chamber music concerts to demonstrate that cultural policy-makers and arts organisations need to engage in strategies that acknowledge more directly the audience experience.
November 2003
Downshifting in Britain: A sea-change in the pursuit of happiness
This study parallels Discussion Paper 50 and shows that 25 per cent of British adults aged between 30 and 59 have downshifted over the last ten years.
Fatherhood and fatherlessness
Shifting social and economic conditions have both intensified the obstacles to, and created new possibilities for, involved fathering and more sophisticated strategies are needed on the part of the community and government to enable men to capitalise on these recent possibilities.