Research
-
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
April 1997
Ecological Tax Reform in Australia: Using taxes and public spending to protect the environment without hurting the economy
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
Native Title: Implications for land management
The native title debate has been one of the most acrimonious and divisive political debates in Australia’s history. The historic task of reconciliation requires a just settlement of the claims by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to land. The authors of this paper conclude that legislated extinguishment would be a severe and enduring blow
January 1997
October 1996
The Path to Full Employment: A talk to the ACOSS Congress
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.
July 1996
What should governments do? Auditing the Audit Commission
The National Commission of Audit was established immediately after the Coalition’s 1996 election victory. It was charged with the task of reporting to the Government on the finances of the Commonwealth and measures to improve its fiscal position. The contributions to this discussion paper provide a thorough critique of the underlying assumptions of the Audit
Mining in Kakadu: Lessons from Coronation Hill
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.
June 1996
Redistributing Work: Solutions to the paradox of overwork and unemployment in Australia
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.
March 1996
Citizens in the Marketplace: The implications of competition policy for citizenship
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
December 1995
A tradeable emissions entitlement scheme for greenhouse gases from the NSW electricity industry
Against the backdrop of widespread reform in Australia’s electricity sector, this paper proposed an emissions trading scheme for NSW – in 1995. It investigates three broad approaches: a regulatory system, a carbon tax and a tradeable permit scheme, concluding that the latter was best placed to meet targets for emissions reductions at the lowest economic
November 1995
Logging and water
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.
August 1995
July 1995
The economic language of Landcare
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.
June 1995
The privatisation of CSL
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.
February 1995
Australia’s greenhouse strategy: can the future be rescued?
The National Greenhouse Response Strategy agreed between the Commonwealth and the States has failed to make any impact on Australia�s greenhouse gas emissions. After two years of its operation, there is no evidence that even one tonne of carbon emissions has been saved as a result of the NRGS and Australia’s excess of emissions over
December 1994
Comparison of emission sources and emission trends among OECD countries
This study, prepared for the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, is an analysis of the structure and causes of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia compared to a number of other OECD countries. The principal result to emerge from the statistical analysis is that Australia’s emissions of greenhouse gases are very high compared to
September 1994
Does Privatisation Pay?
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.
May 1994
“Trash” fights back
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.