5 October 2018

The Evidence Based Policy Research Project commissioned free-market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, and progressive think tank Per Capita Australia, to analyse 20 public policies using the ten criteria of the Wiltshire test for good policy making. This research project was commissioned ‘to coax more evidence-based policy decisions by all tiers of Government by reviewing and rating 20

1 October 2018

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull promised ‘a thoroughly Liberal Government’ … but instead it was a thorough disappointment, argues Simon Breheny. In the years and decades to come, it is hard to know precisely what Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will be known for. While supporters and detractors alike are able to point to legislation passed and policies implemented during the Turnbull

28 September 2018

Australia’s universities are public institutions with a corresponding legal responsibility to uphold free expression. This point was made by former High Court chief justice Robert French last week in his Austin Asche oration for Charles Darwin University and the Australian Academy of Law. French outlined the possibility that universities are covered by the constitutional freedom of political communication. “To the

20 July 2018

There is no right not to be ­offended. Yet dozens of provisions on the commonwealth statute books make it unlawful or illegal to ­offend. There is a right to freedom of speech, and each of these laws is an attack on that right. The existence of these laws is an embarrassment to Australia as a country that holds itself out

12 July 2018

The recent case of a Sydney barber demonstrates the pressing need to dismantle the growing anti-discrimination regime that threatens our livelihood and our freedom. The barber at the heart of this latest controversy is a young man by the name of Sam Rahim. Sam is married to Ronda, and he has two very cute little boys named Kiyan and Boston.

8 June 2018

After years of government red tape reduction programs that have failed to halt the explosion of regulation, it’s time for a radical new approach. Here are five principles the government should follow to dramatically reduce the burden of overregulation currently costing the Australian economy $176 billion a year: eliminate the need for approvals and replace this with an inspection and

10 May 2018

This article first appeared in the May 2018 edition of the IPA Review. PDF available here. A recent university study found that public satisfaction with our democratic processes and public trust in the politicians we elect are at some of the lowest levels ever recorded. Meanwhile, Australia is experiencing sluggish economic growth as businesses struggle under the burden of red

8 May 2018

The IPA’s Simon Breheny and Daniel Wild dissect the 2018 Federal Budget and talk about why they are so disappointed.    

8 May 2018

When a politician promises to give you something in 10 years, you can bet it’ll never happen. Promised tax cuts in Tuesday night’s Budget won’t match expectations, and a Coalition government — which, after almost five years in office, should be renowned for getting government out of our lives — will have overseen further growth in government expenditure and debt. At

24 April 2018

IPA Director of Policy, Simon Breheny, and Research Fellow, Daniel Wild, today appeared before the Senate Economics Committee inquiry into the commitments made by the Business Council of Australia to stronger wages and employment. To read their submission to the inquiry please click here