Research Papers

Liddell The Line In The Sand
30 May 2023

Liddell The Line In The Sand

With the recent closure of Liddell Power Station, the electricity system is on a knife’s edge. It is time for energy policy makers to take stock – and focus on energy security – before it is too late. Australia can continue down the path of closing what have been reliable low-cost baseload power stations without adequate replacements being available. Or
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Australia’s Spending Crisis: Estimating The Effect Of Federal Government Spending On Household Mortgage Repayments
8 May 2023

Australia’s Spending Crisis: Estimating The Effect Of Federal Government Spending On Household Mortgage Repayments

Australian families are facing acute and immediate cost of living pressures, caused by rapidly rising inflation, energy costs, and rising mortgage repayment rates. One of the key causes of rising inflation is debt and deficit-financed government spending. This report examines the relationship between government spending, inflation, and mortgage rates, and its key findings are: In addition, government spending increased by
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One Voice: Racial Equality In The Australian Constitution – Video
23 March 2023

One Voice: Racial Equality In The Australian Constitution – Video

This week the Institute of Public Affairs released One Voice: Racial Equality in the Australian Constitution, a new research essay exploring the potential legal, political, and social consequences of inserting the proposed Voice to Parliament in the Australian Constitution. The research essay explains how the Voice has the potential to permanently divide Australians along racial lines, could radically reshape Australia’s
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One Voice: Racial Equality In The Australian Constitution
22 March 2023

One Voice: Racial Equality In The Australian Constitution

The Institute of Public Affairs was founded in 1943 as a non-profit educational research organisation with the objectives: to further the individual, social, political, and economic freedom of the Australian people; and to maintain and enhance the Australian way of life. A central strand of the IPA’s research for 80 years has been on Australia’s democratic traditions, including the egalitarian
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De-educating Australia: How The National Curriculum Is Failing Australian Children
21 March 2023

De-educating Australia: How The National Curriculum Is Failing Australian Children

The Australian education system is in crisis, and at the heart of this crisis lies the National Curriculum. The curriculum dictates what every child in Australia should know. Sadly, it is becoming increasingly apparent that it is failing to fulfil its purpose, which is to educate Australian children. Unfortunately, Version 9 of the National Curriculum, which will be implemented in
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Let Them Work: How Criminal Justice Reform Can Help Address Australia’s Worker Shortage
10 March 2023

Let Them Work: How Criminal Justice Reform Can Help Address Australia’s Worker Shortage

Australia is experiencing both an incarceration crisis and an unprecedented worker shortage. Sensible criminal justice reform can address the excessive burden on Australia’s prison system while also filling persistent job vacancies in the economy. The total cost to the Australian taxpayer of imprisoning roughly 42,000 prisoners is now nearly $4.5 billion annually. Over-incarceration imposes an additional cost on Australians by
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An Analysis Of The Employment Consequences Of A Net Zero Emissions Target In NSW
21 February 2023

An Analysis Of The Employment Consequences Of A Net Zero Emissions Target In NSW

The New South Wales Government and Opposition have both committed NSW to the policy of net zero carbon equivalent emissions by 2050. They have also both committed to the medium-term target of reducing CO2-e emissions by half of 2005 levels by 2030 – just seven years from now. This report finds that the policy of net zero emissions will put
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The New Zealand Māori Voice To Parliament And What We Can Expect From Australia
14 February 2023

The New Zealand Māori Voice To Parliament And What We Can Expect From Australia

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he wants to follow the lead of New Zealand on reconciliation by implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart. On 6 February 2020, he posted the following statement to Twitter: We can learn a lot from our mates across the ditch about reconciliation with First Nations people. New Zealand has led the way. It’s
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Australians Support A Free And Fair Debate On Voice: A Review Of Submissions On The Federal Government’s Voice Referendum Amendment Proposals
10 February 2023

Australians Support A Free And Fair Debate On Voice: A Review Of Submissions On The Federal Government’s Voice Referendum Amendment Proposals

The Albanese government has proposed suspending the law requiring the government to fund the publication and distribution of an official pamphlet setting out the “Yes” and the “No” case for any referendum to change the Australian constitution. This means there would be no publicly funded information campaign to inform voters of the arguments for and against changing the Australian constitution
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Estimating The Employment And Economic Consequences – Of Net Zero And Environmental Activism In The Darling Downs
15 December 2022

Estimating The Employment And Economic Consequences – Of Net Zero And Environmental Activism In The Darling Downs

The policy of net zero emissions by 2050 and the green legal activism that it encourages have come at a great cost to Australians. They have contributed to escalating electricity prices, increasing cost of living pressures, and job insecurity in rural and regional areas. Southwest Queensland, which consists of Toowoomba, Darling Downs-Maranoa and immediately adjacent areas, has been and will
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