Big Government

30 August 2019

The Government’s proposed restrictions on the use of cash bill which would ban cash payments over $10,000 is a disproportionate and ineffective way of tackling the illegal activity of the ‘black economy’. Businesses are already required to report cash transactions over $10,000 to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre. An outright ban would only negatively affect law abiding citizens

14 May 2018

The Turnbull government’s proposed ban on cash payments above $10,000 is a disturbing breach of our right to privacy, an attack on the basic liberty of free exchange, and will worsen Australia’s red tape crisis. The aim of the ban, which was announced in the budget with other measures to tackle the “black economy”, is to prevent money laundering and

4 April 2018

The Palaszczuk government’s proposed regulations on native vegetation attack responsible farming and threaten agricultural development in regional Queensland. The changes, being considered by a parliamentary committee, reverse a policy that allows farmers to clear high-value agricultural land to put it to productive use. Those laws were a sensible attempt to find a balance between environmental conservation and agricultural development. They

30 November 2017

“A Royal Commission into the banking sector is a bad idea because it will not solve the key problems in that sector: too much red tape and a lack of competition,” said Daniel Wild, research fellow with the free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. “The quality of Australia’s banking sector will not be improved by a Royal

1 November 2017

When Woolworths and Coles announced in July that they were phasing out the use of plastic shopping bags, it was only a matter of time before our politicians got in on the act. So it was no surprise when the Andrews Government announced a statewide ban on so-called “single use” plastic bags. Sadly, the State Opposition is supporting the ban. In fact, their

20 July 2017

The story of what happened to Chelsea-lee Downes reveals everything that’s wrong with Australia’s attitude to innovation and risk-taking. Malcolm Turnbull and Chris Pyne’s Innovation Statement released on Monday is a good start. Less important than the statement’s billion dollars of handouts is its recognition that our attitude to innovation must change. And of course, the biggest source of opposition

28 March 2017

“The Productivity Commission’s final report, Regulation of Australian Agriculture, shows that red tape is the biggest factor undermining prosperity in the agricultural sector,” said Daniel Wild, research fellow with free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. “This report shows that state governments should scrap their native vegetation laws and start over. Private landowners should not be forced to

16 March 2017

Free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs has today released a new video outlining why green lawfare by activist groups must end. The best way to do this is by repealing Section 487 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. “The use of Section 487 encourages mines to be set up overseas where coal is lower quality.

30 January 2017

This paper is a critique of the political claims which have accompanied the debate about multinational tax avoidance, both at the OECD and within Australia. The movement within Australia provides an example of domestic policymakers adapting arguments pushed by international bodies to fit local political agendas. Australia provides a useful example for two reasons. First, Australia’s leaders used its presidency

27 January 2017

According to the results of an international opinion poll released a few days ago, there’s an “implosion of trust” around the world. The findings of the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer reveal just 37 per cent of Australians trust the government. The comparable figure in the United States is 47 per cent, and 36 per cent in the UK. Despite all