30 March 2020
Running Out Of Rice, While Wasting Water
Australia was once self-sufficient in rice. We now grow less than 25 percent of domestic rice consumption. The SunRice Group has been importing rice from Vietnam and repackaging it to make-up the shortfall. Since the Corona Virus pandemic, the Vietnamese government has banned the export of rice, while the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has feigned an unprecedented drought. There is a need
5 August 2019
IPA Welcomes Productivity Commission Review Into Resources Sector Red Tape
Free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs has welcomed the announcement that the Productivity Commission will lead a 12-month review to focus on streamlining regulation in the resources sector. IPA research estimated that red tape costs the Australian economy $176 billion each year in lost economic output, which is approximately 10 per cent of GDP. This makes red tape
26 July 2017
Too Much Red Tape Could Keep Drones Grounded
From spraying pastures to collecting crop data, drones are set to revolutionise Australian agriculture. However, despite this enormous pot-ential, calls for more regulation threaten to keep drones firmly on the ground. The application of drones in agriculture alone is estimated to be worth an enormous $32 billion globally. How can Australian regulators make sure we embrace this revolution? No one
15 February 2017
Taxi Licence Compensation Sends The Wrong Message
Lines of taxi drivers crawled across the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne on Monday. Their protest wasn’t over pay, conditions or safety. It was over the size of their consumer-funded compensation handout as Victoria legalises Uber. The transition from ageing taxis to innovators like Uber is inevitable and has forced governments to reconsider their cosy relationship with the taxi industry. Victoria’s
20 January 2017
Australia Must Cut More Red Tape On Drones
Regulators must continue efforts to cut unnecessary red tape on drone technology – including removing restrictions on flying beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) for commercial operators – according to a new research paper by free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. In The Case For Cutting Red Tape On Drones, IPA Research Fellow Darcy Allen reviews the opportunities and
15 December 2016
The Case For Cutting Red Tape On Drones
From videography and construction, to the age-old primary industries of agriculture and mining, drones hold remarkable potential to revolutionise many Australian industries. From 29 September 2016 regulatory changes by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) cut red tape on drones by removing burdensome license requirements for low-risk operations and carving out an exclusion category for drones on private property. While
8 September 2016
Opening Remarks To Victorian Parliament Ride Sourcing Inquiry
Regulatory decisions surrounding the ridesharing industry are of critical importance to the Victorian economy because they will set a precedent for the disruptive potential of the sharing economy more broadly. The most general principle underpinning our submission is the idea of ‘permissionless innovation’. That is, we believe a quality regulatory system, one that deals well with disruptive technologies and business
5 August 2016
Degas – The Impressionist Who Rejected Impressionism
The National Gallery of Victoria’s exhibition Degas: A New Vision, is the most comprehensive collection of the works by the French painter and sculptor, Edgar Degas(1834-1917) since 1988. There are some wonderful individual pieces to inspect in this brilliantly curated exhibition and I urge you to see before it ends on September 18th. And as you learn more about Degas,
13 July 2016
A Pokemon In The Eye For Nanny State
A new app is doing what years of nanny state programs and millions of wasted taxpayer dollars failed to do – get people outside, on their feet and living healthier lifestyles. Pokemon GO was released only last Wednesday and is already the most popular mobile application on iPhone and Android. The game puts players in aug-mented reality, based on real
1 July 2016
The Role Of Entrepreneurs And Government In Australia
Coming from overseas in the 1970s, Australia looked to me like the ‘Land of Missed Opportunities’. Partial liberalisation during the Hawke-Keating era and some further reforms under Howard-Costello let Australian entrepreneurs and citizens realise much of their considerable potential: Australians became winners. Since then, we have suffered wealth-sapping political curtailments of economic freedom. After the 2016 election, overdue and urgent
