News

Recent news

Budget deflects attention away from constitutional change referendum

Ideas & Liberty and Deregulation Unit | John Roskam
Australian Financial Review 17th May, 2013

Tuesday's federal budget has been treated with the disdain it deserves. Probably the funniest part of the night was when the Treasurer, Wayne Swan,...

Surely PM is having a lend of us

Economics & Deregulation | Alan Moran
Herald Sun 17th May, 2013

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, in promoting the case for Budget deficits, says, "Imagine a wage earner, John, employed in the same job throughout...

Labor's bid for local control

Deregulation Unit | Tim Wilson
The Australian 14th May, 2013

Last week Julia Gillard announced a referendum to amend the Constitution allowing the federal government to fund local government directly. The...

Lavish parental leave has nothing to do with need

Economics & Deregulation | Chris Berg
The Drum 14th May, 2013

There's an easy test to see if a politician is spouting nonsense: they use the word "productivity" a lot. Productivity is an old standby. It sounds...

Advocates of a nanny state assume we are all children

Economics & Deregulation, Deregulation Unit and Nanny State | Tim Wilson
Courier Mail 13th May, 2013

Nanny state critics understand that incremental attacks on our freedom to choose are single steps down a longer road to remove individual choice...

Regulating supermarkets does not checkout

Economics & Deregulation and Deregulation Unit | Tim Wilson
Canberra Times 9th May, 2013

The failure of the ACT's supermarket competition policy is further evidence that government cannot plan competitive markets. They have to evolve...

Aeroplane mobile switch-off ruled by fear of the unknown

Ideas & Liberty | Chris Berg
The Drum 7th May, 2013

Last week we learned that Mark Dreyfus, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Australia, was recently involved in "an incident" on an airplane....

Free-rein proposal by Canberra should be hobbled before the pass

Ideas & Liberty | Chris Berg
The Age 5th May, 2013

If the Gillard government has its way, we'll have an extra question to answer at the federal election in September: do we want to amend the...

Burn the boats and ditch the life raft

Economics & Deregulation | John Roskam
Australian Financial Review 3rd May, 2013

Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey must burn the boats. The Coalition must promise to not increase taxes and not impose any new taxes if elected. That...

Fear taxpayers to take up disability levy slack

Economics & Deregulation | Julie Novak
West Australian 2nd May, 2013

Prime Minister Julia Gillard this week framed the fiscal scenario surrounding the Budget as one in which the growth in government revenue...