Archived publication for 2008
Recent publications
Federal government ads misleading on climate insurance cost
In order to prepare the nation for the introduction of the ETS, the federal government has begun a large advertising campaign to argue that, without action, climate change will have a significant economic impact. In particular one of their most...
Climate change is not our #1 problem
It is easy to forget that climate change is not the only issue facing the world today. In ignoring other problems we run the risk of introducing inefficient solutions that make other problems worse. A good example is the promotion of biofuels...
Taking apart Australia
After more than two decades of economic reform there were few truly egregious examples of government sanctioned protection left to greet the incoming Rudd Government. Perhaps the most outstanding was the monopoly granted to a publicly listed...
Plastic bag levy by Victorian government unconstitutional according to IPA
A plan confirmed today by the Victorian Government to charge consumers for plastic bags may be unconstitutional according to the free market think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs. The Australian National Retailers Association and...
How land supply restrictions have locked young people out of the housing market
Adjusted for inflation, the price of houses in Australia has more than doubled (trebled in Sydney and Perth) over the past 30 years. How has this occurred? In a landmark address to the Housing Industry Association in July 2005, the Institute of...
Can regulation be reduced?
Numerically, Australia now has more regulations than at any time since federation. If we are to pare back government interference in the economy, we need to attack more than just the national income share of government, but also the regulatory web...
The Growth of Australia's Regulatory State: Ideology, accountability and the mega-regulators
Regulation is a political activity. It sets the framework for the market economy by defining the boundaries between private action and government action. Yet those boundaries are not fixed. Australian governments are growing the body of regulation...