Archived publication for 2006 in IPA Backgrounder
Recent publications
Fixing the Crisis: A fair deal for homebuyers in WA
Planning policies, more than any other factor, restrict the capacity of first home buyers, and other less advantaged groups, from achieving a goal of home ownership. Current planning orthodoxies inflate urban land prices and discriminate against...
Back to Basics: Why government funding of science is a waste of our money
The notion that throwing an infinite amount of money at public research will somehow, at some time, automatically lead to some benefit is a myth. The government spends a substantial amount on public science and innovation. It is not clear that any...
Promoting Freedom and Community: Civil Society Organisations in Australia
Australian society is best served by a strong, diverse and vibrant civil society. Individual voluntary participation in civil society organisations, whether through giving or volunteering, increases individual and collective freedom. The large...
Opportunity Squandered: How the States have wasted their reform bonus
Since 2000, GST revenue distributed to the states has increased at an average annual rate of more than 9 per cent-a huge and unexpected gain. As a result, the states are awash with money at levels unanticipated by the architects of the new tax...
The empowerment agenda: Civil Society and Markets in Disability and Mental Health
The framework for social policy is basically unchanged since the 1950s. The social policy debate in Australia is dominated by experts, lobby groups and government officials. The users of the system, whether they are called clients, consumers,...