Archived publication for 2009
Recent publications
Valuable, but not complete
John Roskam reviews The March Of Patriots: The Struggle For Modern Australia by Paul Kelly (Melbourne University Press, 2009, 720 pages) Paul Kelly transformed himself from journalist into historian with the publication of his The...
Why Europe?
Two new books try to answer the central question of Western Civilisation. Richard Allsop looks at what they find.
Government Decision Ensures Book Readers Will Pay up to 32 Per Cent More
"Today's decision by the Rudd Government to keep parallel import restrictions on books will ensure consumers pay up to 32 per cent more than if they were scrapped," said Tim Wilson, Director of the Intellectual Property and Free Trade Unit at the...
Palming off livelihoods? The misguided campaign against palm oil
Internationally environmental non-government organisations and activists are campaigning against industry and consumer use of palm oil. Their opposition to is driven by claims that it is unsustainable promotes deforestation and reduces orang-utan...
Misguided Palm Oil Campaigns Won't Help Orang-Utans, But Will Harm Asia's Poor
"Misguided campaigns by the Melbourne Zoo, celebrities and activists lack understanding of why forest and orang-utans are being lost. It isn't palm oil it's poverty", said Tim Wilson, Director of the Intellectual Property and Free Trade Unit at...
No Longer Us versus Them
No Longer Us versus Them is a timely research paper that exposes the myths perpetuated by vested interests and populist politicians who argue for protection for domestic jobs, to the detriment of us all.
A growing risk: The impacts and consequences of rising state government employment
The greatest increase in total state public sector staffing has been in the area of government administration. There is also evidence of growth in ‘back office' staff in the key service delivery areas of education, health and policing.
How much do we actually spend on early childhood?
International comparisons of public spending data are ubiquitous in economics. But what do such exercises actually tell us? When performed correctly by economists, international comparisons can often provide useful information and insights into...
Submission to the Queensland Government on its Proposed Gas Reservation Policy
Queensland's reserves of Coal Seam Gas (CSG) are a major asset. Development of the gas may have been assisted by regulations that require 13/15 per cent of electricity in the state to be generated by gas. Some deposits may also benefit from a...
The natural history of climate change
Some of us underpin our environmentalism with political and romantic idealism, others underpin it with emotion, others have a religious view of the environment, some underpin their environmental view with economic pragmatism and many, like me, try...