Ideas & Liberty
Ideas & Liberty
The Institute of Public Affairs examines the philosophical and moral case for liberty. By situating current political, economic and social debate in the history of Australian and international liberalism, it is possible to shed new light on the questions of today. The Institute of Public Affairs approaches political debate firmly grounded with an appreciation of entrepeneurship, civil liberties, individual responsiblity and free markets.
Sub-topics of Ideas & Liberty
News
When does mission creep become censorship?
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is completely out of control. The corporate regulator is an independent government agency. It...
Budget deflects attention away from constitutional change referendum
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,...
Aeroplane mobile switch-off ruled by fear of the unknown
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
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...
Power is not meant for bureaucratic hands
Terry Moran wants senior public servants to be liberated to "talk sensibly" in public about "long-term and self-evident truths" without being seen...
Double click on the next digital revolution, then brace yourself
At first, the internet was treated as a curiosity. YouTube has a television segment from 1981 on newspapers experimenting with sending digital...
Publications
The war on democracy
In 1953 a bitter Bertolt Brecht wrote, 'Would it not be easier / In that case for the government / To dissolve the people / And elect another?' With these lines, Brecht brilliantly captured the dripping contempt that some purportedly 'democratic'...
The Biggest Vested Interest of All: How Government Lobbies to Restrict Individual Rights and Freedom
The Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan wrote in The Monthly in March 2012 that: Australia's fair go is today under threat from a new source. To be blunt, the rising power of vested interests is undermining our equality and threatening our democracy. But...
IPA FreedomWatch Factsheet: The Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012
The Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012 makes a number of significant changes to anti-discrimination law in Australia.
