The expansion in university places had advantages over previous policies that “severely rationed access”, but "results were mixed", says a new report from the Productivity Commission. Read More
Statistical agencies worldwide have come under pressure from ministers to provide greater justification for the hundreds of millions of dollars of costs of a national census. Read More
Productivity growth remains "weak" and "well below" the long-run average, according to data released by the Productivity Commission on Tuesday. Read More
One would think that quasi-markets and social enterprise are a match made in heaven, and the growth of social enterprise into quasi-market spaces is something that should be encouraged. However, they have been curiously absent from some key policy discussions. When it comes to the NDIS, the scheme represents the most significant opportunity for social enterprise development we have seen in Australia. Read More
For six months, the Australian economy has been growing at an annualised pace of just 1% – way, way short of its potential. Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg were elected to manage the economy, and that means doing whatever is needed to avoid a recession and the long-term damage to lives and living standards it would deliver. Read More
The next Australian government should replace the "narrow" Productivity Commission with new institutions that would work with a broader range of policy expertise and stakeholders, thinks ACOSS. Read More
Should Labor win, it will have little time to waste on developing environmental policies that are fit-for-purpose for 21st Century reality. Read More
As What Works centres mature and grow in the UK, and the movement spreads internationally, there will be more lessons to be learned and shared. Jonathan Breckon and Dr Robyn Mildon outline some common issues for anybody setting up a new evidence centre. Read More
Peter Harris has joined the board of Infrastructure Australia, about six months after retiring from his final major government role as chair of the Productivity… Read More
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority says the recent South Australian royal commission produced some “useful analysis and insights” and notes a few “areas of agreement” in its formal response, but argues it would be too risky for governments to follow the inquiry’s main recommendations. Read More
The absence of a scientific foundation in the PC reports explains why the Australian government itself seems impervious to scientific warnings about the impending collapse of our natural systems. Read More
The volume of data globally has created widespread opportunities to harness its economic and social value raising policy issues such as privacy protection, innovation and consumer policy. Read More
Data is emerging as the major driver of innovation in countries like Australia and it's important governments begin to regulate it to avoid loss of public trust, says the outgoing chair of the Productivity Commission. Read More
Concerned that partisans are cherrypicking the data on inequality, the Productivity Commission has waded into the debate, urging a refocus on persistent disadvantage instead. Read More
Former Productivity Commission member Nicholas Gruen says the debate over giving citizens access to government super is getting the five-minute argument, and it's still too politically complicated to contemplate government entities competing in an open market. Read More
