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• Publications

Our media releases, opinion pieces, commentary, videos and audio podcasts are available in this section. Our experts are able to comment on a range of policy areas amd issues. Please contact our Communications Director, Karla Pincott via phone 0407 716 752 or email kpincott@cis.org.au

Welfare reform beyond decades of dependence, ‘dole bludgers’ and ‘double dipping’
Simon CowanMay 31, 2017OP156

Recent attempts to reform welfare have focused on the wrong elements of the system. In...

Fiscal Fiction: The Real Medicare Levy
Jeremy SammutMay 7, 2017RR27

The Medicare Levy is, and always has been, a fiscal fiction. The revenue raised by...

The Fantasy of Gonski Funding: The ongoing battle over school spending
Blaise JosephApril 30, 2017RR26

The Gonski Report has not been implemented – there is no such thing as ‘Gonski...

Reforming Social Housing: financing and tenant autonomy
Michael PotterApril 27, 2017RR25

Around 400,000 Australians live in social housing, which includes public and community housing. This sector...

Comments on ‘Better Budgeting Discussion Paper’
Robert Carling, Michael PotterApril 13, 2017CIS Submission

The following comments are offered in response to the call for submissions on the ‘Better...

Real Choice for Ageing Australians: Achieving the Benefits of the Consumer-Directed Aged Care Reforms in the New Economy
Jeremy SammutApril 9, 2017RR24

The consumer-directed aged care (CDC) reforms are an important opportunity to showcase the benefits of...

Reforming the welfare state
Andrew BakerMarch 28, 2013

Australia’s federal, state and local governments spent $316 billion on the welfare state in 2010-11...

The phantom coup and poll-driven politics
Benjamin HerscovitchMarch 28, 2013

In the wake of last week’s putsch against Prime Minister Julia Gillard, there was much...

Right to silence
Suri RatnapalaMarch 28, 2013

The historical safeguard of fair criminal trials embodied in the right to silence no longer...

Don’t let Iraq syndrome prolong the slaughter in Syria
Benjamin HerscovitchMarch 27, 2013The Drum

A decade after the United States' shock-and-awe assault on Baghdad, the international community is still...

NDIS highlights welfare waste
Andrew BakerMarch 27, 2013The Australian

The recent passage of the National Disability Insurance Scheme legislation, which will provide disability care...

The politics of apologies: Easy moralism for past sins, but ignorance about the present
Jeremy SammutMarch 26, 2013ABC Religion & Ethics

Bettina Arndt got it right. Writing in The Age last week in response to the Prime Minister's...

Antisemitism Is Not a Jewish Problem, It’s an Australian Problem | Frydenberg, Finlay & Sackville
Peter Kurti, Michael Stutchbury, Josh Frydenberg, Lorraine Finlay, Ronald Sackville AO KCApril 10, 2026

Michael Stutchbury, Executive Director of the Centre for Independent Studies, opens this panel discussion with...

Australia’s Hate Speech Failure | Dimitri Burshtein
Dimitri BurshteinMarch 31, 2026

The tragic events at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025 expose a deepening crisis in...

Behind Every Great Teacher Is a Great System | David Didau, Jenny Donovan & Trisha Jha
Trisha Jha, David Didau, Jenny DonovanMarch 20, 2026

David Didau — education consultant, teacher trainer, and author of Making Kids Cleverer and Intelligent...

Housing, handouts, and the Collapse of the Australian Dream
Parnell McGuinnessMarch 19, 2026

Over the past several decades, Australian society has undergone profound economic, social, and cultural change....

“The 50% discount is unfair” and other CGT myths | Robert Carling & Michael Stutchbury
Robert Carling, Michael StutchburyMarch 11, 2026

The criticisms and characterization of the 50% capital gains tax discount over many years have...

The Case for Optimism: More People, More Ideas, More Wealth | Marian Tupy
Marian L. Tupy, Michael StutchburyMarch 6, 2026

Marian Tupy — editor of HumanProgress.org, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, and co-author of...

Will AI Destroy us all? An Interview with Larry Marshall
Robert ForsythMarch 7, 2024Liberalism in Question

Dr. Larry Marshall is a scientist, technology innovator and business leader with more than 25...

How Woke Won – Joanna Williams Explains
Robert Forsyth, Joanna WilliamsFebruary 21, 2024Liberalism in Question

On this episode, Rob chats with Joanna Williams, author and former academic now running her...

What is the Science of Learning? By Trisha Jha.
Trisha JhaFebruary 21, 2024Research Collection

What is the Science of Learning? By Trisha Jha. Listen to all our research here:...

We need to restart dialogue between faith and reason for a new philosophy | David de Carvalho
February 12, 2024Liberalism in Question

David de Carvalho is the Executive Dean, Faculty of Education, Philosophy and Theology at The...

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s Insightful Outlook
Robert Forsyth, Jacinta Nampijinpa PriceFebruary 6, 2024Liberalism in Question

In this enthralling episode of Liberalism in Question, host Rob Forsyth engages in a deep...

Fraser Nelson – Is liberalism suffocating in the UK?
Robert Forsyth, Fraser NelsonJanuary 30, 2024Liberalism in Question

In this engaging episode of “Liberalism in Question”, host Rob Forsyth dialogues with Fraser Nelson,...

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