Home > Publications

• 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

The Enlightenment Made Us

Nick CaterOctober 23, 2014OP136

Nick Cater examines the Enlightenment ideals that helped shape our uniquely Australian culture. He argues...

The Age of Endarkenment

Brendan O'Neill, Nick CaterOctober 23, 2014OP137

Humans have never had it so good. We are wealthier, happier and more comfortable than...

A Quartet of Freedoms: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Association and Conscience

Jeremy Sammut, Peter Kurti, Robert ForsythOctober 16, 2014OP135

Political Rights, to which Australia is a signatory, gives high prominence to freedom of religion....

Preserving Peace as China Rises II: Preparing for a Post-American Asian Order

Benjamin HerscovitchSeptember 1, 2014FPA10

With US leadership unable to guarantee peace and security in the Indo-Pacific this century, the...

Sovereignty, Blame Games and Tony Abbott’s New Federalism

Anne Twomey, Jeremy Sammut, Nick Greiner, Robert CarlingAugust 28, 2014PF27

In July 2014, the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) held a public forum on reform...

Helen Hughes: A Tribute

Glenys Byrne, Greg Lindsay, Noel Pearson, Ron Duncan, Tony AbbottAugust 27, 2014PF26

CIS Senior Fellow Professor Helen Hughes AO passed away on 15 June 2013 after a...

‘Helth’ under Whitlam

Andrew BakerJuly 13, 2012

I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking the word ‘health’ is spelled wrong. If...

Reform NSW health

Jeremy SammutJuly 13, 2012

Expenditure on NSW public hospitals has skyrocketed in the last decade from approximately $7 billion...

How the NSW Coalition should govern health

David Gadiel, Jeremy SammutJuly 12, 2012ON LINE Opinion

Costs of reform have to be shared

Andrew BakerJuly 7, 2012The Canberra Times

The Asian languages non-problem

Benjamin HerscovitchJuly 6, 2012

The rise of Asia has led commentators like Greg Sheridan, the foreign editor of The...

Is preventing ‘another stolen generation’ racist?

Jeremy SammutJuly 6, 2012

Until a decade or so ago, members of the media shied away from detailing the...

The future does not belong to the axis of autocracy: Andrew Neil on a World in Disorder!

Andrew Neil, Michael StutchburyDecember 1, 2025

Veteran broadcaster Andrew Neil joins CIS Executive Director Michael Stutchbury for a conversation about the...

From $43B to $70B: The NBN Disaster and Off-Budget Deception

November 27, 2025

Ever wondered how governments keep massive spending hidden from the public eye? In this eye-opening...

Rebuilding the Open Society | Roger Partridge

Robert ForsythNovember 19, 2025

In this episode of Liberalism in Question, we dive into Roger Partridge’s provocative Quillette essay,...

Dave Rubin and Andrew Neil debate Trump, Free Speech, Conservatism & Net Zero!

Dave Rubin, Andrew Neil, Michael StutchburyNovember 13, 2025

Broadcaster Andrew Neil and commentator Dave Rubin ‪@RubinReport‬ join Michael Stutchbury for a wide-ranging conversation...

Peter Costello on the Legacy of Reform and the Road Ahead

Peter CostelloNovember 7, 2025

From economic reform and rising government spending to cultural shifts and the decline of liberalism,...

What do teachers believe about learning? | Trisha Jha

Trisha JhaNovember 6, 2025

This report presents findings from literature about what teachers believe about how students learn: the...