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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

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...

Complex Family Payments: What it Costs the Village to Raise a Child
Trisha JhaAugust 6, 2014PM141

In 2013–14, $32 billion was spent on family payments, amounting to 7.7% of total federal...

Paying for a future by degrees
Lauchlan ChipmanOctober 24, 2001The Australian

To the best of my knowledge, no government in the world has privatised education. Yet...

A tax credit system should be the basis for funding education
Jennifer Buckingham OAMOctober 20, 2001The Australian Financial Review

There is not much for parents or schools to get excited about in the education...

Why education free-for-all doesn’t have the numbers
October 3, 2001The Australian

Reaction to last week’s Senate report, ‘Universities in Crisis’, shows how tenacious hope can be...

When black is very definitely not white
Greg LindsayOctober 2, 2001The Australian Financial Review

A little while back, in these pages, I considered the question of whether I should...

Guts to say no before it’s too late
Owen HarriesSeptember 28, 2001The Australian

Why such a panic about a mere 430 boat people?  Given the scale of the...

A reminder of darker times
A. Hamlin, James Q. Wilson, Jeremy Shearmur, L.J. Hulme, Neil McInnesSeptember 14, 2001The Daily Telegraph

It has been said that those who lack the imagination of disaster are doomed to...

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...

Old buildings and the housing crisis with Peter Tulip
Peter TulipMarch 4, 2026

Peter Tulip explains how several states have recently overhauled their planning legislation. However, the flaws...

The New Superannuation Tax with Robert Carling
Robert Carling, Karla PincottAugust 24, 2023Liberalism in Question

At the time of recording, the details of the proposal are still not known in...

The raised pension age, with Simon Cowan
Simon Cowan, Karla PincottAugust 24, 2023Liberalism in Question

In this TARGET 30 Research Report CIS modelling shows that reforming the pension could deliver...

Human rights that give us our humanity
Lorraine Finlay, Robert ForsythNovember 24, 2022Liberalism in Question

Rob chats to Lorraine Finlay, Human Rights Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission, about...

That’s not democracy, this is democracy!
Roslyn Fuller, Robert ForsythNovember 17, 2022Liberalism in Question

On this episode Rob chats to author Roslyn Fuller. Liberals believe in the value of...

Challenges and opportunities for liberalism in Germany
Sabine Beppler-Spahl, Robert ForsythNovember 10, 2022Liberalism in Question

Speaking from Berlin, Sabine speaks with Rob about why she set up the Freiblickinstitut (Free...

Against tribalism. Take an empirical not emotional approach
Claire Lehmann, Robert ForsythNovember 3, 2022Liberalism in Question

Claire Lehmann, founding editor of Quillette sits down with Rob. Claire explains the philosophy of...

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