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• Culture, Prosperity & Civil Society

This program defends and promotes the traditional values and principles of a free and liberal democratic society and open economy in Australia.

In a related area of research we investigate the place of religion in society.

Shaping the Social Virtues
Andrew Norton, Barry MaleyOctober 1, 1994PM28

This is a collection of three essays by David Popenoe, Andrew Norton and Barry Maley...

The Moral Sense: An Essay
James Q. WilsonAugust 1, 1994OP50

What are the sources of moral order? This is an important question when violence, dishonesty,...

Literature and Freedom
Mario Vargas LlosaFebruary 1, 1994OP48

In this CIS Occasional Paper, Mario Vargas Llosa highlights the mutually beneficial relationship between literature...

Private Welfare
James CoxNovember 16, 1993PM22

When we speak of welfare, we usually have in mind the benefits dispensed by the...

Questions of Conquest and Culture
Mario Vargas LlosaSeptember 9, 1993OP47

In the tenth John Bonython Lecture, the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa reflects on mestizaje,...

Economics, Faith and Moral Responsibility
Robert SiricoAugust 1, 1993OP46

In this CIS Occasional Paper, Robert Sirico defends the institutions of the free and open...

Poverty – flawed figures, gloomy estimates
Peter SaundersNovember 22, 2002The Adelaide Advertiser

Poverty is a harsh word for harsh conditions. It conjures up images of people sleeping...

The poor are not poorer in fact
Peter SaundersOctober 26, 2002The Age

The Commonwealth Government has just acceded to pressure from the ALP and the welfare-spending lobby...

Only deregulation can create jobs
Kayoko TsumoriOctober 21, 2002The Australian Financial Review

The unemployment rate in August 2002 stood at 6.2%—a high figure considering continuing economic growth....

Sure, we’ll breed (if we can afford it)
Jennifer Buckingham OAMSeptember 24, 2002The Age

More women would put careers on hold to stay at home with their child if...

Dysfunction runs in the family
Barry MaleySeptember 17, 2002The Courier Mail

The preoccupation with paid maternity leave and our falling fertility rate is shifting attention away...

The Parent Trap: Will paid maternity leave really lift the birthrate?
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJuly 20, 2002The Australian Financial Review

Heather Ridout, deputy chief executive of the Australian Industry Group, says government-funded basic maternity leave...

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...

Angus Taylor at CIS: Economic Reform, Immigration, and Australia’s Cost of Living Crisis
Angus Taylor, Michael StutchburyFebruary 19, 2026

Speaking at his first address outside Canberra since being elected Leader of the Opposition by...

Education Reform in Australia | Jennifer Buckingham
Robert Forsyth, Jennifer Buckingham OAMFebruary 17, 2026

Join us on Liberalism in Question for an enlightening discussion with Dr. Jennifer Buckingham, former...

Australia’s Liberal Odyssey: Tracing Freedom’s Path
Robert Forsyth, Greg MelleuishFebruary 10, 2026

In this thought-provoking episode of Liberalism in Question, we delve into the rich tapestry of...

Our Civic Compact is Shattered
Peter KurtiFebruary 10, 2026

Explosive 316% Jump in Antisemitic Attacks: Could This Be the End of Australia’s Harmony? Dive...

Submission to the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM)
Peter KurtiSeptember 25, 2025

Submission to the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM) Review of the definition of a...

Submission to the Senate Inquiry on Information Integrity
Michael StutchburySeptember 12, 2025

On behalf of the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), we are pleased to provide the...

Submission to the Senate Economics References Committee Inquiry into Personal Choice and Community Impacts 2015
August 11, 2015

The CIS submission into the Senate Economics References Committee Inquiry proposed two tightly targeted areas...

Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the value of a justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice in Australia
Sara HudsonNovember 17, 2013

To address the underlying causes of Indigenous offending, we need to focus on education and...

Submission to Native Title Leading Practice Agreements Discussion Paper 2010
Helen Hughes, Mark Hughes, Sara HudsonNovember 30, 2010

The Native Title process is only one of the processes returning land to traditional owners....

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