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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.

After Bondi: The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion: What Must It Achieve?
Lorraine Finlay, Peter Kurti, Josh Frydenberg, Ronald Sackville AO KCMarch 10, 2026
After Bondi: What must the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion achieve?...
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...

Reflecting Back: John Howard and Alexander Downer on Power, Alliances and Australia
John Howard OM AC, Alexander DownerFebruary 6, 2026

Alexander Downer and former Prime Minister John Howard join author Tony Parkinson and CIS Executive...

Interest, Usury and the Common Good
Ian Harper, Peter KurtiFebruary 20, 2025OP205

Introduction: Is there a problem with interest? Making money out of lending money has generated...

The Argument For Debate: how school debating can improve academic outcomes and foster a stronger democracy
Deidre Clary, Fiona MuellerDecember 5, 2024AP77

Introduction The Education Goals for Young Australians prioritise “excellence and equity” and the formation of...

The Future of Australian Multiculturalism
Peter Kurti, Damien Freeman, Jonathan Cole, Bryan TurnerOctober 24, 2024AP76
The tolerance and diversity of which we have been rightly proud has given way to...
The Coming Global Depopulation. John Bonython Lecture 2024
Nicholas Eberstadt October 16, 2024OP204
What lies ahead? What will depopulation mean for society, the economy, politics and international relations?...
Truth Decay
Andrew BellOctober 3, 2024OP203
The issue with which this year’s lecture engages is truth and the challenges presented by...
The Rise of Activist Corporations: How activism agendas subsumed shareholder primacy
Peter Swan AOSeptember 26, 2024OP202
Australian companies have been shifting from a purely shareholder focus to a much vaguer, less...
Now is the time for fecund thoughts
Jennifer Buckingham OAMJuly 18, 2002The Australian

It's easy to find reasons to put off having a baby. You want to travel...

Our leaders have a responsibility to uphold standards
Nicole BillanteJune 28, 2002The Australian

The name-calling and personal attacks so readily used by Australian politicians—such as Mark Latham's derogatory...

The poor need trade, not aid
Helen HughesJune 22, 2002The Australian Financial Review

Australia is not alone in its 'asylum seeker' problems. 'Asylum seekers' are putting pressures on...

Fighting an uncivil war to save society
Nicole BillanteMay 29, 2002The Daily Telegraph

It starts with an unthinking act of selfishness, becomes rudeness, and before you can say...

Leave off, tax breaks can redress child costs
Barry MaleyMay 1, 2002The Australian

Three fundamental issues underlie the maternity leave debate. First is the form and level of...

Time to care for ourselves: Instead of a welfare state, it would be cheaper and more efficient if we each made our own arrangements
Peter SaundersMarch 26, 2002The New Zealand Herald

The welfare state has developed over a hundred years.  In this time, increasing numbers of...

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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