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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.

A Private Education for All
Mark HarrisionFebruary 1, 1996OP56

Though everyone recognises the importance of education to the nation’s future, many lack confidence in...

The Social Roots of Prosperity
Brigette BergerAugust 30, 1995OP55

It is a great honour to have been invited to give the 1995 John Bonython...

Civic Capitalism – An Australian Agenda for Institutional Renewal
Nick GreinerMay 1, 1995OP54

A new political middle ground is forming around the idea that successful societies depend on...

The Century of Networking
Rupert MurdochNovember 15, 1994OP51

Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive of The News Corporation Ltd, argues for an optimistic...

The Political Economy of Freedom
Michael OakeshottNovember 1, 1994OP52

Michael Oakeshott’s depth, insight and lucid writing style have brought him a wide audience. While...

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 Christian and the State
Geoffrey BrennanApril 1, 1983OP7

What should be the nature of social and political action which flows from Christian commitment?...

The Politics of Multiculturalism
Raymond SestitoJune 4, 1982PM3

People of other than Anglo-Saxon origin are actively encouraged by the state to preserve their...

Liberty, Justice and the Market
Lauchlan ChipmanSeptember 26, 1981OP6

Professor Chipman challenges some views which have become orthodox in academic and intellectual circles and...

The Profit Motive
Antony FlewSeptember 26, 1980OP3

This paper is published as a contribution to the debate on economic and social issues...

Social Justice, Socialism and Democracy: Three Australian Lectures
F.A. HayekJanuary 5, 1979OP2

“The term “social justice” is today generally used as a synonym of what used to...

Liberty, Equality and Unhappiness
Lauchlan ChipmanSeptember 26, 1978OP1

The first in the series of Occasional Papers. Professor Chipman uses in experience in the...

Religious tests a red line we shouldn’t cross
Peter KurtiJanuary 29, 2026DAILY TELEGRAPH
Morrison deserves credit for insisting accusations of Islamophobia must not shut down necessary debate. But...
It’s judgment day: time for unis to kick politics off campus
Steven SchwartzJanuary 29, 2026THE AUSTRALIAN
The problem is not academic freedom itself. The problem is that universities have forgotten what...
Fear after Bondi is putting free speech on trial
Peter KurtiJanuary 14, 2026AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
Instead of rushing to add new laws to an already swollen statute book, we should...
The royal commission into the Bondi attack should probe the uncomfortable question
Peter Kurti, Michael StutchburyJanuary 10, 2026CANBERRA TIMES
What should Australia have done over the past two years to prevent this moment —...
It is time for good people to act 
Julie ClaridgeDecember 24, 2025ONLINE OPINION
What we saw that Sunday at Bondi not only highlighted the immediate and palpable threats...
Australia’s complacency and the Bondi beach shooting
Peter KurtiDecember 15, 2025WALL STREET JOURNAL
Whether Australia responds to the murders at Bondi with clarity or caution will reveal not...
Luke Malpass – Alcohol Policy and the Politics of Moral Panic
May 23, 2011
The CIS at 35
May 11, 2011
Jeremy Sammut – Q&A
April 22, 2011
Jeremy Sammut – Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Hours: The Great Medicare Misspend
April 14, 2011
Preview: Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Hours: The Great Medicare Misspend – Jeremy Sammut
April 5, 2011
Professor James Allan – Watch What You Say: The Language of Human Rights in Civil Society
April 3, 2011
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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