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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.

In Defence of Our Western Cultural Heritage with Simon Heffer – Melbourne
Simon Heffer, Tom SwitzerDecember 6, 2024
Join Simon Heffer and Tom Switzer in Melbourne on Feb 5 for an event on...
In Defence of Our Western Cultural Heritage with Simon Heffer – Adelaide
Simon Heffer, Tom SwitzerDecember 6, 2024
Join Simon Heffer and Tom Switzer in Adelaide on Feb 4 for an event on...
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...

Australia has declared war on social media | Emilie Dye & Tom Switzer
Emilie Dye, Tom Switzer, Randall EvansNovember 28, 2024

The Australian government has abandoned its “misinformation” law, a major victory for free speech. This...

Freedom of speech not protected through censorship
Tom Switzer, Emilie DyeNovember 26, 2024Centre for Independent Studies

The federal government’s decision this week to withdraw its legislation requiring social media companies to...

Ron Manners on the Power of Individualism
Robert Forsyth, Ron Manners AO, Randall EvansNovember 14, 2024

In this episode of Liberalism in Question, we are joined by Australian businessman, entrepreneur, and...

Humankind and the infinite resource base
Marian L. TupyApril 2, 2026OP212

This paper examines the human ability to expand our resource base into infinity. Given human...

The Legislative Fantasy. Hate Speech, Culture, and Institutional Failure
Dimitri BurshteinMarch 26, 2026AP103

Foreword The Bondi Beach attack of 14 December 2025 forced a reckoning that many Australians...

Overcoming Enmity and Restoring Tolerance. Antisemitism’s challenge for the civic compact
Damien FreemanFebruary 5, 2026AP99

Foreword When the Book of Genesis speaks of enmity between the serpent and the descendants...

Progressive Intolerance. The contemporary antisemitism landscape in Australia
Philip MendesJanuary 22, 2026AP98
The evidence is comprehensive and damning. From universities to trade unions, from civil society organisations...
Reframing an Ancient Hatred: the intersection of left-wing antisemitism and anti-Zionism
Julie ClaridgeDecember 11, 2025AP97
Anti-Zionism has evolved to create a further mutation of antisemitism, cloaking bias and discrimination in...
Political legitimacy, harm protections and our freedoms
Paul TaylorNovember 10, 2025OP211
This article considers different concepts of ‘legitimacy’ and their contribution to understanding the difference between...
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...
The Tradition of Liberty | Senator James Paterson
Robert Forsyth, James PatersonDecember 23, 2025

Senator James Paterson joins Liberalism in Question to discuss the core principles of classical liberalism...

The Tension Between Classical Liberalism and Conservatism | Gray Connolly
December 17, 2025

From surrogacy to free speech, Rob Forsyth and Gray Connolly discuss the differences between classical...

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...

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...

Under-16 Social Media Ban: Protecting Youth or Controlling Speech?
Peter KurtiOctober 17, 2025

Peter Kurti from the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) exposes the hidden threats behind Australia’s...

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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