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• Economic Policy

CIS is guided by the philosophy of global free markets and individual responsibility. Our economic policy research centres on ideas for continuing reform that will strengthen Australia’s economic independence and prosperity, and challenge the over-reach of big government.

Neglect of young people a super problem
Eugenie JosephFebruary 15, 2019Ideas@TheCentre

Once again, politics in Canberra has triumphed over good policy — with young Australians the...

Dividend Franking Credit Refunds: principle vs revenue
Robert CarlingFebruary 12, 2019PP16

Under Australia’s dividend imputation system of taxation, since 2000 taxpayers whose franking credits exceed their...

Franking refunds a principle, not a perk
Robert CarlingFebruary 12, 2019Financial Review

It may just be misplaced nostalgia for a bygone era of rational policy debate that...

Bank culture must be built on moral fibre
Eugenie JosephFebruary 10, 2019The Newcastle Herald

Treating your customers fairly can’t just be a legal obligation, it must become a moral...

Progressives reluctant to recognise poverty progress
Anis RezaeFebruary 8, 2019Ideas@TheCentre

Is the declining rate of global poverty simply a neoliberal lie, spread by the likes...

New CIS paper: Explaining economic reality for uni students
February 7, 2019MEDIA RELEASE

Too many people, and particularly far too many tertiary students, are ignorant of the economic...

Growth that Builds: Beyond the immigration blame game 
March 5, 2026PP63
This paper argues that Australia’s housing crisis is primarily a supply failure, not simply a...
Hours, Not Dollars: Rethinking the cost-of-living debate 
February 23, 2026AP102

Executive Summary Public debate about the ‘cost-of-living crisis’ often confuses nominal price increases with declining...

Future No Longer Made in Australia: How we lost our low-cost electricity advantage
December 18, 2025IA154
Trouble has been brewing in Australia’s smelting paradise over the last two decades, as rising...
The Unworkable Solution: An Economic Assessment of a Cashflow Tax for Australia
Sinclair DavidsonNovember 6, 2025AP93

Executive Summary Australia faces persistent economic challenges. Productivity growth has slowed, business investment is uneven,...

An economic walk on the supply side
October 16, 2025OP208

This is an edited version of Michael Stutchbury’s keynote address to the 2025 Freedom to...

Our Prosperity is Slipping Away: Submission to Economic Reform Roundtable 
August 18, 2025AP87

 Introduction As Reserve Bank deputy governor Andrew Hauser noted last year, it can be...

No Related Commentaries Available
On Liberty EP73 Governing in the Internet Age
Salvatore BabonesNovember 3, 2021On Liberty

We talked to Paul Fletcher MP, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts....

Generations Apart: Richer or Poorer?
Satya MararSeptember 23, 2021

Just as there are no atheists on a sinking ship, there are no free-marketeers in...

Super Guarantee Australia
August 24, 2021

CIS welcomed Senator Andrew Bragg to discuss recent Your Future, Your Super, legislation and the...

On Liberty EP60 Bitcoin Volcano
Monica WilkieJuly 21, 2021On Liberty

We talked to podcast host, Bitcoin maximalist and co-founder of Ministry of Nodes, Stephan Liveria....

Overcoming economic, cultural and strategic crises
June 28, 2021

Executive Director, Tom Switzer highlights the achievements of CIS as the financial year draws to...

On Liberty EP56 Can Australia succeed in commercialising science?
Salvatore BabonesJune 23, 2021On Liberty

Australia does a lot of great science, but has a poor record of translating that...

Submission to Senate Inquiry into Illegal Tobacco Crisis in Australia
January 15, 2026
The federal government should pause increases in tobacco excise to weaken the profit of the...
Submission to Productivity Commission’s Investing in cheaper, cleaner energy and the net zero transformation Interim Report
September 15, 2025

The Productivity Commission’s statement that careful emissions reduction policy design will enable gains in productivity...

Submission to Heritage NSW
Peter TulipJuly 18, 2025CIS

This submission argues that NSW’s heritage legislation has serious flaws. In particular, costs of listing...

Submission to Victorian Legislative Council Select Committee Inquiry
Peter TulipMay 5, 2025CIS

Victoria Planning Provisions Amendments VC257, VC267 and VC274: Submission to Victorian Legislative Council Select Committee...

Submission to the Inquiry into financial regulation and home ownership
Peter TulipOctober 15, 2024
Regulation of the financial system is needed to protect depositors and avoid financial crises. However,...
Submission to the Inquiry into the Transport Oriented Development Program
Peter TulipApril 4, 2024
Housing policy in NSW has been failing. It has relied on setting targets for local...
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