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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.

Whose Progress? A Response to the ABS Report Measuring Australia’s Progress
Peter SaundersAugust 20, 2002IA25

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recently launched a report, Measuring Australia’s Progress, which it...

Poor Laws (1): The Unfair Dismissal Laws and Long-term Unemployment
Kayoko TsumoriAugust 20, 2002IA26

Joblessness is a major cause of poverty. Poverty will be alleviated significantly by engaging the...

Sustainable Immigration and Cultural Integration
Wolfgang KasperAugust 15, 2002PM55

In the report, entitled Sustainable Immigration and Cultural Integration, Professor Kasper outlines the benefits of...

Growth needs basic rules
Wolfgang KasperJune 28, 2002The New Zealand Herald

The New Zealand economy is one of the freest in the world. This still holds...

The Art of Corporate Governance: a return to first principles
Samuel GreggJune 23, 2002PM51

  Foreword Over the past ten years, the language of business life has become increasingly...

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...

Why We Should Not Increase Capital Gains Tax
Robert CarlingMarch 11, 2026PP64
Debate about capital gains tax rarely occurs in isolation. It typically emerges during periods of...
10 CGT Myths Busted
Robert CarlingMarch 11, 2026IA155

The criticisms and characterisation of the 50% capital gains tax discount over many years have...

Growth that Builds: Beyond the immigration blame game 
Marian L. TupyMarch 5, 2026PP63
This paper argues that Australia’s housing crisis is primarily a supply failure, not simply a...
Reform of Heritage Legislation
Peter TulipFebruary 26, 2026PP62

Introduction Several states have recently overhauled their planning legislation. However, the flaws in their heritage...

Hours, Not Dollars: Rethinking the cost-of-living debate 
Marian L. TupyFebruary 23, 2026AP102

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

Drowning in a Sea of Diagnoses. How medicalising distress is overwhelming Australia’s mental health system and failing those most in need
Steven SchwartzFebruary 12, 2026AP100

Executive Summary At the centre of Australia’s mental health system lies a paradox. Government...

Any time someone tries to get ahead in Australia, the govt taxes them to the hilt
Simon CowanJune 14, 2025CANBERRA TIMES

It must have been a surreal experience for some this week. The Prime Minister was...

Why the Liberal Party struggles to regain ground
Simon CowanMay 31, 2025CANBERRA TIMES
The Liberals need to learn some political lessons from the result, but a lot of...
Why Libs and Nats will get the Coalition band back together
Tom SwitzerMay 21, 2025AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
The parties have been riven by very real personal and ideological tensions before, and still...
Australian states reap billions from mining. This revenue is already at risk
Gene Tunny, Simon CowanMay 17, 2025CANBERRA TIMES
As the pressure to rapidly phase out fossil fuels increases, the states will face an...
This is not as much about Trump as it is about the failure of modern politics
Simon CowanMay 3, 2025CANBERRA TIMES
The simple reality is that major parties across the world need to start measuring their...
Donald Trump can’t bully Adam Smith
Tom SwitzerApril 29, 2025AFR

Nearly 40 years ago, during her transformative and market-driven prime ministership of the United Kingdom,...

“The 50% discount is unfair” and other CGT myths | Robert Carling & Michael Stutchbury
Robert Carling, Michael StutchburyMarch 11, 2026

The criticisms and characterization of the 50% capital gains tax discount over many years have...

The Case for Optimism: More People, More Ideas, More Wealth | Marian Tupy
Marian L. Tupy, Michael StutchburyMarch 6, 2026

Marian Tupy — editor of HumanProgress.org, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, and co-author of...

Old buildings and the housing crisis with Peter Tulip
Peter TulipMarch 4, 2026

Peter Tulip explains how several states have recently overhauled their planning legislation. However, the flaws...

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...

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...

‘NIMBYism is a cancer’: Bragg outlines housing policy vision with Peter Tulip & Michael Stutchbury
Andrew Bragg, Peter Tulip, Michael StutchburyDecember 12, 2025

Senator Andrew Bragg and economist Peter Tulip join Michael Stutchbury for a wide-ranging conversation on...

Submission to the Inquiry into Housing Affordability and Supply in Australia
Peter TulipSeptember 13, 2021

Submission to the government review into housing affordability in Australia. Housing in Australia is too...

Submission to the Independent Review of the Australian Public Service
Simon Cowan, Eugenie JosephAugust 1, 2018
Submission to the Commitment to the Senate issued by the Business Council of Australia
Robert CarlingApril 11, 2018CIS Submission
Submission to Productivity Commission – Draft report: Introducing Competition and Informed User Choice into Human Services
Michael Potter, Sara HudsonJuly 14, 2017CIS Submission

The Productivity Commission (PC) released a draft report proposing reforms to increased competition, contestability and...

Submission to IPART Review of Social and Affordable Housing Rent Models
Michael PotterMay 15, 2017CIS Submission

In April, IPART released a draft report into models for setting social and affordable housing...

Submission to Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into Corporate Tax Avoidance
Michael PotterApril 19, 2017CIS Submission

Corporate tax avoidance is an issue of some concern to the Australian community. However, many...

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