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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.

Million Dollar Babies: Paid Parental Leave and Family Policy Reform
November 18, 2008IA102

In February 2008, the federal government asked the Productivity Commission to recommend a national paid...

Baby Steps Toward Self-Funded Parental Leave
September 18, 2008IA100

Much has been made of the good that could come from giving Australian mothers paid...

Government Intervention in Mortgage Finance: The Case Against ‘AussieMac’
Stephen KirchnerSeptember 8, 2008IA99

The sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States that began in August 2007 has had...

The Faulty Arguments Behind Australia’s Corporate Tax
Sinclair DavidsonAugust 23, 2008PM87

In Australia, the primary function of taxation is to finance government spending. Its secondary objectives...

The Bipolar Pacific
Helen HughesAugust 21, 2008IA98

Australians have become accustomed to bad news from the Pacific islands. Conflict in the Solomon...

Declaring Dependence, Declaring Independence: Three Essays on the Future of the Welfare State
Peter SaundersAugust 1, 2008OP111

In a time when governments are running up enormous welfare bills and intrusively regulating everyday...

Here’s why forcing workers back to the office won’t have the desired effect
Simon CowanMarch 22, 2025CANBERRA TIMES

Working from home is sneakily becoming one of the biggest emerging fault-lines in our society....

Indexation would end the stealth tax of bracket creep 
Gene TunnyMarch 17, 2025AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
In Australia, bracket creep has become a silent but significant burden on taxpayers, eroding real...
Time to do away with this insidious tax hurting us all
Simon CowanMarch 8, 2025CANBERRA TIMES
Bracket creep is caused by the inflation and its interaction with our progressive tax system....
Are we prepared for the next pandemic?
Steven SchwartzFebruary 25, 2025SPECTATOR FLAT WHITE
Australia has taken steps to prepare for avian flu. But preparedness isn’t a one-time event....
Amid all the hype about DOGE, we should be watching closely
Simon CowanFebruary 22, 2025CANBERRA TIMES
We should all be very watchful, given what governments would get up to with our...
This is pure snake oil. And a diversion from policies that made our lives better
Robert Carling, Simon CowanFebruary 8, 2025THE CANBERRA TIMES

There was much sound and fury in Australia, and among our allies, when China introduced...

“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 Senate Inquiry into Illegal Tobacco Crisis in Australia
Michael StutchburyJanuary 15, 2026
The federal government should pause increases in tobacco excise to weaken the profit of the...
Submission to Senate Education and Employment References Committee
Michael Wu October 22, 2025CIS

Despite good intentions, Australia’s Early Childhood Education and Care system has expanded well beyond its...

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,...
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