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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.

Cleaning out the stables
Robert CarlingNovember 8, 2013

Treasurer Joe Hockey's first major tax policy announcement doesn't amount to tax reform, but it...

Memo to Abbott: Time is money we can’t afford
Simon CowanNovember 4, 2013The Australian Financial Review

The link between the Treasurer’s decision to increase the debt ceiling to $500 billion and the...

Beefed-up cop is back
Alexander PhilipatosNovember 1, 2013

In an effort to boost productivity in the building and construction sector and tackle lawlessness,...

Budget realities
Robert CarlingNovember 1, 2013

In establishing the Commission of Audit, the Commonwealth government has emphasised rooting out inefficiency, waste...

Of debt ceilings and Commissions of Audit
Simon CowanOctober 25, 2013

In the fight for smaller government, sometimes it's a case of one step forward, one...

Reform the PBS to save taxpayer dollars
Private: William ShrubbOctober 25, 2013

Problems with the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) mean that Australian taxpayers are paying over $1...

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...

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...

Subsidies, safety nets and stagnation: Australia’s new economic model
Michael StutchburyApril 11, 2026AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
Protecting one industry imposes a burden on the competitive sectors that actually prop up our...
The mental health system may be making us sicker
Steven SchwartzApril 6, 2026CANBERRA TIMES

Australia has a mental health crisis, but not the one we think. Despite decades of...

Housing negative gearing tax
Reducing the discount would likely not have any lasting impact in lowering house prices
Robert Carling, Michael StutchburyMarch 21, 2026CANBERRA TIMES

Anyone watching the smoke signals from Canberra knows that moves are afoot to try and...

Alarm bells ringing on more interest rate pain
Michael StutchburyMarch 18, 2026DAILY TELEGRAPH
Australians were losing faith that the combination of Labor’s economic policies and the RBA monetary...
Labor’s capital gains tax myths need busting
Robert CarlingMarch 11, 2026DAILY TELEGRAPH

Labor has long held an axe over the capital gains tax 50% discount and negative...

Measuring affordability in time, not dollars paints a different inflation picture
Marian L. TupyMarch 9, 2026CANBERRA TIMES

Even before new Middle East conflict sparked concern about petrol prices, Australia’s latest CPI release...

Interview with Benjamin Wyatt MLA
December 14, 2012
Capitalism and Virtue: Reaffirming Old Truths
Charles MurrayNovember 30, 2012

Dr Charles Murray, eminent American political scientist, scholar, and author of Coming Apart and The...

Q&A: The Future Submarine — Australia’s $40 billion mistake
November 13, 2012
The Future Submarine — Australia’s $40 billion mistake
November 13, 2012
Future Submarine Project – CIS Report
October 23, 2012
Q&A The Clash of Economic Ideas: The Great Policy Debates and Experiments
July 9, 2012
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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