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• Government Spending

Governments spend taxpayers’ money on a wide range of programmes from education to defence and from welfare to infrastructure. Yet there can be too much of a good thing, and some government spending is just wasteful. How can we ensure that taxpayers are getting value for money?

The tax cut that will only buy you a coffee
Robert CarlingMarch 27, 2025AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
The Labor government appears to have chosen a cut confined to the lowest rate so...
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...
Blame bigger government for falling living standards
Nicholas Moore, Tom SwitzerJanuary 28, 2025AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
Many people roll their eyes at the mention of the word, but productivity matters. Simply...
Yes, the public service can be more efficient. But it won’t solve all our woes
Simon CowanJanuary 11, 2025THE CANBERRA TIMES

Even though the words of Auld Lang Syne have disappeared once again into the leaking...

This childcare overhaul will actually do very little for parents
Simon CowanDecember 14, 2024CANBERRA TIMES

The news this week that the Prime Minister has committed to abolishing the activity test...

Keeping Budgets on the Rails: Rules for Fiscal Responsibility
Robert CarlingNovember 13, 2025AP94

Executive Summary Fiscal rules are numerical limits to one or more of government spending, revenue,...

An economic walk on the supply side
Michael StutchburyOctober 16, 2025OP208

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

Addressing Australia’s Productivity Problem. CORE Blueprint to Unshackle Productivity
Jim CoxAugust 14, 2025AP86

Introduction There is no one action that will lift Australia’s dwindling productivity growth; it is...

The Productivity Problem. Australia’s Growth Slump Is Undermining Prosperity
Jim CoxAugust 7, 2025AP85

Executive summary Concern over Australia’s slow rate of productivity growth is justified as it is...

Leviathan on the Rampage: Government spending growth a threat to Australia’s economic future
Robert CarlingJuly 23, 2025AP84

Executive summary The rising trend of government expenditure in Australia has long been present but...

hurdles
Economic challenges ahead for the government
Robert Carling, Gene Tunny, Peter TulipJune 19, 2025IA153

The re-elected federal government faces a long list of economic challenges, some of them created...

Making things worse
John HumphreysMay 11, 2009Business Spectator

There is an ongoing debate about whether the government’s spending spree is going to work...

Paid Maternity Leave and the Global Financial Crisis
April 10, 2009

Paid maternity leave was a high profile election promise of the Rudd government, but with...

Lost in numbers
Oliver Marc HartwichApril 10, 2009

Imagine a journey of nine trillion four hundred sixty billion seven hundred thirty million four...

More Stimulating than a Big Bang
Geoff HogbinMarch 20, 2009

It’s not rocket science. If you tax employment you can expect to get less of...

Housing finance hardly an effective indicator of fiscal policy success
Stephen KirchnerMarch 20, 2009

The recent surge in housing finance commitments has been cited as evidence for the effectiveness...

Homeownership for remote Indigenous communities
Sara HudsonMarch 6, 2009

As part of the ‘Apology to the Stolen Generation,’ the Rudd government promised to spend...

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Submission to the Independent Review of the Australian Public Service
Simon Cowan, Eugenie JosephAugust 1, 2018
Submission to the National Commission of Audit
Alexander Philipatos, Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Jeremy Sammut, Robert Carling, Simon Cowan, Stephen Kirchner, Trisha JhaApril 1, 2014T30.08

The federal government’s Commission of Audit (CoA) was established in 2013 to review the performance...

Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012
Andrew BakerJanuary 25, 2013

Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill...

Submission to the COAG Select Council on Disability Reform on NDIS ‘eligibility and reasonable and necessary support’ criteria
Andrew BakerSeptember 10, 2012

Submission to the COAG Select Council on Disability Reform on NDIS ‘eligibility and reasonable 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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