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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?

Beyond the Current Pessimism
Ray BallAugust 5, 1987OP18

Professor Ray Ball gives a personal interpretation of the historical roots of Australia’s economic malaise....

The Economics of Bureacracy and Statutory Authorities
Gordon TullockJanuary 1, 1983PF1
Lessons from the Ord
B.R. DavidsonJanuary 1, 1982PM2

Readers will draw their own various conclusions from these two modest but compelling essays. It...

The Rhetoric and Reality of Income Redistribution
Gordon TullockSeptember 25, 1981OP5

Income distribution is an overwhelming part of the program of all governments. Too often, however,...

Riches from Royalties: How Australia’s states and territories depend on mining
Gene TunnyMay 15, 2025PP61
Royalty payments by mining companies for extracting resources, including large volumes of fossil fuels, are...
Gorillas In The Mist. How government obscures its spending
Gene TunnyNovember 21, 2024PP59

Executive Summary Government overreach: The federal government’s planned $78 billion of off-budget measures over the...

scales
Government spending and inflation
Robert CarlingSeptember 4, 2024PP58
That government expenditure in Australia has grown apace in recent years is well-known. The growth...
Business Means Business. Why Corporates Should Avoid Social Activism
Simon Cowan, Emilie DyeJuly 18, 2024AP72
Senior management should be concerned they are putting their companies at risk of reputational harm...
scales
Budget Fails Important Policy Tests
Robert Carling, Gene TunnyMay 28, 2024IA150
The deficit budgeted for 2024-25, amounting to over $28 billion ($28,000 million), translates to a...
closing the gap
From Measuring to Merely Meeting: Productivity Commission misses mark on Closing the Gap
Nyunggai Warren Mundine AOMay 16, 2024PP57
Why, despite decades of expenditure on Aboriginal affairs, do solutions to ‘Closing the Gap’ in...
‘Greedflation’ myth hides real causes of inflation
Simon CowanAugust 12, 2023CANBERRA TIMES

With much fanfare this week, the ACTU initiated an “Inquiry into price gouging and unfair...

Covid policies policy
Covid-era policies cost young people $116bn
Gigi FosterJune 18, 2023AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW

Our policymakers have yet to apologise for or even recognise the scale of the damage...

Aged care
Aged care cost blowout won’t be solved by higher taxes
Simon CowanJune 17, 2023CANBERRA TIMES

This week Labor’s Aged Care Minister floated the idea of an ‘aged care levy’ to...

Why Jim Chalmers cannot shy away from stage three tax cuts
Simon CowanMay 20, 2023CANBERRA TIMES

As foreshadowed by some commentators prior to the budget, the Treasurer doubled down on his...

Welfare looms as a budget no-win for Chalmers
Simon CowanMay 8, 2023CANBERRA TIMES

We are now in the rapid run-up to next week’s budget, with each day bringing...

Broke no money government spending
Victoria’s crippled finances are all Daniel Andrews’ fault
Robert CarlingApril 11, 2023AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW

If Victoria’s Premier Dan Andrews is begging for the federal government’s help for his state’s...

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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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