Research
Use the tools below to access our extensive archive of publications and media content. You can search by category and type.
-
Poorer boomers aren't looking forward to retirementBashing baby boomers is becoming so passe. The Howard Government's Intergenerational Report found that the ageing of the population does not constitute a crisis but rather a fairly manageable transition. Despite this, a number of commentators continue to insist that the age pension claims of a large cohort of boomers will put unsustainable pressure on government finances and place an intolerable burden on younger generations. -
From Bambi To BimboAs parents and professionals who work with children point out, the time and energy that they currently spend in trying to protect children from the advertising and media onslaught (as well as in healing the damage it causes) would be far better spent on the positive aspects of caring for children. In short, if government regulated better, children could have healthier and more enjoyable childhoods. -
Sensationalism no way to fight drug addictionDrugs policy arouses strong emotions. People see drug users and fear the unknown. The traditional response from politicians, particularly conservatives, has been to exploit these fears for political gain. The outcome has been an over-reliance on law enforcement as a means of stamping out both the supply and use of harmful drugs. It is hoped there will come a time when enough politicians recognise that drug use disorders are a health problem that... -
Cooking the greenhouse booksThe Government dismissed the Institute's report, claiming we don't understand the Kyoto accounting rules and didn't make adjustments for differences in methods. These claims are false (and are addressed in a paper available on the Institute's website). Even if they were correct, the fact remains that NCAS is a black box: its data are not available to members of the public and are not subject to regular, independent scrutiny. To ensure the integr... -
Adult world must let girls be girlsRather than being empowered, children are being exploited by the process of sexualisation. For children seeking to become empowered in an adult world, a more promising route is to focus on developing cognitive and emotional capacities that enable them to negotiate power relations more maturely and with less risk to themselves. There is nothing wrong with selling products. But sexualising children to sell products has social costs that are unaccep... -
Public money wasted on tourismDespite the fanfare that surrounds major events, the reality is that state and territory governments are often spending large sums of taxpayer money in attempts to divert events, tourists, jobs and associated revenue from one part of Australia to another, and from one industry to another. -
Promises, promisesThere cannot be a competitive market for water while the Government continues to subsidise agriculture through such things as drought assistance and half-price water delivery. All in all, the plan looks more like a deft political move than a serious attempt to solve our water problems. It is, as Shakespeare once said, all sound and fury, signifying nothing. We should hold our applause until the Government actually puts water back into our rivers. -
Silencing the criticsLike individual citizens, community groups are being worn down and are increasingly reluctant to engage in the democratic process because they no longer believe that they can make a difference. At the same time, certain influential business lobbies have been brought into the fold, along with a few tame or uncritical NGOs such as Mission Australia, the Salvation Army and WWF. There are grounds for serious concern that the longer this continues the... -
The repression of the bleeding heartsThe outcome for the broader Australian polity is that the knowledge and breadth of experience collected together in the NGO community is having much less influence on how we develop as a society than it should. Like individual citizens, community groups are being increasingly reluctant to engage in the democratic process because they no longer believe that they can make a difference. Certain influential business lobbies have been brought into the... -
Climate change initiatives are just so much soufflaeThe Government needs to overcome its ideological prejudice against all things environmental. Its conservative voter base will, if it hasn't already. They realise that the effects of climate change will be felt in their lifetime and that material prosperity must go hand-in-hand with sound environmental stewardship.