The Centre for Independent Studies Research Collection

Read the paper at www.cis.org.au  Executive Summary. This paper is an expanded version of a submission to the Senate Select Committee on the Operation of the Capital Gains Tax Discount. The author gave evidence to the Committee at a hearing on 25 February, 2026.

Although there is much public discussion of the capital gains tax discount, there is no proposal from government on the table for us to respond to — only rumours and spec...

Immigration and housing affordability have become politically inseparable in contemporary Australia. With rents high, home ownership increasingly out of reach, and housing supply persistently undershooting official targets, it is tempting to conclude that fewer migrants would mean lower prices. That argument has intuitive appeal. More people require more homes. In tightly-constrained markets, additional demand pushes up rents and p...

In the second half of the twentieth century, Australia’s cheap, reliable electricity attracted heavy industry to our shores. By 1990, power-hungry copper, aluminium, lead, manganese and zinc smelters had popped up in each of the eastern states that would one day form the National Electricity Market (NEM). As Matthew Warren, former chief executive of the Australian Energy Council, the Energy Supply Association of Australia and the C...

Recent Australian laws risk undermining fundamental freedoms and weakening the principles that underpin a democratic society. In The Rule of Law, Excessive Regulation and Free Speech, Dr Paul M Taylor argues that government responses to challenges such as misinformation, online harms, privacy and hate speech are increasingly disproportionate and, in some cases, ineffective. “While governments are right and bound to protect citize...

Australia’s extraordinary modern prosperity, built on the supply-side economic liberalisation of the 1980s and 1990s and boosted by the China-fuelled resources boom, is being squandered.

In Our Prosperity is Slipping Away: Submission to Economic Reform Roundtable, Michael Stutchbury writes that urgent reform is needed to stop the slump.

“History shows such periods of relative affluence are rare and temporary, as seen in the 1850s–8...

For all references and graphs, read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/the-productivity-problem-australias-growth-slump-is-undermining-prosperity/ 

Key Findings:

• Labour productivity growth has halved, sliding from 2.4% a year in the late 1990s to just 1.2% in recent years.

• Australia is falling further behind the United States, with the productivity gap now wider than it was in the early 2000s.

• Business i...

Australia’s government expenditure has surged to a post-war high (except for the pandemic-era spike) of 38–39% of GDP, up from 34–35% before the 2008 global financial crisis, a new Centre for Independent Studies paper outlines.   In Leviathan on the Rampage: Government spending growth a threat to Australia’s economic future, economist Robert Carling warns that federal spending alone has climbed from 24–25% to 27.6% of GDP since 201...

A new Centre for Independent Studies paper underlines the importance of developing early number sense in children, with advice for both parents and teachers, as well as invaluable exercises. In  Early Numbers, Big Ideas. Fostering Number Sense in Young Children, authors Dr Nancy C. Jordan and Dr Nancy Dyson say children's trajectories in mathematics are shaped early. and the development of early number sense will reap benefits in ...

The re-elected government faces a long list of economic challenges, some of them created or exacerbated in its first term. This CIS review discusses some of the major challenges: budget repair; fiscal reform; productivity growth; and housing. Read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/post-election-economic-challenges/ 

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Read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/the-ties-that-bind-reconciling-value-pluralism-and-national-identity-in-australia/  Executive summary

Australia’s multicultural democracy is under increasing pressure, not only from economic uncertainty but from the moral and cultural disagreements that have intensified in recent years. Deep cultural and moral diversity presents both remarkable opportunities and ...

The proposed tax on superannuation balances exceeding $3 million is poorly designed, economically damaging, and sets a dangerous precedent by taxing unrealised capital gains, a Centre for Independent Studies paper outlines. In How to Vandalise Savings: the New Super Tax, economist Robert Carling delivers a scathing critique of the tax, calling for the scheme to be shelved or substantially revised and deferred to a later start date...

In "Rooftop Solar: Paradise Lost," Zoe Hilton, Michael Wu, and Aidan Morrison examine the unintended consequences of Australia's rooftop solar boom. They argue that while rooftop solar has been promoted as a means to lower electricity bills and support the environment, it has inadvertently led to increased costs for non-solar customers. The paper analyzes the financial dynamics of rooftop solar adoption, highlighting how current ta...

In "Super for Housing," Peter Tulip and Matthew Taylor explore allowing Australians to access their superannuation funds to purchase a home. He examines the rationale behind this idea, considering home equity and superannuation as alternative means of securing retirement. The paper analyzes potential impacts on housing demand and ownership rates, and discusses various approaches to implementing such a policy. Read the paper here: ...

In "Fractured Loyalties: Australian Citizenship and the Crisis of Civic Virtue," Peter Kurti examines the foundational role of tolerance in secular liberal democracies, particularly in embracing religious diversity. He explores how this principle, integral to the liberal conception of citizenship, is under threat due to a concerning rise in antisemitism within Australia. Kurti argues that such intolerance not only undermines social...

Read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/interest-usury-and-the-common-good/ Listen to all our papers here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/ 

Delve into the intricate history and ethical debates surrounding the practice of charging interest in "Interest, Usury, and the Common Good," authored by Ian Harper and Peter Kurti. As economies evolved, so di...

Less Crowded Houses. NZ’s housing policy success and implications for Australia by Stuart Donovan. Audio produced by Randall Evans. 

To read the paper: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/less-crowded-houses-the-success-of-nzs-housing-policy-reforms-and-implications-for-australia/

To become a member: https://www.cis.org.au/membership-2-step-1/ 

Introduction to the Paper:

Many Australians are increasingly concerned by deterior...

The Argument For Debate: how school debating can improve academic outcomes and foster a stronger democracy.  This podcast audiobook explores the pivotal role of debate in addressing Australia’s educational and civic challenges. With academic achievement in decline and public confidence waning, the nation's 2024 Senate Inquiry into civics education underscores the urgency of reform. Anchored in evidence-based practices like a "know...

In Gorillas in the Mist: How Government Obscures Its Spending, Gene Tunny examines how Australian governments increasingly rely on off-budget mechanisms—such as loans, equity injections, and special investment funds—to finance major policy initiatives without those costs appearing in the core budget balance. These tactics allow governments to maintain the appearance of fiscal discipline while accumulating hidden financial risks. Th...

In "Riches from Royalties: How Australia’s States and Territories Depend on Mining," Gene Tunny highlights how royalty payments from mining companies serve as a vital source of revenue for state and territory governments. These funds support essential public services such as health and education while helping reduce reliance on federal transfers. The paper reviews the value of royalties, explores alternative models like resource re...