Australia’s integrity agencies can only hold power to account when they are independent in practice, not just in law. This paper argues that integrity agency independence depends on three institutional levers: secure funding, merit-based appointments and robust oversight. It outlines reforms to strengthen these levers and better secure the independence of Australia’s core integrity agencies.

The bulk-billing incentive – a bonus the federal government pays general practitioners (GPs) when they don’t charge patients a fee – has been supercharged twice in recent years. But 'GP deserts’ – the communities with the fewest GP services per person – are being left further behind. This policy brief proposes two policy reforms are...

This report seeks to analyse the viability of introducing a federal whistleblower reward scheme in Australia. It outlines options for establishing a distinctly Australian whistleblower rewards scheme, drawing on international examples. The report considers the benefits of a scheme, the two main reward scheme models and areas of focus for policymaking.

Australia is one of the world’s leading democracies, but cannot take it for granted. This report shows that democracy is backsliding globally, and the world order in which Australia has flourished is being seriously tested. The report identifies five priorities for Australia to build a better and more resilient democracy.

By identifying the forces that have repeatedly undermined tax reform in Australia, this report explores whether a different approach could help Australia move beyond repeated false starts and build a more credible pathway for future change. It finds that reform failure over the last 25 years is rarely attributable to a single factor.