Work/life balance continues to be an issue for many people with only three-out-of-ten people (3.4 million) reporting an improvement in the past five years, according to this report. Introduction Former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard described work/life balance as a "BBQ-stopper" in 2001. Since then, the term "work/life balance" has been part of the...

This paper argues that coal companies are not, in general, major contributors to energy poverty alleviation efforts. Overview The term "energy poverty" refers to people who do not have access to electricity and clean cooking facilities. Globally, 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity in their houses and 2.6 billion people cook by...

Introduction: Native vegetation and regulations relating to its management have a minimal economic effect on agriculture in New South Wales (NSW). The state produces between $10 and $16 billion in agricultural output per year, dependent largely on rainfall and commodity prices. When rainfall is good and commodity prices are high, output is high. Less rainfall...

This report is intended to provide the Queensland public with a view of the coal industry in its wider economic context. Summary Queensland’s economy is based on service industries. Service industries employ nearly three quarters of the Queensland workforce and make up two thirds of economic output. 99 per cent of Queenslanders do not work...

This paper suggests a modification to the Pension Loan Scheme intended to help boost the retirement incomes of a large number of current retirees. Summary The Australian government is currently willing to boost the retirement incomes of wealthy Australians by providing low cost ‘reverse mortgages’ through Centrelink. The Pension Loan Scheme (PLS) allows eligible Australians...