Farm businesses are subject to a vast and complex array of regulations. Regulations are in place at every stage of the supply chain — from land acquisition to marketing — and are applied by all levels of government. The number and complexity of regulations affecting farm businesses means that the cumulative burden of regulation on...

In 2009, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to the establishment of a ‘single law, multiple regulator’ model for general consumer protection in Australia. This model was based on the recommendations of the Productivity Commission’s 2008 report, Review of Australia’s Consumer Policy Framework. The new Australian Consumer Law (ACL) took effect in January 2011...

This paper was released to assist participants in preparing a submission to the public inquiry into Human Services. It outlines a range of issues about which the Commission seeks information. Background to the inquiry The Competition Policy Review recommended that governments should, wherever possible, put user choice at the heart of human services delivery as...

The disruptive potential of digital technologies has become a hot topic in recent years. There are calls for governments to add or remove regulations, invest in digital start ups, and protect the jobs of workers threatened by new ways of doing business. This research paper reviews and interprets expert opinion on disruption in order to...

Foreword The education outcomes of Indigenous Australians have been a focus of policy attention for many years, but there has been no sustained improvement in Indigenous primary school students’ literacy and numeracy achievement. This suggests that current policies are not working, and that we need a stronger evidence base about what might work best to...