The commission was asked by the government to undertake modelling of the economy-wide effects of assistance options and scenarios identified by the current Bracks Review of Australia's automotive industry. The options cover a number of combinations of tariffs and levels of assistance provided under the Automotive Competitiveness and Investment Scheme. Assessing economy-wide effects of any...

While Australia's consumer policy framework has considerable strengths, parts of it require an overhaul. The first step in this process should be the introduction of a single generic consumer law applying across Australia, based on the consumer provisions in the Trade Practices Act, modified to address gaps in its coverage and scope. Responsibility for regulating...

Behavioural economics is economists satisfying themselves intellectually of truths about economic agents' behaviour that are readily understood by marketers and politicians. It is the scientific study of intuition which, because of the way the human brain has evolved, heavily influences our decision making. Behavioural economics reveals conventional economics to be normative rather than positive. Economists'...

This report contains the Commission's latest quantitative estimates of Australian government assistance to industry. It also examines recent developments in assistance in various sectors of the economy over the year or so prior to the commencement of the caretaker period in October 2007, and outlines some recent international policy developments affecting Australia's trade. The review...

This report provides data to enable ongoing comparisons of the efficiency and effectiveness of Commonwealth and State government services, including intra-government services. In contrast to the Report on Government Services with its focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of specific services, the Indigenous Disadvantage Report focuses on outcomes for Indigenous people. It does not report...