The Australian health sector has been the focus of intense policy debate. Health data is quoted with increasing frequency. Improved measures of the performance of the health system are critical to the development of health policy. A good grasp of the sources of health statistics is therefore a prerequisite for remaining informed in this complex...

According to the budget statement Australia's official development assistance outlay for 2004-05 is an estimated $2133 million, more than $239 million over the 2003-04 budget figure of $1894 million. This represents a 'real increase' of 9.9 per cent. While this observation is technically correct it does not indicate the actual increase in outlay. With the...

In July 2003, the government released an exposure draft of legislation (Charities Bill 2003) which seeks to redefine what constitutes a charitable organisation. It also asked the Board of Taxation to conduct a public enquiry to determine the criteria for organisations to be given charitable status. The report of the enquiry was submitted to the...

Australian governments for the last ten years or more have tried to reduce the use of the Australian court system by people refused the right to stay in this country. Various methods have been tried by governments of both persuasions - with limited success. In this research note Peter Prince focuses on the key method...

The Australia-US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) covers a number of issues and this paper by David Richardson deals with Chapter 17 on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). It first examines AUSFTA's attempts to entrench or enhance Australia's already strong IPRs. The general economic arguments are examined as well as the Australian and US interests in stronger...