Executive summary Young people bore the brunt of softening in the labour market in Australia following the impact of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). But there is evidence of a gradual improvement in youth labour market indicators in the 18 months from late 2014 to May 2016. ABS data shows the youth unemployment rate (for...

The high cost of housing in Australia has been at the forefront of a range of recent policy debates concerning Australia’s taxation arrangements. This brief examines housing affordability in Australia for both owners and renters over recent decades. It focuses particularly on those households which are most affected by high housing costs—those on low incomes...

The Parliamentary Library has prepared a volume providing snapshots of issues expected to figure during the Parliament's first months. The articles give a high level perspective of key public policy issues, including relevant background, context and legislative history as well as outlining some of the policy and legislative directions raised in the public debate. The...

This quick guide provides an overview of Halal food certification in Australia. Halal Halal is an Arabic word that means permitted or lawful in Islam. It is both an umbrella term used in relation to all food products, and a term that refers to a method of livestock slaughtering consistent with Islamic rites. What is...

Under various arrangements since the 1920s, there has been a free flow of people between Australia and New Zealand. Historically, migration flows across the Tasman have been large in both directions, but since the 1960s more New Zealanders than Australians have chosen to cross the Tasman to live. In 2013-14, the number of New Zealand...