Asylum seeker and refugee policy has attracted a great deal of attention in Australia for many years. In particular, concerns over the unauthorised arrival of asylum seekers by boat have occupied successive governments and parliaments since the 1970s. With increasing levels of global forced displacement, public and political debate on these issues appears likely to...

This paper describes the current situation with regard to refugee entitlements to social security and other assistance.

This quick guide looks at the level of Australia’s foreign debt, the interest liability on foreign debt and how these have changed over time. It also looks at foreign debt as a component of net foreign investment, the other component being equity investment. Finally, given that Australia’s gross foreign debt is now bigger than its...

Imposing the GST on different types of imports has been a contentious topic for some time. Different parts of Australian society stand to benefit or lose significantly depending on how, or whether, the system is changed. This paper outlines the regulatory framework, including the relationship between online shopping and the low value threshold. Executive summary...

This guide provides a an overview of newly introduced offences for unauthorised disclosure of information about ‘special intelligence operations’, how they operate and the extent to which they apply to public interest disclosures. Introduction The offences for unauthorised disclosure of information about a ‘special intelligence operation’ were one of the most controversial aspects of the...