Important questions confront Burma's political leadership, and their response will play a key role in determining the international community's, including Australia's, future engagement. Prior to the installation of a civilian government in April 2011, Burma had, for all intents and purposes, been governed by a military regime for almost fifty years. The most recent incarnation...

This background note examines how planning of the national capital can facilitate better living outcomes for the city and its growing population. It also considers how Canberra compares to other world capitals and why it deserves a higher profile and contends that improved urban design has the potential to raise the image of this planned...

This series of breifing papers details the new budget's impact on a range of policy areas. These policy briefs are being gradually uploaded by the Parliamentary Library as of 11 May 2012, and cover the following areas: Arts and media Climate change, energy and the environment Commonwealth-State relations Corporate governance Defence Education Foreign affairs Health...

This background note provides a brief overview of the context for the proposed labeling reforms and a summary of some of the research evidence on the effectiveness of alcohol health warning labels. In late 2011 the Government released through the Legislative and Governance Forum on Food Regulation its response to the report of the Independent...

This background note outlines the available evidence in relation to income management in the Northern Territory, Cape York and Western Australia, and concludes that the evidence for or against it is inconclusive. Income management (also known as ‘welfare quarantining’) refers to a policy under which a percentage of the welfare payments of certain people are...