In a major new study submitted to the Senate Inquiry into Poverty and Financial Hardship in Australia, the Australian Council of Social Service has called on the Government to halve child poverty and reduce the overall level of poverty in Australia by a quarter over a 10 year period. The study shows there are over...

This new study reveals a serious imbalance in Australia's family payments. It shows that family assistance fails to rise in keeping with the higher cost of caring for older children and subsequently many low-income families with teenage children are at risk of deeper poverty than young families. The authors argue that recent proposals to replace...

The Australian Council of Social Service released a set of 12 Budget proposals that would help the Federal Government out of a 'policy quagmire' that is entrenching joblessness in the Australian community and is directly affecting over 390,000 long-term unemployed people. ACOSS estimates there are more than 1.3 million unemployed or underemployed Australians - more...

A survey has revealed that 52% of Australians believe the myth that Indigenous Australians are not disadvantaged. This report outlines the facts and provides the Government with concrete strategies to address the needs of Indigenous Australians - including employment, education and family support.

This paper deals with the tax treatment of discretionary trusts (popularly known as "family trusts"), arguing that these entities are, in many ways, an ideal vehicle for income tax avoidance and putting forward a series of options to curb their use for this purpose. The federal government's promise to crackdown on trusts -- which is...