Stronger harm minimisation measures are needed, mainly aimed at 'pokies', including lowering the intensity of play and the capacity for gamblers to set spending limits on themselves, according to this report. Gamblers in Australia spend (lose) over $18 billion per year including nearly $12 billion on poker machines. The Commission estimates that problem gamblers account...

In one of his first acts as Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Kevin Rudd MP ratified the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2007. [1] Under this international agreement, Australia is committed to maintaining its national greenhouse gas emissions at (or below) 108 per cent of...

The Parliamentary Library has obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) unpublished Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data as at 30 June 2007 and 2008 for Commonwealth electoral divisions (or seats). This allows analysis of various aspects of population change for divisions over the period 2007 to 2008 on a consistent conceptual and geographic basis...

Calls to abolish or modify payroll tax are often heard. For example, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called for the abolition of payroll tax as part of wider tax reform. While several reasons are cited for abolishing or modifying payroll tax, a common reason is that payroll tax reduces employment. It is...

This paper is part of a review of the ESOS Act that aims to ensure Australia's regulatory framework delivers the best consumer protection and maintains rigorous standards for providers in the international education sector. The review will consider the need for enhancements to the ESOS legal framework in four key areas set out in the...