This Research Note examines the three major measures of home loan affordability in Australia and their limitations. The Note also looks at the trend in home loan affordability over the past 20 years and shows how the sensitivity of home loan affordability to interest rate changes has increased gradually over time.

Reports of an ‘obesity epidemic’ appear with increasing frequency and rising concern in Australia. Particular attention is given to reports of the accelerating rate of obesity among Australian children. Despite this high profile of obesity as a public health issue, some aspects of the debate rest on limited evidence and/or outdated data, including: out-dated national...

Australia is well served by its public funding support - some $6 billion in 2002 03 - for science and innovation according to this draft research report into the sector. It is not possible, given a host of measurement and methodological issues, to provide accurate estimates of the contributions of such R&D to the economy...

This is the text of a speech by the chair of the Productivity Commission, who also chairs the Regulation Taskforce, at the 2006 Australian Social and Economic Outlook Conference. He argues that there is considerable scope for regulation within Australia's federal system to work better in the national interest.​

Rhonda Jolly provides an overview of the development of media ownership regulations and the changes wrought by the recently implemented media ownship legislation. The Bill permits cross-media mergers in radio licence areas where sufficient diversity of media groups remains following the mergers. At least five separate media groups will be required to remain in mainland...