Illicit drugs attract a high level of political and social interest in Australia. While this means there is an abundance of information on the subject, it also makes it difficult to find reliable information quickly on particular aspects of the illicit drug issue. This e-brief by Kate Burton is intended as a navigational tool for...

This publication presents estimates of health expenditure on disease and injury in Australia in 2000-01, classified by disease or injury group, age and sex. The estimates are available by area of expenditure - hospitals, high-level residential aged care, medical services, other professional services, pharmaceuticals and research.

Unauthorised arrivals found to be refugees and accepted into Australia are granted a three-year TPV with the option of applying for further protection at the end of the three years. Janet Phillips outlines TPV policy and legislation from its introduction in 1999, looks at the restrictions on TPV visas and the implications of those restrictions...

In December 2003, the Commonwealth and NSW ministers for transport announced that they had reached an agreement which will result in investment of $872 million in the NSW section of the interstate rail freight network, the Hunter Valley coal lines, and the Albury-Melbourne line. The agreement will have important consequences for the rail and road...

Coastal shipping is an important component of the national transport task, carrying mostly heavy cargoes over long distances. But, as Richard Webb shows in this report, coastal shipping's share of the domestic transport task has fallen from around 40 to 28 per cent (measured in tonne kilometres) over the past 15 years, the number of...