The PPP (public-private partnership) policy experiment has been wonderfully ambiguous and colourful. It has promised just about everything to everybody, from better value for money and on-time delivery, to innovation and reduced pressure on public sector budgets. Indeed, the PPP phenomenon is now a brand for third-way governments. Like Coca-Cola, PPPs are life. But underneath...

What a difference a year makes. Until recently a major preoccupation of employers and policy makers was how to overcome skill shortages flowing from sustained economic growth and an ageing workforce. This year the scourge of unemployment and recession dominates. While we are not yet in a technical recession, recession is upon us. A sharp...

The most important feature of a charter is a provision requiring the courts to interpret legislation in a manner consistent with the charter’s recognition of rights wherever possible, writes Andrew Lynch.

Every dollar spent must have a double return; one for the economy, one for the environment, writes Greg Gardiner.

The failure to foresee the baby boom that began in Australia in 2005 and has now hit a thirty-year high has had serious consequences for public hospitals and birthing services.