For too many people it does not pay to work. Higher income earners pay more tax than almost anywhere else in the Western world, and lower and middle income earners face vicious 'effective marginal tax rates', as high income tax is exacerbated by the loss of means-tested family payments. Peter Saunders and Barry Maley argue...

The NSW Law Reform Commission is considering a proposal that all closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance camera footage older than 21 days should be destroyed. They are worried that stockpiling information on people's daily lives and lawful routines violates civil liberties. In this paper Conde argues that this is an over-reaction. Current regulations are adequate...

The Disability Support Pension (DSP) is more generous yet less demanding than unemployment assistance. Few commentators believe that a 117% increase in DSP claimants in 23 years reflects a real increase in disability and incapacity in the working-age population. The author argues that DSP rules need to be tightened to reduce the number of claimants...

The Queensland sugar industry is once again pleading for more government assistance. Alex Robson argues that such assistance does more harm than good and that the best course of action may be to abandon the notion of targeted regional assistance altogether.

Far from being rigorously protected, Australia's borders actually contain a gaping hole, argues William Maley. It is a hole through which tourists travel - but as the recent Willie Brigitte case shows, others with more sinister agendas can use it to enter Australia as well.