A recent Australia Institute report dismissing non-government schools as irrelevant to student achievement is seriously flawed, argues Jennifer Buckingham. The report contends that parents would be wiser to save money they might spend on non-government schooling, and use it for a full-fee university place. Its central argument, that schools do not directly affect student achievement...

Peter Saunders and Kayoko Tsumori argue that introducing a six month time limit on unemployment benefits could dramatically reduce long-term unemployment in Australia. Time limits create a sense of urgency for the unemployed to find work and for Job Network agencies whose task it is to provide assistance and training. This could reduce the incidence...

If there is a global civilisation, it is America, dominating in military power, the export of its cultural products, the strength of its economy and the scope of its usable power. The question remains as to whether this hegemony can last. In this lecture Dr Josef Joffe (Publisher-Editor of Die Zeit and Contributing Editor to...

Nicole Billante argues that a visible police presence in the community and increased police resources must form a key part of a crime prevention strategy in Australia. She analyses successful policing initiatives which have dramatically reduced crime in America and Britain, to argue that Australian policy makers and police should take note if this country's...

Peter Saunders and Kayoko Tsumori outline a proposal to move lone parents whose children are at school off welfare and into work as part of a broader strategy of poverty eradication. Getting sole parents into work would greatly reduce poverty, since joblessness is the biggest cause of poverty. The current system which pays parents to...