The Institute of Public Affairs, for the third year running, has undertaken analysis of 20 public policies using the ten criteria of the Wiltshire test for good policy-making. This research project was commissioned ‘to coax more evidence-based policy decisions by all tiers of government by reviewing and rating 20 high profile government decisions against the...

The economic crisis caused by lockdown measures in response to COVID-19 has distorted the Australian economy. The economic costs of lockdowns have not been equally shared across the country. This paper outlines five key pieces of evidence that lockdowns, rather than freezing the economy in place, have disfigured it.

This paper argues that lockdowns and social distancing regulations introduced to manage the health concerns associated with COVID-19, have imposed significant social, economic and institutional costs, while being of debatable efficacy.

This report combines data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics with RegData Australia to analyse the effect of red tape on business creation. The report finds that up to 398,000 additional businesses could have been created by 2018-19 if regulation was maintained at 2004-05 levels.

One of the main parliamentary oversight mechanisms is the power to disallow laws made by the executive branch of the government, including ministers and senior departmental and agency officials, known as delegated legislation or delegated legislative instruments. This report recommends the removal of all provisions in Commonwealth legislation that allow for delegated legislation to be...