This presentation to the University of NSW Social Policy Conference in Sydney identifies better ways for governments to help poorer Australians into housing: fund social housing directly; boost Commonwealth Rent Assistance by 40 per cent and index it to low-income rents; increase supply to make all housing cheaper; and strengthen tenancy laws to make renting...

We’re doing better than many comparable countries, but that’s not enough, says Carmela Chivers.

Powerful and well-resourced business groups, unions and not-for-profits are influencing policy in Australia to serve their interests, sometimes at the expense of the public interest. Stronger checks and balances on policy influence are needed, to make Australian politics cleaner and fairer.

While the states are making improvements to their political donations laws and practices, Canberra still has a long way to go.

This report argues that if the major parties and politicians want to rebuild trust with voters, they will need to change the way they do politics: stop misusing their entitlements, strengthen political donations laws, tighten regulation of lobbyists, and slow the revolving door between political offices and lobbying positions.