Downshifters are people who make a voluntary decision to reduce their income in order to improve the quality of their lives. In this study Christie Breakspear and Clive Hamiliton explore in detail the life changes and attitudes of downshifters by way of extensive interviews and focus groups. The study identifies four main reasons for downshifting...

Drawing on unpublished ABS data, Clive Hamilton concludes that nearly one third of adult Australians rely on medications, alcohol or illicit drugs for metnal well-being. The report shows that men are more likely to seek refuge in alcohol while women are more likely to turn to pills.

This Discussion Paper follows on a previous one examining the extent of youth exposure to pornography and the likely effects. It examines the effectiveness of current regulatory arrangements and puts forward new proposals for minimising youth exposure to internet pornography. It also presents the findings of a special survey of parents attitudes to internet pornography.

The current regulatory system for protecting children from Internet porography is failing, according to Michael Flood and Clive Hamilton. They argue for school pornography education, mandatory filtering of content by service providers (with an adult "opt-out" option), and online strategies to minimise children's exposure.

Three-quarters of 16 and 17 year-olds have been exposed accidentally to pornographic websites on the Internet, and two in five boys have found them deliberately, according to the Australia Institute report released on Monday. The material these teenagers are seeing is often violent and extreme, and there is evidence that regular exposure is damaging their...