In the 2003-04 Budget the federal government proposed changes to the way some fuels are taxed. The proposals, if implemented, would have important consequences. This Current Issues Brief examines the background to the proposals and their possible consequences.

The Australian airline industry has experienced major changes to its policy and operating environment over the past decade, culminating in very turbulent economic conditions over the past two years. This paper analyses these upheavals and some of the threshold issues arising, particularly in relation to the sustainability of effective competition in the industry over the...

The use of fuel ethanol-ethanol blended with petrol-has received considerable negative publicity. This paper examines the background to the controversy and the arguments for and against its use, including as a means of assisting the sugar industry, the environmental benefits and costs, the effects on car engines, and the consequences of mandating blending ethanol and...

The governments of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia argue that current Commonwealth-state funding arrangements disadvantage them. Late in 2001, these states commissioned Professor Ross Garnaut and Dr Vincent Fitzgerald to review these arrangements and recommend changes. The authors' proposals are contained in their final report, which was issued in August 2002. This Research...

The rise in fuel prices has stimulated interest in how crude oil produced in Australia is taxed. This Research Note outlines the Commonwealth's crude oil excise and royalties regimes, complementing an earlier Note on the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (Research Note No. 20 2000-01).