The nature of Australia’s federation means the Commonwealth controls the principal revenue-raising instruments, but large expenditure responsibilities are left to the states. This paper focuses on reviews that the states and territories have undertaken to improve the quality of their tax systems.

In this document, the authors argue that 'greening' the finance system is a key part of the transition to 'net zero' emissions by 2050.

Since 2010, there has been growing interest in understanding how reforms to public financial management (PFM) systems can support improvements in spending on basic services. This paper takes stock of the emerging agenda on PFM and service delivery. It looks mainly at the way the...

This report surveys the likely effects of the pandemic crisis on state budgets and then looks at the outlook for state fiscal aggregates as they were before the pandemic hit. It also traces the pre-crisis trends and trends and possible impacts of the crisis in...

The global COVID-19 pandemic has required unprecedented government action at an unprecedented pace. It is vital that policymakers act to slow the spread of the virus, protect people's livelihoods and ensure the economic recovery delivers both prosperity and justice for the long term. This discussion...

This report examines trends in the use of alternative financing arrangements, explains how these arrangements relate to the Commonwealth budget and identifies possible enhancements to budget reporting to support public understanding.

This compendium focuses on the significant fiscal challenges facing jurisdictions around the world.

This document is the Interim Report (Report) of the SFF. It represents the collective, and voluntary, efforts of the Sustainable Finance Forum (SFF) undertaken from January 2019 to October 2019. The report sets out why we need to shift, urgently, to a sustainable economy.

This report provides updated information on the economic and fiscal outlook for Australia in advance of the May 2019 federal election.

This paper provides Members of the 57th Parliament of New South Wales with an authoritative overview of 45 key issues affecting the state in 2019. It presents the latest evidence on key areas for the NSW community such as health, education, crime and justice, housing...

Using monetary policy shocks for 7 advanced economy central banks, measured at high frequency, this paper documents the strength and characteristics of interest rate spillovers to 47 advanced and emerging market economies.

The Standing Committee on Economics, which can inquire into and report on any annual reports referred to it by the House of Representatives, agreed to undertake an inquiry into the 2018 Annual Report of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Governments spend vast amounts of money delivering services to citizens. Through procurement, governments invest in infrastructure and ensure the supply of essential services. In 2017, it was estimated that the New Zealand and Australian public procurement markets had a combined value of $160 billion. While...

This report provides the Victorian Parliament with information about matters arising from the 2016−17 financial audit of the AFR.

​​​​The Spring 2017 edition of the NSW economic update presents a snapshot of the NSW economy and provides relevant points of comparison with other Australian States and Territories.

We think voters should be given better information about the fiscal consequences of political parties’ election promises. We offer some observations and suggestions on how.

This paper reports on trends in NSW state finances between 2002-03 and 2017-18 (inclusive). For most of the key indicators, the paper also shows trends by Parliament for the current (56th) Parliament and previous three Parliaments.

This paper examines aspects of the present use of trusts with a view to outlining the extent of the problem and examining who benefits.

This report sets out the results of the audit of the State of Victoria’s Annual Financial Report for 2015–16 and provides commentary on the financial outcomes and position achieved by the state and the general government sector.

The purpose of this paper is to outline a range of value capture approaches, and seek feedback on how the Australian Government could use its various policy and funding levers to stimulate the use of value capture in the development and delivery of transport infrastructure...