This report sets out the mounting financial pressures facing Australia’s universities and the implications for national education, research and productivity. It shows how nearly a decade of policy change, declining real per-student funding, tighter international student settings and rising research costs have eroded operating surpluses and constrained investment in infrastructure and innovation.

This note highlights key findings and trends for Australia identified in the 2025 OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index. It provides a profile of Australia’s regulatory environment across 22 services sectors from 2014 to 2025. The note highlights recent policy changes, identifying where the country performs well and where reforms could further reduce services trade restrictions.

This report reviews critical mineral policy developments across Australia and partner nations, assessing the geo-economic landscape and offering conclusions and recommendations. It draws on contemporary research, industry analysis and government policy statements to map the next phase of global critical-minerals competition. The report argues that Australia must pivot from signing partnerships to fully activating them.

This paper proposes that public debate about the cost of living is based on a misunderstanding of how living standards should be measured. The paper contrasts movements in consumer prices with movements in wages. It identifies sectors where affordability has deteriorated in wage-adjusted terms, arguing that these outcomes are not arbitrary.

The scorecard assesses all Australian planning systems and highlights the scale and pace of planning reform across the country. It benchmarks each state and territory according to four themes based on the objectives of the National planning reform blueprint. No jurisdiction scored greater than 3 out of 5 on their planning reforms.