This paper looks at the distribution of aspects of wealth, debt and investment, which will be affected by changes in interest rates, housing prices and the stock market, and will in turn affect spending and overall economic activity. The global economic downturn will test the resilience of local economies. Declines in the economic capacity of...

Around twelve percent of people who were currently in an area affected by drought have mental health problems compared to seven percent in areas which haven’t been hit by drought in the last three years according to this paper. Note: This paper was given at the 2009 Australian Social Policy Conference and is only in...

This paper was developed as background for the meeting of the Australian Council of Local Government in June 2009. It looks at the economic downturn and its implications for local government and regional economies with particular reference to the Australian Government response.

Michael Hamel-Green of Victoria University in Melbourne writes that while Australia has generally been a strong supporter of nuclear weapons-free zones (NWFZs) "there are a number of "initiatives that Australia might take both within its own region and more broadly to strengthen regional denuclearisation initiatives. These include strengthening and extending the 1985 Raratonga Treaty; providing...

Australia’s National Drought Policy is considered to be one of the most advanced in the world, recognising as it does the reality of climate and focusing on adapting farm management to climatic uncertainty rather than simply subsidising agriculture in low rainfall areas. But while the underlying principles of the Policy seem to be sound, after...