Since 2016-17, the Victorian government has capped the amounts local governments can collect from their ratepayers. This paper argues that Victoria’s rate cap policy has inhibited a normal trend of expanding and improving local government services in line with population growth, rising living standards and economic expansion.

The Fiscal Impact of New Australians model (FIONA) has been developed by the Treasury to estimate the fiscal impact of permanent migrants over their remaining lifetimes in Australia. This paper presents the methodological approach used in FIONA, along with the main modelling results.

This briefing paper reviews the main features of the Australian federal budget 2021/22 from the perspective of workers and labour markets. In particular, it considers in detail a major flaw in the overall macroeconomic logic underpinning the budget.

The Per Capita Tax Survey 2021 provides valuable insights into public sentiment towards the federal government’s role in the post-COVID recovery, and can be used as a valuable resource for policy-makers in the months ahead.

The review analysed the effect of the Point of Consumption Tax (POCT) on wagering operators, the racing industry in Victoria and Australia’s major sporting codes. It considers the effect of the tax on wagering and betting during the first twelve-months following the implementation of the POCT – that is, the 2019 calendar year.