National Disability Services' State of the disability sector' report for 2022 is based on responses from 364 disability service providers who took part in this national, annual sector survey. The report reveals a difficult operating environment for most providers. However, there are some glimmers of...

This report reviews the evidence-base about factors impacting and shaping rental investment. It also reviews the state of residential tenancies laws across Australia, and presents options for a renewed reform agenda.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is undertaking a review of the retailer authorisation and exemption frameworks to assess whether the current energy consumer protection framework remains fit for purpose in a transitioning energy market. The AER believes the current regulatory framework will not be fit...

This audit examines whether the Victorian Office of the Conservation Regulator (OCR) effectively regulate timber harvesting operations in the state.

Electricity networks are expensive businesses to run. In Australia, the economic regulation of electricity networks is undertaken by the Australian Energy Regulator. This report presents a range of recommendations to address the unnecessarily high profits being made by electricity distribution service providers.

This summary report outlines key themes and actions from the Professional Standards Councils’ Roundtable on professional standards schemes and indemnity insurance.

This research finds that seafarers working on foreign-registered freight ships in Australian waters face regular theft of wages and other entitlements due to legal loopholes and poor enforcement of labour standards.

After 28 years without a major flood, the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley has experienced three major floods in the past three years. A proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall for flood mitigation in the Hawkesbury-Nepean is currently being assessed for development. This e-brief describes some of...

This report details the size, growth, depth and performance of the Australian responsible investment market from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021, and compares these results with the broader Australian financial market as well as concerns around the quality of sustainability claims and the...

This draft policy document has been prepared to send a signal to regulated industries that the NSW EPA will be working with them to support and drive cost-effective decarbonisation, while implementing adaptation initiatives that build resilience to climate change risks.

The NSW EPA is taking action to protect the environment and community from the impacts of climate change, and will work with industry, experts and the community. This draft plan has been released for public comment.

Agriculture embodies the values of hard work, risk-taking and entrepreneurship - the values which are central to the Australian way of life. This report reveals that since 2000, the size of the federal environmental bureaucracy has grown three times faster than the agricultural sector itself.

The Bell Review was established to assess The Star’s suitability to hold a casino licence and to examine compliance with its legal obligations. The review was activated under sections 30 and 143 of the Casino Control Act 1992 and began in November 2021. The report...

E-cigarette products present a novel challenge to regulators in the United Kingdom. However, policies encouraging e-cigarette use need careful designing to avoid causing negative outcomes. This report explores this dilemma and, in identifying a number of clear gaps in the regulation, recommends what measures should...

Australia is in the midst of a remarkable energy transition. With the election of the Albanese Government, Australia is now targeting net-zero emissions by 2050. This report argues that such a transformation creates profound opportunities for Australia – a country that has always enjoyed advantages...

Fuel efficiency standards in Australia have been recommended by two separate government inquiries, committed to by multiple governments but never adopted, and recommended in multiple government reports stretching back over a decade. This paper argues that introducing fleet fuel efficiency standards would reduce transport emissions...

This report argues that in Australia’s low tariff-rate environment, the costs of the tariffs arise primarily from the complexity of the tariff system, rather than from distortions to the economy. These costs are in addition to the tariff itself and increase costs of businesses, and...

In Australia, national and foreign cultural heritage is protected by our laws. Australian cultural property objects are significant to the nation’s identity. It is important all cultural heritage items are imported and exported legally.