An extensive preliminary investigation conducted into the settlement between Ms Brittany Higgins and the Commonwealth. It found no evidence that the settlement process and outcome, including the legal advice provided, who was present at the mediation, or the amount of the settlement, was subject to any improper influence by any Commonwealth public official.

How 'bad' public policy happens and what makes for bad public policy are the subject of this report. It identifies five inherent vices of policy – unpreparedness, non-learning, uncertainty, maliciousness, and non-compliance – and outlines a set of management practices that can help inform policy design and curb the worst excesses of bad policy.

This report examines Australia’s news market across six indicators that measure the state of diversity across professional news in Australia. It finds that free-to-air TV and news websites continue to be the most popular platforms used to consume news, while social media continues to be the most popular platform for accessing news among younger Australians.

Legal professional privilege (LPP) has a fundamental role in the Australian legal system. To inform a review in considering LPP in the context of investigations undertaken by Commonwealth agencies, this discussion paper outlines the context and purpose of the review and the key issues identified by stakeholders in the initial phase of work.

Journalism is facing systemic pressures that threaten Australians’ access to quality, public interest reporting. This policy framework identifies the Australian Government’s policy objectives for news and journalism. It outlines the role of government, public policy objectives, principles for policy design and implementation, and the development of policy measures.