In health policy debates in recent years, a range of different models have been proposed for reforming the Australian health system. When presented in isolation, these models can be confusing, particularly for those for whom the health system is unfamiliar territory. This Background Note is intended as a guide to some of the main recent...

This 2009 mental health strategy embraces the roles of many sectors and services across the community and the whole-of-government, emphasising that mental health is everyone's business. It focuses on fostering and maintaining good mental health and wellbeing by providing earlier support for all those in need before their problems become acute.

This paper considers the constitutional and practical constraints upon reforming electoral campaign funding in Australia. It addresses the banning or capping of political donations, the limiting of campaign expenditure and the expansion of public funding of political parties. In doing so, it draws on the experience of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New...

Over the past decade, changes to Australia’s retirement income policy have been announced in almost every Federal Budget, with no signs yet that reform is coming to an end. Indeed, the Simpler Super reforms announced in the 2006 Federal Budget have been described as the largest overhaul of Australia’s superannuation system since the introduction of...

Despite strong economic growth that produced millions of new jobs since the early 1990s, income inequality grew dramatically in most regions of the world and is expected to increase due to the current global financial crisis, according to this report. The report also notes that a major share of the cost of the financial and...