Unreported data confirms that Australian state governments are passing up an opportunity to invest in the future. Cheap credit means that there’s never been a better time to change direction, writes Tim Colebatch.

Nearly four years ago, Prime Minister John Key announced a major reform of the welfare system. He defined the problem with the existing system in the following terms: The stand-out feature of New Zealand’s benefit system is how passive it is. For the most part it simply hands over benefits and leaves people to their...

Overview This paper reports on trends in NSW State finances between 2002-03 and 2015-16 (inclusive). For most of the key indicators, the paper also shows trends by Parliament for the current (56th) Parliament and previous three (55th, 54th and 53rd) Parliaments. This paper sets out the key trends but only briefly discusses the reasons for...

The impacts of the 2015-16 Budget must be assessed in light of the previous Budget, which casts a long shadow. ACOSS estimates that, combined, the two budgets strip approximately $15 billion / 4 years from basic services and supports that affect low and middle income households. Analysis from NATSEM highlights that the Abbott Government’s Budget...

Australia is set for more than a decade of deficits between 2008 and 2019, but the reality may be even worse than projections, argues this report.