This paper has been prepared by the Parliamentary Library to mark the 30th anniversary of the High Court’s Mabo (No. 2) decision. It outlines the background and history of the decision, significant subsequent developments, the current status of Native Title and potential future developments.

This report investigates the history of Australian inflation and policy choices, and provides a counter to the view that low inflation and the current inflation target is acceptable.

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s overseas crisis management and response arrangements in meeting the government’s objectives for returning Australians from overseas in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The Typology of Employment Support Interventions (TESI) provides a shared language and method for conceptualising, designing, commissioning, selecting and evaluating employment supports for people experiencing injury, illness or disability. This guide explains the purpose of the TESI, and suggests ways to use it for funders...

This inquiry examined the issue of maximising the benefit of Australia's oil and gas reserves.

This report presents the most up-to-date synthesis of international research efforts to track global inequalities. The data and analysis presented here are based on the work of more than 100 researchers over four years, located on all continents, contributing to the World Inequality Database, maintained...

This research plan identifies the urgent and strategic research priorities (and critical gaps) that require assessment for a successful Australian energy transition.

Many Australians receive very little protection from income risk due to unemployment. A significant portion of people live paycheck-to-paycheck. This discussion paper outlines a new proposal to better support Australians experiencing unemployment.

This policy paper highlights evidence and case studies to show how climate and environmental change will affect human health in the Asia Pacific region. It also provides proposals for how Australian governments - federal, state and local - might respond to this challenge.

The purpose of a global strategy on digital health is to promote healthy lives and wellbeing for everyone, everywhere, at all ages. This draft strategy sets out a vision, strategic objectives and a framework for action to advance digital health. It has been developed in...

What lessons can be drawn from institutional change in private rental sectors (PRSs) internationally which could enhance the equity, efficiency and effectiveness of the sector in Australia, particularly to improve outcomes for low-income tenants?

Now in its 16th year, the results from this survey build on knowledge gained from past reports, while also providing a snapshot of how young people feel currently about their own lives and broader national issues.

There are many strategies available and many technological solutions that can assist with community engagement. However, in this e-book we present a framework for thinking about community engagement and moving to more collaborative decision making processes. We call this framework the Triple-O framework and it...

As this report reveals, ministers now exercise power that is mostly beyond the review of judges. Such power should be exercised humanely and in accordance with morality, not absolute law. Yet, this report reveals that this is no longer the case.

In the increasingly challenging and dynamic operational and strategic environments in which organisations are required to function, there may be a quite natural temptation to fit the needs of organisational resilience (OR) to the organisation by incoherently using a blend of existing functions and based...

There is considerable debate about the size of fees charged by superannuation funds. This paper investigates both investment fees and administration fees and shows that there are economically valid reasons why most investment fees are set at their current level. Our results show that on...

As China’s financial system has become more complex and integrated, calls have intensified for structural reform. In particular, many commentators have called for China to move towards the twin peaks model of financial regulation along the lines of the experience in Australia. This paper explores...

Fertility patterns in the world have changed dramatically over the last few decades. Global fertility has reached unprecedented low levels, yet stark differences persist in childbearing patterns across countries and regions. The population and development implications of these diverse fertility patterns are directly relevant for...

At the request of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion’s Pacific Islands Working Group (PIWG), the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP)3 contracted Jonathan Greenacre, a consultant, to analyse the trust arrangements used by e-money issuers in the following Pacific countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga...

This study analyzes systematic and non-systematic credit risk in mortgage portfolios given US loan-level information by controlling for time-varying observable information in relation to the borrower, the collateral and the macro economy. The total risk in relation to rating class default rates is decomposed into...

Reducing the overall number of deliberate bushfires not only reduces the amount of damage they cause, it frees up resources to fight and investigate the most serious fires.

The Australian media largely ignored a major conference looking at its own future, writes Margaret Simons.