This policy brief examines how Research Infrastructures (RIs) can move beyond serving specialist scientific communities to play a broader role in addressing major societal challenges. Drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 response, it highlights the untapped potential of RI ecosystems to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, support innovation and inform public policy.

The Australian Government has announced a resolution scheme to address millions of potentially miscalculated social security debts resulting from income apportionment. Income apportionment is an unlawful method used to calculate social security debts for payment recipients with employment income prior to December 2020. This paper outlines the Government's response to the issue.

This paper contends that key details of the Australian Government’s flagship Help to Buy scheme have been hidden from proper parliamentary oversight. It reveals how the Help to Buy Program Directions 2025 hand sweeping powers to the executive, exempting crucial policy rules from parliamentary disallowance and scrutiny.

Supporting student wellbeing in schools has become an urgent priority as the youth mental health crisis continues to grow. This policy brief explores the current literature supporting a ‘whole-of-school’ approach to wellbeing and presents policy recommendations aimed at driving meaningful, systemic change, recognising schools as key environments where mental health and wellbeing can be supported.

The Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025 seeks to amend the Fair Work Act 2009 to ensure that pre-existing penalty and overtime rates in modern awards are not reduced. This paper provides an overview of penalty and overtime rates in Australia, presents key issues and provisions, and summarises the position of...