Transparency is the cornerstone of democratic governance, yet Australia’s federal executive continues to undermine it through increasing non-compliance with Senate orders for documents. Compliance has fallen to new historic lows. This paper finds that the mechanism for accessing government information has failed, and substantial reform is required. It recommends the establishment of an Independent Legal...

The paper argues that shifting tax from income to consumption would widen wealth inequality, deepen poverty and deliver only modest and uncertain economic efficiency gains. It proposes that the Australian income tax system be reformed by closing tax shelters to improve equity and the efficiency of investment at the same time.

The Productivity Commission has been asked by the Australian Government to conduct five inquiries to identify priority reforms under their five pillar productivity growth agenda. This introduction to the reports explores why reigniting productivity is essential to improving wellbeing and supporting strong, resilient and sustainable economic growth.

International students play a significant role in the Australian economy. They contribute to demand through their spending on goods and services and are an important source of labour for some Australian businesses. This article shows that international students tend to add more to demand in the economy than they do to supply in the short...

This report highlights the topical issue of employers’ experiences with retention issues providing insights across industries and occupation groups. It provides an overview, staff replacement rates, reasons for replacing staff, impacts on businesses and strategies used to retain staff. It finds that high staff turnover is hurting productivity and pushing up recruitment and training costs.