Australia’s consolidated government accounts bring together federal, state and local governments spending and revenue statistics. This gives the most complete picture of the nation’s fiscal position. The spending trends outlined in this report highlight that Australia’s fiscal system is inconsistent and inflexible. The analysis points to six potential issues in current policy setting processes.

The National Homicide Monitoring Program is Australia’s only national data collection on homicide incidents, victims and offenders. This report describes 264 homicide incidents recorded by Australian state and territory police between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025. During this 12-month period there were 279 victims of homicide and 271 identified offenders.

Eye diseases and vision problems are the most common long-term health conditions reported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This report updates eye health measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The measures cover the prevalence of eye health conditions, diagnosis and treatment services, the eye health workforce and outreach services.

Green hydrogen is often heralded in Australia’s net zero ambitions, but this paper posits that it is not viable today and won’t be in the foreseeable future. The paper examines why green hydrogen will likely remain prohibitively expensive, why projects are stalling and how the recently announced Orica subsidy exposes Australia’s strategy as untenable.

In a difficult and contested world, all tools of statecraft are needed to contribute to Australia’s international aims. Australia’s education sector is a significant national asset which is often overlooked. This paper looks at the way that education underpins Australia’s foreign policy and defence goals including social cohesion, economic prosperity, national security, resilience and global...