An independent public policy think tank working to build a new vision for Australia based on fairness, shared prosperity, and social justice.
Per Capita — Fighting inequality in Australia
Our Latest Publications
View all publicationsResponsible Technology
July 10, 2024
Submission to the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society
Digital platforms are not the right hosts of our civic lives. By design, they are built to amplify division and conflict, as the most sensational and provocative content maintains audience attention on the platforms. Digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook, X and TikTok are also underpinned by commercial models which, above all else, seek to monetise ... Read more
Responsible Technology
June 25, 2024
Submission to the Statutory Review of the Online Safety Act 2021
Australia's online safety regulatory framework has strong content-focused laws but lacks provisions to address and oversee the risk-producing systems themselves.
Equitable Housing
May 27, 2024
Treasury Build to Rent Concessions Submission
The CEH welcomes the Government’s announcement that investment in the Build-To-Rent sector would be supported through tax concessions.
Equitable Housing
May 27, 2024
Help to Buy Bill 2024 (Qld) Submission
The Help to Buy Scheme gives prospective first home buyers not living in social housing in Queensland the opportunity to access shared equity homeownership.
Our Research
Areas
Our research is rigorous, evidence-based and long-term in its outlook. We consider the national challenges of the next decade rather than the next election cycle. We ask original questions and offer fresh solutions, drawing on new thinking in social science, economics and public policy.
Learn more about our research areasAgeing
The extra 25 years of high-quality life expectancy over the last century constitute an unquestionably positive development for both individuals and society. Australia should embrace longer lives as a remarkable opportunity rather than a grave challenge. We seek solutions to issues resulting from Australia’s ageing population, aiming to increase the social and economic wellbeing of older Australians.
Education
In theory, education paves the road to a good job, which can lift people out of poverty and create a more equal society. In practice, however, the link between additional years of post-secondary education and increased income and employment opportunities has been eroded over recent decades. A good education should be accessible for all, not only for those who were born into a wealthy family.
Equitable Housing
Secure and appropriate housing is a fundamental human right, essential to household wellbeing and critical for communities and the economy. Housing policies at the national, state and local level are failing to adapt to changing social needs and economic conditions, and frequently entrench inequalities within and between generations. Per Capita’s Centre for Equitable Housing works toward a future where all Australians can be sure of a secure, appropriate, sustainable and affordable home, regardless of their personal circumstances.
Gender Equality
Women and other gender-diverse people continue to experience economic, material and social disadvantage. Australia has dropped from 15th in the world on the Global Gender Gap Index to 44th over the 14 years to 2020. From lower pay and less superannuation to a higher risk of experiencing family violence and homelessness and a disproportionate load of domestic labour and caring responsibilities, there is much work to be done still to achieve gender equality.
Post Carbon Economy
Per Capita’s Centre for New Industry delves into the practicalities of Australia’s inevitable shift to a post carbon economy and the effects this will have on workers. The Centre will build a vision of the future that provides greater employment opportunities for workers, greater stability and security for regional communities, and works with community, workers and industry for a successful shift to a zero carbon, full employment economy.
Progressive Economics
We challenge the belief that disadvantage arises from personal fault or failure and point out the policy choices that have deepened inequality in Australia over recent decades. Returns to capital have increased while returns to workers for their labour have stalled. We call out the negative effects of privatisation and the deliberate shrinking of essential public services.
Responsible Technology
Our public square has been transformed into a place of division, disinformation and diatribes, manipulated by global digital platforms that undermine trust in government, social cohesion and democracy. In order to combat this, we must build better ways of imagining what strong civic connections look like. We will advocate for responsible technology to mitigate against the harms of Big Tech and their influence in our public square. We will build better models of citizen engagement and civic collaboration.
Social Innovation
We examine the growing difficulty of accessing good jobs and adequate income support. We seek to understand and highlight the experiences of those who bear the brunt of the effects of policy choices that exacerbate inequality, including underpaid and exploited workers, people who can’t get a decent job, women, First Nations people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with disability and their carers, migrants and refugees, and others who are marginalised by our economic and social structures and denied their fair share of power and resources.
Work and Workers
A secure job with decent working conditions is a fundamental right for everyone and the means to build a better life for oneself and one’s family. In recent decades returns to capital have increased while returns to workers for their labour have stalled. Standing with workers enables individuals and the country to prosper and is the means by which we enable social mobility.
Current
Events
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Past
Events
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Past Events
June 19, 2024
![](https://percapita.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CC-John-Cain-Luncheons-graphics.png)
Climate Clangers: the Bad Ideas Blocking Real Action, with Dr Jennifer Rayner
Our Latest
Podcast Episodes
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Homes not Houses
July 15, 2024
Homes Not Houses – Part Four: Australia vs the World
Australia is not alone in facing a housing crisis. Across the globe, many nations are facing similar circumstances, with house prices having risen dramatically compared to incomes for many years. In Part Four of Homes Not Houses, Matt Lloyd-Cape and his guests take a look at the housing markets around the world – how do ... Read more
Burning Platforms
July 10, 2024
Man Made
On this week’s Burning Platforms, we talk with author Tracey Spicer about the biases and contradictions at the heart of Artificial Intelligence. Our panel of Essential’s Peter Lewis, Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea and Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton also ask: * who really runs Australian tech policy? * what does the collapse of ... Read more
Podcast
July 9, 2024
Re:CAP – Housing and the 2024 Budget
Re:CAP is back this week with a new episode where Executive Director, Emma Dawson, and Per Capita’s Andrew Herington Fellow, Lucy Tonkin, to discuss the 2024-2025 federal budget, with a focus on it’s brand-new Housing Statement. https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zj7kcbyqb9d8jf8v/RECAP_189uslk.mp3
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