Emma Dawson
Insights
April 2, 2026

Talent We Already Have: Unlocking Productivity Through Migration
By Dr Wesa Chau, Executive Director Yesterday I listened to Violet Roumeliotis AM and Dr Martin Parkinson speak at the National Press Club about skills shortages, productivity, and the persistent underutilisation of migrant skills in Australia. Their discussion highlights a fundamental contradiction in Australia’s labour market: at a time of acute workforce shortages and slowing ... Read more
Past Events
March 18, 2026

Corporate Social Responsibility in an Age of Existential Threats
In an age of existential threats for Australia and the world, what does society need from companies and how should companies respond? Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a leading role to play in answering these fundamental questions. Yet current Australian and international debate remains stuck in polarised positions on CSR and related topics, including environmental, ... Read more
Insights
March 2, 2026
New Zealand shows austerity and interest rate hikes won’t cure Australia’s sticky inflation
By Osmond Chiu, Research Fellow The recent interest rate hike to address inflation drifting above the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) target band has reignited debate about the Albanese Government’s economic management. Critics argue excessive government spending and the RBA’s initially slow response are to blame for rising prices and slower economic growth, despite the ... Read more
Past Events
February 18, 2026
The Good Fight: What Does Labor Stand for? With Sean Kelly
In Quarterly Essay 100, Sean Kelly considers the enigma of the Albanese government. With wide yet shallow support, will it change the country? Does it have big ideas, or is it content just to become “the natural party of government”? Kelly gives a definitive account of Albanese’s political style and asks what lies behind it. ... Read more
Insights
February 16, 2026
Moltbook and the Moment We Let AI Act on People
Moltbook is being treated as a novelty. A curious, Reddit-like forum where AI agents post about their users, trade productivity advice, and banter with one another in ways that feel playful, even endearing. Much of the public reaction has framed it as harmless fun, a glimpse of quirky machine behaviour rather than a serious development. ... Read more
Insights
February 16, 2026
If facts don’t change minds, how should think tanks think?
By Meredith Eldridge, Director of Operations at Per Capita We humans like to think that we are rational beings who make up our minds based on facts. Unfortunately for us, it is well-established that the vast majority of the time, people’s decisions are actually driven by emotion and subconscious mental shortcuts (see the work of ... Read more
Equitable Housing
February 9, 2026
Inclusionary Zoning: Four principles for a targeted, consistent, and balanced policy
By Dr Kate Raynor and Lucas Lewit-Mendes The Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025 passed both houses of parliament last week. The amendment will streamline building approvals, including allowing low-risk building permits to be processed faster. Changes also include a provision that enables councils and state government to make the use or development ... Read more
Work and Workers
February 2, 2026

Submission to the Senate Education and Employment Committee inquiry – Fair Work Amendment (Right to Work from Home) Bill 2025
We believe balancing a minimum right to work from home with appropriate safeguards for employers is appropriate. The proposed amendments have the potential to improve workforce participation, productivity and job quality across the economy.
January 28, 2026

Australia Day 2026 Honours List Analysis
This document analyses the cultural composition of recipients in the 2026 Order of Australia Honours List.
Insights
January 19, 2026
The Way In: Representation in our Parliament – Wesa Chau
By Dr Wesa Chau, Executive Director “Everyone gets a fair go” is one of Australia’s most cherished values. We often pride ourselves on being a country where diversity is a strength and where anyone — with enough passion, hard work and persistence — can rise to leadership. But The Way In, Per Capita’s latest analysis ... Read more
Our Media
January 19, 2026

How Melbourne became a headline-making city as home prices elsewhere soared – Jesse Thompson
"From an equity perspective, house prices not increasing in Melbourne is a good thing for many people," she said.
Education
January 15, 2026

Submission into the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025
Per Capita supports, in principle, the establishment of an ATEC to ensure that decision-making for the Australian tertiary sector is transparent, evidence-based, and free from undue influence or bias. However, it is also critical that the ATEC reflects the contemporary realities of the Australian university sector, where both staff and students are increasingly diverse and globalised.