Senior Labor members including a former president of the Victorian branch have attacked the party’s “chequered history with exploiting ethnic communities” and urged it to start laying the groundwork to increase cultural diversity in its parliamentary ranks.
Migration to Australia from its neighbours in Asia is steadily increasing. Should we represent their cultures with public holidays?
Is the weekend family time at your place or a work day like any other? In theory , the norm is five days and forty hours but in our 24/7 world work extends around the clock. So is it time for a reset to reduce standard working hours to a four day thirty two hour week?
Victoria’s new parliament will have fewer MPs from Asian and Middle Eastern backgrounds than it did before the election, enlarging the gulf between the proportion of Victorians from non-European backgrounds and the number of politicians who look like them.
As a society, we are paying the unacceptably high price of allowing free reign to those companies that raked in the pandemic profits and now continue to rake in the profits made possible by increased global demand for energy resources.
What does the new government’s budget mean for the millions of Australians living below the poverty line? Does the government have the political will to build a new architecture of fairness? And how could a wellbeing economic framework support all Australians?
Experts believe the solution is more than just building more housing: instead, they say, renters need immediate protections and the market should be better regulated.
When it comes to regulating an industry that provides homes for millions, the wishes of landlords trump safety and security concerns of renters.
Dunn Street founder and Community Organiser Stephen Donnelly was joined once again by Executive Director for Per Capita, Emma Dawson, and former Federal Member for Batman, David Feeney, for Socially Democratic’s Post 2022 VIC ELECTION review!
Kathryn Robinson was joined by Craig Chung, Antoinette Lattouf, Madonna King and Emma Dawson to discuss the findings of an inquiry into the Queensland Police Service’s responses to domestic and family violence, whether it is time to ditch ‘cooking with gas’ and whether NZ will lower the voting age to 16.
An independent review of 20 major decisions by the federal, NSW, Queensland and Victorian governments during 2022 found only five reached “acceptable” processes, six decisions failed and the remainder received only “mediocre” results.
Dunn Street founder and Community Organiser Stephen Donnelly was joined again by Executive Director for Per Capita, Emma Dawson, and former Federal Member for Batman, David Feeney, for Socially Democratic’s 2022 VIC ELECTION ELECTION EVE WRAP!
The political debate which has exploded around the spiraling cost of the NDIS is marginalising people with a disability, making them feel like a "burden" rather than a valued part of society.
The greatest obstacle to getting the seemingly impossible done is not so much the lack of hope or aspiration on the part of those who want it done, but the dogged resistance of those who want to see them fail.
Dunn Street founder and Community Organiser Stephen Donnelly was joined by Executive Director for Per Capita, Emma Dawson, and former Federal Member for Batman, David Feeney, for Socially Democratic’s first weekly recap of the 2022 Victorian State election campaign.
Parliament House’s main committee room was packed yesterday for a celebration of the official Women’s Budget Statement and a government comprised, for the first time, of a majority 52 per cent women.
More than half of NSW MPs own two properties or more, parliamentary documents reveal, and one member owns 12.
New forecasts have put the economic benefits of Auslan — Australian Sign Language — at $380 million annually but the full potential will not be realised if Auslan isn’t designated as one of Australia’s official languages.
Since taking office Mr Shorten has called for a change in the language used to speak about the NDIS, criticising those who have referred to it as an economic burden.
An op ed from Dr John Falzon in The Canberra Times
Fresh-faced and governing neighbouring Melbourne municipalities, Jasmine Nguyen and Anthony Tran are among the youngest mayors in the country. Does their ascent mark a turning point in local politics? The 20-somethings dearly hope so.
Op ed in The Australian referencing Per Capita's 'Upskilling and Expanding the Australian Cyber Security Workforce' report
Emma Dawson quoted in Women's Agenda
Osmond Chiu referenced in The Sydney Morning Herald
Per Capita's "False Economy" report referenced in The Australian
Article in The West Australian referencing Per Capita's 'False Economy' report.
A panel discussion at the Melbourne Writers Festival 2022, featuring Shirley Jackson.
Per Capita's report 'Housing Affordability in Australia' referenced in ABC News
Panel discussion on the jobseeker rate, the impact of having kids and your income, and industrial relations and climate change.
An op ed from John Falzon in The Canberra Times
A new research centre to tackle Australia’s economic, climate and employment challenges.
Emma Dawson quoted in The Saturday Paper
Osmond Chiu quoted in SBS News
An op ed from Sam Ibrahim in The Guardian
Osmond Chiu quoted in The Guardian
Our 'Contracting Care' report referenced in The Guardian
Op ed by Dr John Falzon
A panel discussion on Australia’s economic outlook amid rising inflation, and a Sydney council caught mixing recycling and rubbish.
Osmond Chiu quoted in The Guardian
Our 'Contracting Care' report covered in The Australian
An op ed from Osmond Chiu in The Canberra Times
Emma Dawson quoted in SBS News
An op ed by John Falzon in The Canberra Times
Per Capita's 'Housing Affordability in Australia' report in the Shepparton News
Per Capita's 'Housing Affordability in Australia' report in ABC News
Per Capita's 'Blueprint for Better, Cleaner Jobs' report in the AAP.
Osmond Chiu quoted in The Sydney Morning Herald
Osmond Chiu quoted in ABC News
Op ed from Emma Dawson in The Age
An op ed by John Falzon in the Canberra Times and AMC network
Op ed from Shirley Jackson in The Age
Shirley Jackson in The Canberra Times
Osmond Chiu in The Canberra Times
Tanja Kovac in Women's Agenda
Osmond Chiu in Peril Magazine
Listen to the full episode here
Emma Dawson in The Guardian
Osmond Chiu in The Guardian
John Falzon in The Canberra Times
David Hetherington in The Guardian
Emma Dawson in The Guardian
Warwick Smith in The Conversation
Emma Dawson in The Guardian
David Hetherington in The Guardian
Stephen Koukoulas in Yahoo Finance
John Falzon in The Guardian
John Falzon in the Age/Sydney Morning Herald
Emma Dawson and Tim Lyons in the Age/Sydney Morning Herald
Stephen Koukoulas in Business Insider
Emma Dawson in ABC News with Marianna O'Gorman from the McKell Institute
Stephen Koukoulas in Business Insider
Stephen Koukoulas in Business Insider
Stephen Koukoulas in Business Insider
Stephen Koukoulas interviewed by Christopher Knaus in The Guardian
Warwick Smith interviewed for Domain
Per Capita featured in Your Life Choices
Stephen Koukoulas in The Guardian
Stephen Koukoulas in the Guardian
Emma Dawson in The Guardian
We released our report The Cost of Privilege, which detailed how subsidising the rich costs us significantly more than Newstart unemployment benefits, than disability allowances, and even more than the age pension. The report made quite a splash online, with #TheRichCostMore trending nationwide, and was also covered widely in the national media.
Stephen Koukoulas in The Guardian
Warwick Smith in The Conversation
David Hetherington in The Guardian
Money for Jam featured in Your Life Choices
Money for Jam featured on ABC News - 15 Sep 2017
Stephen Koukoukas in The Guardian - 11 Sep 2017
Stephen Koukoukas in The New Daily - 16 Aug 2017
Warwick Smith and Philip Taylor in The Huffington Post - 7 Aug 2017
David Hetherington on ABC's Mornings Institute - 3 Aug 2017
Emma Dawson on 3RRR's The Grapevine - 24 Jul 2017
24 July 2017. By David Hetherington. The superannuation system was designed for a male breadwinner in full-time work saving for his family. Government, employers, super funds and unions all have a role to play in addressing the imbalance.
18 July 2017. By Philip Taylor. There is a need to challenge those who would have us view current economic and social transformation through the lens of generational conflict, writes Philip Taylor.
20 June 2017. by Emma Dawson. The Australian Government is currently being held to ransom by billionaire media moguls and the hostage is Channel Ten.
14 June 2017. By Warwick Smith. Memo to the Coalition: Australians want the government to spend more, not less, on social services.
12 May 2017. by Warwick Smith. Unemployment benefits are kept intentionally low to motivate the unemployed to get jobs. Again, never mentioned is that there are far more job seekers than jobs; meaning hundreds of thousands of Australians are kept in poverty in order to motivate them to get jobs that don’t exist.
15 August 2017, The Drum on ABCTV. Senior Fellow David Hetherington joins Research Director at McCrindle Eliane Miles, journalist and commentator Cate McGregor and in Melbourne, ABC Health Report presenter Norman Swan, and host Ellen Fanning.
3 May 2017. By Warwick Smith. The Victorian 2017/18 budget contains a handful of measures aimed at improving housing affordability, but they do nothing to address the broader problem
2 May 2017, The New Daily. By Warwick Smith. This year's budget is a commendable effort with measures to tackle domestic violence, increases in health, education and transport spending, but impressive spending programs are undermined by how the revenue is raised.
2 May 2017. By Stephen Koukoukas. The good debt, bad debt slogan is cover for the need for a wider budget deficit, which is nothing to be ashamed of.
26 April 2017. By Tim Lyons Speech to the Victorian Fabians event: "Is Neoliberalism killing social democracy?"
10 May 2017, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoukas. Judged by the promise set out in 2014 to balance the books, the Coalition has been a disaster. Australia’s triple-A rating must be in jeopardy.
26 April 2017. The Drum Per Capita's David Hetherington joins Caroline Overington, Norman Swan and host Ellen Fanning to discuss the merger between Australian Conservatives and Family First; Turnbull's meeting with Trump; and does our National Anthem need updating?
19 April 2017, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoukas. With an ageing population, rises in health, aged care and education spending, the electorate may demand a bigger government than ever before.
4 April 2017, Uncommon Sense on 3RRR Per Capita's Emma Dawson talks to Amy Mullins on why we need to start taking seriously a shorter working week.
11 April 2017, The Drum ABCTV Per Capita's Emma Dawson joins Sharri Markson, Tony Wright and Bernard Salt, with host John Barron to discuss the day's issues.
3 April 2017, Radio National Sunday Extra. Per Capita's Tim Lyons joins the Sunday Roundtable to discuss penalty rates, minimum wage and company tax cuts, with Judith Sloan and Kate Carnell, with host Tom Switzer.
24 March 2017, 3AW. Warwick Smith talks to 3AW's Tom Elliott.
21 March 2017, New Matilda. By Warwick Smith. The banks are making a killing every time you swipe your card.
17 March 2017, The Monthly. By Emma Dawson it’s time to begin a new conversation. Australians need to decide what the “good life” really means in one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
16 march 2017, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. Labor has long been reluctant to argue on economic management. But if it doesn’t make a full-throated case, their poll lead could easily be whittled away.
9 March 2017, The Guardian. by Stephen Koukoulas. The treasurer wants to do something in the budget to make homes more affordable but he has few levers to pull.
6 March 2017, The Guardian. By David Hetherington. When institutions that fulfil a deeply human function – teaching, caring for people at their most vulnerable moments – are forced to behave like businesses, everyone loses.
24 February 2017. By Warwick Smith. The Fair Work Commission has cut Sunday penalty rates for hundreds of thousands of Australians who work in hospitality, retail and fast-food. The commission acknowledged the hardship that this decision would cause to many workers yet made the decision anyway.
16 February 2017, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. Scott Morrison is acknowledging that, to keep voters happy with decent services, spending must remain above 25% of GDP.
13 February 2017, The Drum ABCTV. Per Capita Senior Fellow David Hetherington is joined by the CEO of the Muslim Women's Association Maha Abdo, Associate Editor at The Australian Caroline Overington and host John Barron.
The Guardian, 6 February 2017. By David Hetherington Does anybody really think ANZ, Coles, Qantas or your local hairdresser are about to move to another country because the company tax rate is better there?
25 January 2017, The Guardian. by Stephen Koukoulas. There is no doubt that house prices in Sydney and other parts of Australia are expensive, but Demographia’s global report has several shortcomings.
23 January 2017, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas The truth is that everyone from the Reserve Bank to treasurers have misread and mismanaged things.
5 January 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. New rules for investor lending were ineffectual last year, but 2017 looks set to be the year of weaker house price growth – maybe even price falls.
29 December 2016: The Conversation. By Warwick Smith and Mitchell Eddy When the industrial revolution hit in the 1800s, countries with large disparities in wealth, low property ownership, deficient democracies and disparate education systems were left behind.
ABCNews24, 24 December 2016 Per Capita's Warwick Smith interviewed on ABC News 24 discussing how ready Australia is for the robotics and artificial intelligence revolution.
19 December 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas Update shows Malcolm Turnbull’s government has neither supported growth nor repaired the budget.
8 December 2016, The Monthly. By Emma Dawson. To fight resurgent right-wing populism, the left must remember the importance of class
7 December 2016; The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. The government is lucky it cannot get many of its growth-sapping measures through the Senate as success would take money out of the economy
24 November 2016: Writing for The Ethics Centre, Per Capita Research Fellow Dennis Glover argues that, without noticing it, and often with the very best of intentions, the progressive left in Australia has stopped thinking and talking about the working class.
16 November 2016: The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas It appears the US president-elect is about to trump the left on the issue of fiscal stimulus as a virtue for growth.
13 November 2016: Eureka Street. Tim Lyons The answer to the challenges of future work is to rebuild solidarity of purpose and action.
12 November 2016, The Age. By Dennis Glover Memo to Labor: What just happened to the US Democrats could happen to you.
9 November 2016, The Guardian. by Stephen Koukoulas Extreme market volatility followed news that Donald Trump was likely to win. If markets are correct, he is bad for growth and trade.
28 October 2016, The Guardian. Stephen Koukoulas You can argue all you like about tax rules on capital gains and negative gearing, but basic rules still apply in the Australian market. Look at Perth
October 27, Independent Australia, by Warwick Smith: Exposed: Scomo's 'fix' on housing costs a sop to Libs' Big Developer donors
18 October 2016, The Point on SBS Per Capita's David speaks to Stan Grant on NITV's The Point about the very powerful stories being shared at the public hearings.
17 October 2016, ABCTV Per Capita's David Hetherington joins Nassim Khadem, Michael Jensen and Karen Middleton, with host John Barron.
Spring 2016: Meanjin. By Tim Lyons How to rebuild the power of working people.
30 September 2016, The Monthly. by Warwick Smith Pension changes, age discrimination and workplace automation are driving older Australians into poverty.
18 September 2016, Women's Agenda. By Katelijne Lenaerts. Money for Jam - developing a program that stimulates and facilitates micro-enterprise development among women aged 50+ who are at risk of poverty.
9 September 2016: It's unlikely anyone without a job cares at all if the budget deficit is $6bn or $16bn - they want a government that creates more jobs. By Stephen Koukoulas.
5 September 2016, 1233 ABC Newcastle David Hetherington talks to Rosemarie Milsom about the People Inquiry into Privatisation.
5 September 2016: Per Capita announces New Executive Director and Chair.
31 August 2016, The Guardian; by Warwick Smith All the assertions in Malcolm Turnbullâ's statement about the budget being a fundamental moral challenge are flawed. Let's look at them one at a time.
19 August 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas Not only will NSW's coffers suffer in the short term, but investors will be deterred from pumping much-needed billions into our infrastructure.
15 August 2016, Yahoo 7 Finance. By Stephen Koukoulas The banks are being blasted for not passing on in full the 25 basis point interest rate cut from the RBA earlier this month.
2 August 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas Interest rate cut too little, too late by an RBA with flawed glass half full attitude.
27 July 2016, Yahoo 7 Finance: Stephen Koukoulas Australia's inflation rate is stunningly low. At just 1.0 per cent in annual terms, it is well below the bottom of the RBA target band of 2 to 3 per cent and it is low for reasons that are not all that favourable.
22 July, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. Japan used low interest rates for infrastructure spending over years, but its legacy is white elephants and huge debt.
20 July 2016: The Drum, ABCTV: David Hetherington joins Ticky Fullerton, Mustafa Rachwani, Amelia Lester and host Julia Baird, to discuss the RNC, Trump & Cruz, the reappearance of Hanson and same-sex marriage plebiscite.
4 July 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas Shadow treasurer and his economic team deserve credit for treating the electorate with respect and making difficult choices.
3 July 2016, The Guardian: Stephen Koukoulas joins The Guardian's Expert Panel to give his opinion on what the election results mean for the economy.
27 June 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas Policymakers should ignore the crazed obsession with the budget balance and consider fiscal stimulus if the worst-case scenarios come to pass.
21 June 2016, The Guardian. by Stephen Koukoulas. Policy is dogged with quibbles over trivial changes in the budget balance and government debt.
8 June 2016, Golden Years Issue 125: profile of Money For Jam.
4 June 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. ABS data show private sector business investment and company profits boomed under Labor but have collapsed under the Coalition.
27 May 2016, The Drum. By Stephen Koukoulas. Western Australia is in something akin to a domestic recession, so expect a lot of anger towards the state Liberal government that could flow on to the federal ballot box.
May 24 2016, Yahoo7 Finance. By Stephen Koukoulas. When it comes to government spending, Turnbull and Morrison need to be a little self reflective and less the attack dogs on Labor's alleged "big spending" plans.
20 May 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. Malcolm Turnbull's paring back of Gonski funding for Australia's education system is incomprehensible given the proven value of improving skills.
18 February 2016: The World Today: Former Obama policy adviser, Melody Barnes, talks to Eleanor Hall about innovation and the extraordinary state of US politics.
13 May 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. Better growth, a smaller deficit and higher wages have failed to materialise, giving the lie to the Liberals' claim to be superior managers.
10 May 2016, Pro Bono News: The Money for Jam program follows months of in-depth conversations with 13 different women to gain an understanding of their life stories, current circumstances, needs and barriers.
6 May 2016, Lateline on ABCTV: David Hetherington talks about the upcoming election on Lateline.
6 May 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. It is time for some more far-reaching policy thinking but Scott Morrison's budget has little to that effect.
5 May 2016, The Conversation. By Warwick Smith. Budgets are a good opportunity to see through the spin to what the government really wants. Forget the Treasurer's speech and the budget overview, the truth is in the measures themselves.
2 May 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. Across more than 40 years, Labor has been stronger on most measures. If the party can get that message across to voters, the election will be a close thing.
29 April 2016, Radio National Breakfast: David talks to Alison Carabine about the Per Capita Tax Survey 2016.
20 April 2016, The Drum. By Stephen Koukoulas. The budget on May 3 is a wonderful opportunity for the Government to address its poor performance so far this term. We'll know it has failed if the credit agencies put it on negative credit watch.
4 April 2016, The Guardian: For Gen Xers and baby boomers, unemployment was rife, interest rates touched 17% and university access limited. Gen Yers might choke on their lattes if they had to make the same sort of sacrifices, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
24 March 2016, The Drum ABCTV: David Hetherington joins Nick Cater, Katherine McGrath, and host Julia Baird to discuss the Brussels attacks and refugees, illegal donations and corruption, and the ethics of cat food.
18 March 2016, The Guardian. By Stephen Koukoulas. Provisions of bad debts and non-performing loans remain at near-historic lows, meaning Australia's debt market, at least for householders, is healthy, says .
18 March 2016, The Drum: According to the Coalition, we can't raise taxes nor introduce new taxes. And if cutting expenditure is off the table following the dire experience of the 2014 budget, what's left? Warwick Smith takes a look at one suggestion: tax deduction reform.
March 2016: Polls show that voters overwhelmingly see the Liberal party as better economic managers, but Per Capita's Stephen Koukoulas has done the numbers across those years and found it's just a myth.
March 2016, Griffith Review: Australia has emerged from a spectacular resources boom without any clear approach to achieving growth beyond it. The assumptions underpinning the current consensus no longer fit the circumstances. Jonathan West and Tom Bentley argue that it is time to question those assumptions and renew the consensus about what matters, what works, and what is possible.
11 March 2016, The Guardian: Despite the immigration ministers extraordinary claims, all the persuasive evidence shows investors won’t flee if Labor wins the election, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
10 March 2016, The Age: Most of us would be happy to work a few years longer if it meant a shorter working week, writes Warwick Smith.
22 February 2016: Melody Barnes speaks to Emma Alberici on Lateline.
19 February 2016, The Guardian: Proposal to limit tax breaks to investors buying new properties will boost stock of new houses and improve chances of young people getting on housing ladder, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
12 February 2016, Radio Adelaide Breakfast: David Hetherington talks to Ian Newton about what the privatisation would mean.
14 February 2016, Rear Vision, Radio National: Per Capita's Warwick Smith talks to Keri Phillips on Rear Vision about options for tax reform in Australia.
12 February 2016, The Guardian: Australia avoided quantitative easing thanks to Labor's stimulus, but for other countries it has become the norm and now more rate cuts are a possibility, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
10 February 2016, The Drum: We have good reason to be sceptical that the privatisation of the Medicare payments system would save money, says Warwick Smith.
2 February 2016, The Guardian: Paul Keating breaking the "stick" of inflation in the early 1990s has contributed to Australia having one of the highest standards of living in the world.
17 January 2016. The Guardian: The Coalition has promised a lot of change but Scott Morrison's reign as treasurer suggests that he is following the misguided settings of Joe Hockey, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
16 December 2015, The Guardian: MYEFO shows that Malcolm Turnbull's party is delivering high government spending and high taxation and that's big government, not small, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
10 December 2015, Online Opinion: Everald Compton calls for the government to establish an independent Age pension Authority to work out what the pension should actually be.
14 December 2015: Dennis Glover's speech to the Queensland Unions Growth Symposium
8 December 2015, The Guardian: Uber does not need to buy cars and Airbnb does not need to build hotels and apartments, which means less growth-inducing investment, at least initially, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
10 December: a roundup of the #uberization series we've been running on social media, leading up to our event, Organised Disruption.
2 December 2015, The Drum, ABCTV: David Hetherington joins Kirsty Needham and Judith Sloan to discuss the issues of the day.
30 November 2015, Radio National Breakfast: Sheryle Bagwell interviews David Hetherington about Per Capita's report, Getting the Measure of the Problem.
27 November 2015, The Guardian: Better than expected jobs growth, low inflation and an RBA dividend windfall point to a near-term surplus - unless reckless decisions are made, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
16 November 2015, The Guardian: Rather than making it harder to qualify for welfare support, the government should look at ways to limit the supply of people needing support in the future, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
13 November 2015: David Hetherington looks into a large, hidden slice of Australia where challenges seem endless and opportunities few and far between. This is the world of low-wage jobs.
11 Nov 2015, The Business: Phillip Lasker covers the Inclusive Prosperity Commission event with Stephen Koukoulas, David Hetherington, Cameron Clyne and Verity Firth.
6 November 2015, The Guardian: By all means let's have a debate about tax, but if the revenue from a higher GST is allocated in a way that reduces equality, it will be a handbrake on growth, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
Australian Financial Review: 30 October 2015: Australians think unions are important, but membership is falling. The union movement needs to change or die, says Tim Lyons.
16 October 2015, The Guardian: The new treasurer shows signs of not having grasped key economic concepts. Unless he gets a grip he risks, like Joe Hockey, taking the wrong decisions, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
16 October 2015, The Guardian :The prime minister deserves a bit of verballing over his use of the Caymans tax haven. Truth is though, most Australians are complicit through their super funds
7 October 2015, The Drum: Supporters of penalty rates should be encouraged by the fact that their stance is shared by most Australians and that employers have failed to make the economic case for this attack on incomes, writes Tim Lyons.
6 October 2015, The Drum, ABCTV: Climate policy, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, paying for migration to Australia, and Turnbull and the US Ambassadorship.
30 September 2015, The Guardian: As the ideological debate builds, decisions have to be made about how to pay for increasingly expensive services like healthcare, education and pensions, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
18 September 2015, The Drum: Tony Abbott made the extraordinary decision to not appoint a minister for ageing, but Malcolm Turnbull can fix this mistake. It is vital for government to properly address this growing sector, writes Everald Compton.
15 September 2015: Georgia McCafferty from Quartz.com interviews David Hetherington about Australia's economic prospects and the task ahead of our new PM.
15 September 2015, The Guardian: The new PM needs a grown-up approach to industrial policy, tax, housing and aged care in order to tackle the problems facing the Australian economy, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
2 September 2015, The Guardian: The Coalition has failed to deliver on its election pledges including a return to budget surplus, cutting government debt and having a pro-business strategy, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
25 August 2015, The Guardian: Australia's economy can survive these share shocks for now, but further falls in stock prices could challenge the Coalition's resistance to fiscal stimulus
25 August 2015: David Hetherington talks to Emma Alberici about the stock market and China on the eve of the National Reform Summit.
18 August 2015, Life Matters: Stephen Koukoulas talks to Natasha Mitchell how government should raise the needed revenue for the services we want. What options are out there, and how do we ensure the tax burden is fairly distributed...?
11 August 2015, Online Opinion: Simply holding a review of the parliamentary entitlements system is a predictable but inadequate response, writes Allison Orr.
18 August 2015, The New Daily: Per Capita's David Hetherington looks at bank holiday to make a case for retaining weekend penalty rates.
12 August 2015, The Guardian: Until economic growth picks up, cutting wages - including penalty rates - is no panacea. It would actually be counterproductive, says Stephen Koukoulas.
13 August 2015, The Drum: Our country depends on carers and it's going to do so more as Australia ages. We can't have a conversation about superannuation and older workers without acknowledging this fact, writes Emily Millane.
10 August 2015, The Drum, ABCTV: the new Speaker and what it means for Question Time, 23 years since Mabo and what has changed for indigenous Australians, and should workers protest their colleagues getting sacked by SMS? David joins Steve Canane, Marius Benson and Kate Carnell.
8 August 2015, Saturday Extra on RN: Geraldine Doogue talks to Dennis Glover about An Economy is Not a Society.
5 August 2015, The Monthly: The Productivity Commission's draft report on workplace relations is not WorkChoices, but it’s still full of bad ideas, says Tim Lyons.
5 August 2015, The Guardian: It's much easier to implement, but above all a flat increase in the Medicare levy is the most progressive way to provide a much-needed boost to federal revenues, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
1 August 2015, The Age: Factory closures have turned sustained working class prosperity into lives of endless struggle, and created a new class of people: the 'non-working class', or perhaps more accurately the 'once-working class', writes Dennis Glover.
5 August 2015, Lateline: Ticky Fullerton interviews Dennis Glover about his book, An Economy is Not a Society.
4 August 2015, Herald Sun: Dennis Glover talks to the Herald Sun about his book An Economy is Not a Society.
3 August 2015, The Conversation: economic change can't be stopped, but we should at least try to make it work for everyone. If not, the losers have the moral right to resist - and they will, writes Dennis Glover.
28 July 2015, The Australian Financial Review: The ALP put on a big show of unity at its weekend conference. That seemed better than talking about the resuscitation that the party needs, says Dennis Glover.
29 July 2015, The Monthly: There are many places like Doveton - many once-affluent public-housing suburbs that were built to support thriving industries, but that have been left behind by the revolution. An edited extract of Dennis Glover's book, An Economy is Not a Society.
29 July 2015, The Drum: No matter how the Coalition tries to sell it, there are some striking similarities between the carbon tax and the bid to hike the GST. As Mick Dundee might say: "That's not a tax; THIS is a tax." David Hetherington writes.
23 July 2015, The Guardian: The dollar's fall of more than 35c from its recent peak is substantial and it's easier to make the case for further falls than for a quick recovery, says Stephen Koukoulas.
17 July 2015, Australian Ageing Agenda: There's no shortage of "big ideas" in ageing and aged care. But how many of these great ideas are ever realised? Think tank Per Capita has established a "do tank", the Centre for Applied Policy in Positive Ageing, to turn promising proposals into functioning programs.
18 July 23015, The Saturday Paper: The federal government writes the fundamental rules of the economic game - tax, trade and the finance sector, and a government decision can be entirely free of corruption but still not be an example of good governance. What we need is a royal commission into governance, says Tim Lyons.
16 July 2105, The Guardian: Instead of setting the direction for tax reform, Joe Hockey has given us a confusion of motherhood statements and class warfare, says Tim Lyons.
14 July 2015, The Drum: Australia's pension system is ranked as the most sustainable in the world, but that doesn't stop politicians treating it as a Greek-style crisis in the making, writes Emily Millane.
The Guardian, 10 July 2015: Australia's net foreign debt is on a unrelenting upward trajectory, leaving us vulnerable to the whims of foreign investors, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Guardian, 29 June 2015: Whatever is wrong with the superannuation system, the last thing we need is to hand more power to finance industry spivs at the expense of members, says Tim Lyons.
The Guardian, 26 June 2015: The Abbott government has abjectly failed to act on its pre-election concerns to reduce the size of a debt problem that, in reality, was non-existent, says Stephen Koukoulas
The Drum, 17 June 2015: The Fair Work Commission has ruled workers can "cash out" their annual leave and take the money instead. But leisure time is essential - not just for fun, but for productivity too, writes Emily Millane.
16 June 2015, The Guardian: re are times when it's right for politicians to avoid comment on security and intelligence matters. Whether we paid people smugglers isn't one of them, writes Tim Lyons.
Radio National Breakfast, 9 June 2015: Fran Kelly interviews David Hetherington about the Per Capita Tax Survey 2015.
The Drum, 4 June 2015: Everald Compton puts forward a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan that will not only revive Australia's pioneer heritage but also future-proof our nation - and barely a cent will be spent on new roads.
The Guardian, 4 June 2015: The economic case for maintaining a progressive income tax structure and targeting welfare payments to those most in need is overwhelming, says Stephen Koukoulas.
Launch of the Centre for Applied Policy in Positive Ageing with The Hon. Paul Keating on 21 May 2015 in Sydney. Listen to the speeches here.
12 May 2015, The Drum: The budget's prediction of a surplus in 2019-20 is based on some rather conservative estimates. If the economy performs just a bit better then this time next year the Treasurer may have some good news to share, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
13 May 2015, The World Today, ABC Radio: David Hetherington talks to Eleanor Hall about the growth projections in Budget 2015.
12 May 2015: Stephen Koukoulas finds It is likely to be a budget that pleases no one - not the fiscal hard heads who wish for smaller government and low debt, nor will it please the government interventionists who reckon fiscal policy can deliver full employment and on-going prosperity.
12 May 2015: Stephen Koukoulas has been in the Budget Lock-Up and gives his opinion on the government's second Budget.
12 May 2015: The Guardian Budget Panel: How committed is the Abbott government to "budget repair", or to the challenges of a changing population? Emily MIllane gives her verdict.
The Drum, 29 April 2015: Despite the doom and gloom, Joe Hockey could well deliver a budget deficit profile significantly below what was predicted, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
The Drum, 8 May 2015: Scott Morrison's changes to the age pension are certainly welcome, but cast against the greater problems facing our retirement income and superannuation systems, they look like a paint job, writes Emily Millane.
State of the Left, 30 April 2015: After its controversial first budget, Tony Abbott's government is expected to opt for something duller. In doing so, it will do little to tackle rising unemployment and stagnant wages, says David Hetherington.
The Guardian, 23 April 2015: In the lead up to the Budget, Stephen Koukoulas looks at whether the government will use policy settings to address rising unemployment.
The Guardian, 27 April 2015: The system is stacked against women as they age. Despite working hard and saving for their superannuation, without a political voice the future looks grim, says Emily Millane.
The Guardian, 13 April, 2015: There is only so much the RBA can do to manage the patchwork economy created by the Abbott government, says Stephen Koukoulas.
21 April 2015: Launch of the Commission for Inclusive Prosperity: Per Capita joins team to develop framework for addressing rising inequality.
Radio National Sunday Extra, 12 April 2015: David Hetherington joins Miranda Devine from the Daily Telegraph with host Jonathan Green to discuss freedom of speech.
Online Opinion, 2 April 2015: The visit to Australia of one of the chief shamans of "voodoo economics", Arthur Laffer, raises questions about policies that further concentrate income and wealth, says David Hetherington.
The Drum, 2 April 2015: Scott Morrison would probably have never foreseen that he would be openly touting the welfare proposal of a social services organisation. But it is hard to argue with a savings measure which is also fair, writes Emily Millane.
The Guardian, 19 March 2015: A few tweaks are needed, yes, but the report shows there is no urgency for budget settings to change dramatically in the near term, says Stephen Koukoulas.
Revolutions with Jon Faine on ABC 774 Melbourne, 11 March 2015: Emily Millane talks to Jon Faine about her report The Head, The Heart & The House.
The Drum, ABCTV, 5 March 2015: Stephen Koukoulas joins Fran Kelly, David Miles and host Julia Baird to discuss the Intergenerational Report.
The Monthly, 9 March 2015. By Warwick Smith. Penalty rates are under threat as the government supports the top end of town at the expense of the rest.
ABC Mid North Coast, 5 March 2015: Emily MIllane talks to Fiona Wyllie on ABC Mid North Coast about the Intergenerational Report on the day of the report's release.
ABC 612 Brisbane, 5 March 2015: Everald Compton joins Tim Kariotis and host Rebecca Livingstone to discuss the Intergenerational Report.
The Guardian, 5 March 2015: Fiddling with the numbers in the IGR masks some of the important issues ahead for the economy, in particular tax levels, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Drum, ABCTV, 4 March 2015: Discussion of today's news, with David Hetherington, Sarrah Le Marquand, Chris Berg and host Julia Baird.
The Drum, 5 March 2015: People just want an honest conversation about the Intergenerational Report and what it means for their grandchildren. No talking points. No zingers, says Emily Millane.
Policy Network, 26 February 2015: Australia's Green party fulfilled its dream of becoming part of the political establishment at precisely the wrong time but its fortunes may yet revive, says David Hetherington.
Sunday NIghts with Rev Bill Crews on 2GB, 1 February 2015: Emily MIllane talks to Rev Bill Crews about The Head, The Heart & The House.
The Guardian, 20 February 2015: Highest jobless rate in 12 years is because there is simply not enough economic activity in the economy to stimulate job creation.
The Guardian, 13 February 2015: As China's rate of economic growth slows, Australia must hope that services exports will have a greater share of trade, says Stephen Koukoulas.
12 February 2015: putting children in mandatory immigration detention isn't just harmful, it's not effective policy says Allison Orr.
The Guardian 9 February 2015: Tony Abbott has managed to hang on as PM, but he's a spent force. The leader that follows him will have a messy task ahead of them, says Tom Bentley.
The Drum, 29 January 2015: To suggest that minimum wages are a path to poverty is emotive and arrogantly assumes workers will work for whatever pay is offered to them, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Guardian, 28 January 2015: Those attacking Peta Credlin for the Prince Philip debacle are either opportunists, or worry that her link with Abbott risks the Coalition's project, says Tom Bentley.
The Guardian, 27 January 2015: The government clearly does not want to take the tough decisions needed to reduce the budget deficit and lower government debt, says Stephen Koukoulas.
Online Opinion, 23 January 2015: As we celebrate Australia Day, let's also celebrate a station that supports Australian music. By Allison Orr.
19 January 2015, The Drum ABCTV: GP co-payment, the government's continuing lobbying efforts to stop the execution of Australians in Indonesia, and the ANU's Dr Clarke Jones will speak about the threat posed by violent extremism.
The Australian Financial Review, 8 January 2015: If Labor is going to win government, it needs more than clever campaigning, says Dennis Glover.
The Drum, 18 December 2014: Class, not generation, is the real dividing line, says Emily Millane in The Drum today, in response to Grattan's "The Wealth of Generations" report.
The Guardian, 15 December 2015: Joe Hockey's budget update in the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook (Myefo) statement shows unthinking and inflexible economic policy, says Stephen Koukoulas.
State of the Left, 11 December 2014: Unemployment has been creeping upwards; export commodity prices have plummeted; and this week's national accounts showed that nominal national income is falling - the good times look to be fading, says David Hetherington.
The Guardian 10 December 2014: It's time to turn this argument on its head: it's not about the government's obligations to asylum seekers. It's about their obligations to us, say Graeme Innes and Allison Orr.
Radio National Breakfast, 10 December 2014: Since the Tampa Affair in 2001, Australia's approach to asylum seekers has been defined by tough policies. Graeme Innes talks to Fran Kelly about Per Capita's report, A Nation All At Sea.
The Guardian 2 December 2015: In its 15 months in power the the Abbott government has not acted like an administration dedicated to reducing public debt, says Stephen Koukoulas.
30 October 2014: David Hetherington calls out politicians who champion the market for deregulation and tax cuts, but stray from this when their interests are jeopardised.
The Guardian, 1 November 2014: Like the arrival of the jacaranda bloom, the GST hike made its annual appearance in Australia this week. This is the hardy perennial of Australian public policy, and the usual arguments were on hand to welcome its arrival, states David Hetherington.
The Drum Unleashed, 31 October 2014: Our national policy architecture is caught in an earlier epoch of steady jobs and home ownership, which could be devastating when our younger generation reaches retirement, writes Emily Millane.
The Drum Unleashed, 28 October 2014: Tony Abbott's recent consideration of GST hikes is more about covering his costly policy priorities than plugging a revenue hole in the budget over the next decade, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
The Financial Review, 23 October 2014: Dennis Glover on the late Gough Whitlam.
Per Capita’s work in the area of ageing and longevity has shifted the debate in Australia so that this demographic change is being recognised for the opportunity it is.
Australia's Blueprint for Ageing takes on a new and exciting phase with the launch of the Longevity Forum, an initiative housed within Per Capita.
The Guardian 18 August 2014: The Coalition came to government last year with no substantive plan for the economy, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Guardian, 14 October 2014: The big story in labour force data is the trend of deterioration in unemployment , says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Guardian, 23 September 2014: Higher university fees will mean less use of health services and fewer people going to university, says Stephen Koukoulas.
State of the Left, 16 September 2014: Labor needs to embrace internal reform to win back the trust of the Australian people before it can again claim to be fit for office, says David Hetherington.
State of the Left, 16 September 2014: David Hetherington reflects on the state of Labour at the one-year anniversary of the Coalition government.
The Guardian, 9 September 2014: The Australian government has, in the past five years or so, accumulated a very modest level of net debt , says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Drum ABCTV 4 September 2014: David Hetherington joins Miranda Devine, Tom Allard, and Julia Baird.
ABC Radio 612, 3 September 2014: Rebecca Livingstone interviews Everald Compton about the Blueprint for an Ageing Australia.
The Drum Unleashed, 2 September 2014: Our retirement income system is now skewed towards the wealthy that we're at risk of going backwards, says Emily MIllane.
Radio National Breakfast, 22 August 2014: Emily Millane talks to Fran Kelly about her report, The Entitlement of Age, on Radio National Breakfast.
The Guardian Australia, 18 August 2014: The Coalition came to government last year with no substantive plan for the economy, claims Stephen Koukoulas.
The Guardian, 6 August 2014: The prices the rest of the world is prepared to pay for Australia's export items are falling, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Drum, ABCTV, 4 August 2014: David Hetherington joins Simon Cowan from the Centre for Independent Studies, and Victorian Editor of The Australian, Patricia Karvelas, with host Ellen Fanning.
The Guardian, 25 July 2014: Stephen Koukoulas takes a close look at the carbon tax.
The Guardian, 11 July 2014: The Abbott government's first budget offended just about every sector , while doing little to return the budget to surplus, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Drum, ABCTV, 10 July 2014: Per Capita's David Hetherington joins John Hewson, Lyndal Curtis and host Steve Cannane to discuss the carbon tax in the Senate, the increase in Australia's unemployment rate, and China's response to the recent visit to Australia by Japan's Prime Minister.
Online Opinion, 8 July 2014: Economists are in the business of looking at numbers and making sense from them. But numbers can't tell a story or inspire people; they will only ever be part of the picture. A grander narrative is required, says Allison Orr.
Australian Financial Review, 8 July 2014: It's not Stiglitz's numbers that are compelling, but his purpose and message, says Dennis Glover.
The Drum, 20 June 2014: the Howard government created certain expectations around living standards that are unsustainable, says Emily Millane.
The Guardian Australia, 15 June 2014: In our divided political culture, there is one thing that most people seem to agree strongly about. The quality of our political debate, and by extension our politicians, is a cause for frustration, disappointment and cynicism, says Tom Bentley.
The Guardian, 8 June 2014: We must develop a broader, more resilient economy, in which market value is tempered and enhanced by the quality of public and social institutions. But the methods through which this can be done are not the same as those of a generation ago, says Tom Bentley.
Online Opinion, 6 June 2014: Restructuring higher education is not just a Budget item, but has far wider implications, says Allison Orr.
The Daily Review, 6 June 2014: There's a moment in the writing of every big political speech when the speechwriter just knows the outcome of the speech will be the exact opposite of what it intends, says Dennis Glover.
The Drum, ABC1, 6 June 2014: Per Capita's David Hetherington talks about the Per Capita Tax Survey 2014 on the Drum with James Valentine, Tara Moss, Samantha Maiden and host Julia Baird.
Radio National Breakfast, 6 June 2014: Per Capita's David Hetherington talks to Ellen Fanning about the Per Capita Tax Survey 2014.
The Guardian, 2 June 2014: The public reaction to Australia's 2014 budget has been like a compound fracture to the government's backbone, says Tom Bentley.
The Guardian, 2 June 2014: If economics was sexy, life would be very different, claims Josh Bornstein.
The Guardian, 28 May 2014: Some two weeks after the budget and more than eight months after being sworn in to office, the Abbott government continues to trash talk the economy, seemingly unaware of the damage it is inflicting on consumer sentiment and business conditions, says Stephen Koukoulas.
27 May 2014: Australian education is characterised by concentrations of both advantage and disadvantage, and funding does matter in the choices parents make says Allison Orr. Increasingly, the Australian education system is stratified along socio-economic lines.
The Drum, 15 May 2014. Of course we should celebrate the fact that we are all living longer. It is good news but...
14 May 2014, Australian Financial Review. By Dennis Glover. The contradictions of capitalism are becoming obvious and occasionally embarrassing, and Pitetty's book shows why.
The Guardian, 14 May 2014: Having been in government for eight months and with plenty of advice flowing and time to think about policy priorities, the Abbott government has presented a budget which forecasts a significant rise in unemployment, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Guardian, 13 May 2014. Having been in government for eight months and with plenty of advice flowing...
The Drum: Budget Special, 13 May 2014: A great panel discussion with David Hetherington, Steve Cannane, Jessica Irvine and John Hewson.
13 May 2014. The macroeconomic end point of the Abbott government's first budget is remarkably uninspiring...
The Drum Unleashed, 7 May 2014. Joe Hockey's policy prescriptions along with stronger economic parameters could have...
The Guardian, 7 May 2014: We live in an era in which the private sector enjoys enormous political influence and frequently uses that influence to increasingly blur the line between public and private interests, says Josh Bornstein.
The Drum Unleashed, 7 March 2014: Treasurer Joe Hockey and Employment Minister Eric Abetz must be delighted with the current structure of the industrial relations system and the degree of flexibility in labour market conditions, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Drum Unleashed, 17 April 2014. The proposed increase to the pension eligibility age makes...
The Drum Unleashed, 16 April 2014: One yawning gap in the economic debate in Australia is the lack of a target for the unemployment rate, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Drum, ABCNews24, 9 April 2014: Per Capita's David Hetherington joins the broadcaster Sarah McDonald, Chris Berg from the IPA and host Chris Berg to discuss the government's rejection of the PM's trade tour of NOth Asia, the NHMCR's review into homeopathy, the Royal Commission into union corruption, and the Commonwealth Games team.
The Australian Financial Review, 9 April 2014: Employees can be left with a distinct impression that processes and outcomes of investigations have been manipulated by the employer. New bullying laws may bring some overdue reform, says Josh Bornstein
The Age, 5 April 2014. In a low-ceilinged cafe deep underground, the lunchtime food queue jerked slowly forward...
The Drum Unleashed, 3 April 2014: Australia should embrace a target for the unemployment rate and return to the policies that will see a sustainable move to, let's say, 4 per cent as a first step, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
Big Ideas, ABC Radio National, 2 April 2014: David Hetherington is in conversation with the authors of the report, Verity Firth and Rebecca Huntley.
State of the Left, March 27 2014: Despite a series of missteps by the new government, the Labor opposition have been laying uncharacteristically low. The party is trying to absorb the lessons of its election defeat. The question is whether a rebuilt Labor will be willing to take meaningful political risks in support of its values. By David Hetherington.
The Australian Financial Review, 25 March 2014: Paul Howes leaves the union movement for a job in the corporate sector. The inevitability has been apparent for some time, measured in the rapidly widening distance between his personal political beliefs and those of everyone around him, says Dennis Glover
The Australian Financial Review, 18 March 2014: Dennis Glover asks, What does social democracy mean today?
Per Capita, 13 March 2014: Per Capita is delighted to announce that the peak memberhsip body National Seniors has joined Per Capita's Advisory Panel on the Blueprint for an Ageing Australia.
The Guardian, 11 March 2014: when parents commit to public education, the benefits flow to the entire community, say Rebecca Huntley and Verity Firth.
11 March 2015, Life Matters: Verity Firth talks to Natasha MItchell about Per Capita's Report, Who's Afraid of a Public School?
The Drum, ABC News, 24 February 2014: Per Capita's David Hetherington joins the Sue Cato, from the Cato Council, former Liberal Senator Helen Coonan and host Steve Cannane to discuss the affairs of the day, including the government's immigration policy, the G20 summit, the release of cabinet records, and NSW liquor laws.
The Australian Financial Review, 18 February 2014: One of the most interesting aspects of the debate on Australia's automotive industries is the renewed enthusiasm for industrial work, says Dennis Glover.
Crikey, 12 February 2014: The government's inclination might be towards taking the "business as usual approach" but the national interest demands more. By Everald Compton and Emily Millane.
The decision by Toyota to close its Australian operations will undoubtedly catalyse the odd industrial relations Ayatollah to declare another jihad on the Fair Work Act, says Josh Bernstein.
Over the course of the summer, we have seen the ground prepared for a broad political offensive, says David Hetherington.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 February 2014: Try seeing a heart specialist with $39 to spend on health a week. Or paying for all your week's groceries with $76. The age pension won't let you do that, says Emily Millane.
The Age, 8 February 2014: If you were asked to journey back to a different time and place, when and where would you choose? By Dennis Glover
The Drum, 4 February 2014: The budget is in a manageable position; some policy tightening is necessary, but Treasurer Joe Hockey need not be as extreme as foreshadowed in recent media debate, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Guardian, 4 February 2014: When I became a partner in a law firm, something strange happened at the bank. Our relationship deepened. I became a premium client with premium needs, says Josh Bernstein.
Australian Ageing Agenda, 21 January 2014. It's the old adage about electoral politics. Governments don't really put the national interest first...
Australian Ageing Agenda, 21 January 2014: We need contributions to the ageing debate that that take the conversation further, says Emily Millane.
The Drum Unleashed, 30 December 2013: We need to be vocal about the kind of decent society we aspire to, rather than sleepwalking into a society we don't recognise as ours, says Emily Millane.
The Drum, 19 December 2013: It appears that George Brandis's campaign to protect freedom of speech at the expense of freedom from discrimination is about redressing a symbolic injury to the Right, writes David Hetherington.
The Drum, 18 December 2013: The unrealistically pessimistic view of the economy as presented in MYEFO is designed to make Joe Hockey look like a fiscal hero come the May Budget, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
Crikey, 10 December 2013: Maurice Newman, Tony Abbott's hand-picked business adviser, is misguided on Australia's labour markets, says Stephen Koukoulas.
The Crikey, 4 December 2013: Our ageing population will present challenges. But the demographic shift presents plenty of positive opportunities if you know where to look, says Everald Compton.
Crikey, 29 November 2013: Australians are living longer, which presents a significant financial problem for the current pension system. Emily Millane looks at four things the government could do to cope.
Radio National Breakfast, 21 November 2013: Per Capita's Emily Millane talks to Jonathan Green about her report, Still Kicking.
For a while Rudd seemed to be just the thing Labor needed, but it proved too thin a veneer to give Labor the purpose and unity it needed, says Dennis Glover.
The Coalition's characterisation of Labor's economic management as "reckless" and "wasteful" is a big lie that is going to be hard to revise, writes David Hetherington.
Australia is in the midst of a massive demographic shift with dramatic repercussions for public policy, but the Coalition seems uninterested, writes Emily Millane.
Since its catastrophic election loss the ALP rebuilding effort has already begun, with a more democratic leadership contest leading to membership exceeding 50,000 for the first time in years, says David Hetherington.
BRW's Fiona Smith interviews Per Capita's Stephen Koukoulas.
As Australia faces the challenges of an ageing population, Tony Abbott's decision to lump aged care and ageing into the Social Services portfolio could spell trouble for the future of older Australians, writes Emily Millane.
Despite a highly commendable record in government, the Australian Labor Party's tendency to rely on "professional politics", while simultaneously destroying itself with ill-discipline, proved to be a gift to a weak Conservative opposition , says David Hetherington.
No one doubts the budget needs to be rebuilt over the economic cycle, but let’s assume for now we need urgent, drastic action to fix the crisis. Where to start?
Kevin Rudd's campaign launch speech is unlikely to save his government from defeat, says Dennis Glover.
Manufacturing policy has an enduring resonance, and in this election, the similarities between the two parties' offerings are more revealing than their differences, says David Hetherington
If his paid parental leave scheme is any guide, Tony Abbott is a 'big government' interventionist who is on course for an ongoing battle with his conservative base, writes David Hetherington.
Neither Tony Abbott nor Kevin Rudd seem to recognise the massive social and economic ramifications of Australia's ageing population, writes Emily Millane.
The Coalition trumpets its economic credentials on the Howard government's zero debt legacy - not a smart move, says Stephen Koukoulas.
If the Labor government collected tax at the same level of the Howard government, we would already be swimming in budget surpluses, says Stephen Koukoulas.
Josh Bornstein asks if there is a limit on political affiliation. Is there a "least worst" principle on the asylum seeker issue?
Emily Millane joins Michael Rowland & Virginia Trioli to discuss the Human Rights Commission's report on ageing stereotypes.
Despite the dire warnings about the carbon tax, Australia's economy is still growing, creating jobs and registering a quite stunning lift in wealth, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
Dennis Glover is interviewed by Simon Santow. He applauds Kevin Rudd's moves to change the rules about unseating a Federal leader, but says they could have gone further.
Tony Abbott might be wise to refuse a debate on the economy, because there is little substance behind his claims on the budget and debt, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
Older Australians are increasingly active in social, political and economic life, but the media portrayal of them is of doddering grumps. This needs to change says Emily Millane.
Australian Labor have taken a last ditch gamble in disposing Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opting for her bitter rival Kevin Rudd, says David Hetherington.
Policies need to be described in terms of human values not economic calculation, says Dennis Glover.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the current structure of labour market conditions and it is worth looking at the statistics to confirm this, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
Our collective desire to consume, devour and discard has spilled over into our political culture and is having a detrimental effect on our public institutions and democracy itself, writes Emily Millane.
Labor has to look ahead to a fresh formulation of ideas capable of giving new life to its philosophy and aims. That job it is going to need some smart and tough-minded new thinkers in its leadership ranks, says Dennis Glover.
Helen Razer would have all aspiring lefties undertake an education in Keynsian economics, but are modern-day Keynsians really leading the campaigns Razer would support? By Josh Bornstein.
Just as you shouldn't run a deficit if the economy is overheating, there's nothing to be gained from running a surplus if the economy is then kneecapped, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
Tim Soutphommasane asks, how much are we prepared to pay to avoid the social brutality of Thatcherism?
The pursuit of justice sometimes means having to speak for the losers as well as the potential winners from economic change, says Dennis Glover.
Each percentage point reduction in interest rates has saved Australian borrowers about $25 billion a year. The Gillard Government might like to point this out to voters, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
While the rise of the super-rich raises legitimate concerns over political influence, the "one per cent" debate also masks the real inequality story of our time: the growing gap between young and old, writes David Hetherington.
A commitment to lift the tax-to-GDP ratio would challenge conventional wisdom and give Labor a sorely needed point of differentiation.
We're the envy of the world, but you'd never know it from the tenor of political debate.
We like to think we are a leading force in Asia, culturally and diplomatically. We might just be kidding ourselves.
What's Labor's story? How can it make it the nation's story? Labor needs to answer questions like these, not just to satisfy its members, but to satisfy the electorate, too.
The recent protests by Muslim youths in Sydney have rightly shocked just about all of us.
The party's spirits have been buoyed by recent successes, but the sense of economic unease will not help the government's fortunes.
Class was traditionally one of the great dividing lines in Australian society.
As the Government rolls out the NBN across the country, they should use the opportunity to move powerlines underground
Most people I know have taken at some stage the Myers-Briggs personality test.
How's this for a radical thought to start the week - a robust contest of ideas around how we educate Australian students to an internationally
Every political memoir is based on a simple dichotomy: the outsider v the insiders (Barack Obama), the bleeding heart v the calculating machines
Per Capita's Tim Soutphommasane and ResPublica's Phillip Blond join Waleed Aly to discuss the relevance of the political left and right.
The post-Olympic withdrawal symptoms that Australians usually experience may well be less pronounced this year.
We allow 18-year-olds to vote, pay tax, marry, and go to war. If 18 is the measure of adulthood for these things, why not for the minimum wage as well? Equal pay for equal work is not too much to ask.
The Coalition under Abbott has a long way to go before it can offer fiscal credibility.
The ALP needs to grasp the value of ideological renewal.
It is time to end the cycle of cynical manipulation in which a modest number of asylum seekers is converted into a supposed flotilla of illegal immigrants invading Australia, writes Tim Soutphommasane.
Shifting Grounds blog: Rather than treating a love of country as crass nationalism, social democrats should reclaim patriotism - as a sentiment of solidarity and as an instrument of progress, writes Tim Soutphommasane.
Ex-MP Maxine McKew is preparing a tell-all book on her rollercoaster ride in federal parliament that is expected to include an in-depth account of...
Since when did we see ourselves as consumers more than citizens.
Here's a fact everyone in the Labor Party knows but probably doesn't want to explore too deeply in this the week of the Queen's diamond jubilee:...
By Tim Soutphommasane Here in Australia, we are holding no equivalent river pageant to that in London to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee. There is no bunting in our city...
For the past decade, Australia rode high on the mining boom. The revenue that flowed from that has delivered Federal coffers an unprecedented bounty, which helped Australia avoid the global recession that engulfed much of the developed world after the GFC. But with commodity prices now falling and tax revenue slumping again, it's time to ask where that mining windfall really went, and how well was it spent?
The role of citizen is a concept Tim Soutphommasane wants us to re-consider in the light of the Asian century ahead of us. Sharing food and holiday...
By Tim Soutphommasane Our constant connection through Facebook and its like may have a downside. I don't remember exactly when I signed up to Facebook but it was...
The Age, 7 May 2012: Democratic politics has always been about finding ways for us to co-operate amid differences. But in an age of pluralism, we may be defined as much by the manner in which we disagree as by what we have in common: writes Tim Soutphommasane.
The Age, 23 April 2012: National days are only as powerful as what they say about nations themselves, writes Tim Soutphommasane.
The Age, 26 March 2012: Each Australian generation seems to discover Asia as though the region were revealed to it for the first time, writes Tim Soutphommasane.
State of the Left, 21 March 2012: A debate over fair distribution of Australia's mining income gives Labor a platform to reconnect with ordinary voters on national values, writes David Hetherington.
The Australian, 13 March 2012: The vitriolic reaction from the political Right to Wayne Swan's The Monthly essay demonstrates a new political correctness that is trying to force itself on an unwilling Australia. At its core is the following proposition: that the connection between economic class and politics is now a taboo subject for our democracy, writes Dennis Glover.
The Age, 12 March 2012: With the cathartic purging of Kevin Rudd now complete, Labor has an opportunity to trade in technocracy for the authentic register of Australian egalitarianism. Whether it chooses to do so will reflect not only its confidence in the new populism but its confidence in itself, says Tim Soutphommasane.
ABC News 24, 27 February 2012: Per Capita Research Fellow, Dennis Glover, who has been a speech writer for both Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, says she needs to improve her public communication.
The Age, 25 February 2012: Labor MPs are faced with a situation resembling the Judgment of Solomon. They must adjudicate between two claimants locked in a deeply personal contest, says Tim Soutphommasane.
The Drum Unleashed, 20 February 2012: Nobody expects consistency in politics any more. Points of principle hold little sway in the face of focus group research and angry talkback callers, says David Hetherington
Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 2015: We must act soon if we are to avoid more bad news on the jobs front, says David Hetherington.
Panel discussion: What does patriotism mean to Australians? For some it's just a love of the Australian landscape or wearing the Aussie colours at..
The ABS has launched a project aimed at getting a better idea of what's important in our society, economy and environment.
6 April 2007 Article in The Age on the launch of Per Capita.
The Australian, 15 February 2012: The way a party controls its past tells you a lot about how it sees its present and its future, says Dennis Glover.
