Opinion & Commentary
Opinion and Commentary contains media articles written by CIS researchers.
Categories
Honesty the best policy for those in government
"HONESTY is the first chapter in the book of wisdom," said Thomas Jefferson. Without honesty there is no trust. Without trust, there is no confidence others will follow the rules. Abuse the virtue of... Read More
NSW health history shows Carr's feet of clay
If you believe the hype, Carr's entry into federal politics is a sign that the floundering incompetence which has typified the Rudd and Gillard administrations will now be replaced by the policy substance... Read More
Italy defaults on debt and sends lenders broke? So be it
The federal government will need to cut spending to ensure a surplus in 2012-13. Read More
Focus on 'prevention' abusing kids
Despite increasing government spending on programs meant to prevent child abuse and entries into care, record numbers of children are currently in Out of Home Care (OOHC) in Australia, and this is the... Read More
Myths, lies and adoption
IN 2009-10, 36,000 children were in out-of-home care in Australia and more than two-thirds had been there for at least two years. Many of these children will remain in out-of-home care indefinitely after... Read More
The future of the ALP may lie in rediscovering a voice from its past
Which political party would William McKell support in 2011? Read More
Donation disclosure a first step to intimidation
The donations disclosure threshold needs to balance competing policy considerations. Read More
Campaign xenophobia driven by foreign donations ban
Almost everyone in mainstream politics says they oppose xenophobia, but foreigners have few friends among advocates of campaign finance reform. Read More
Campaign bans muzzle debate
Third-party campaigns are one of the checks and balances of a liberal democratic political system. Read More
Demand driven only if it suits
Gillard rightly denies that her demand-driven system was a voucher system but doesn’t push for choice and competition. Read More
Won’t someone think of politicians when it comes to pay rises?
With confusion and routine bickering about parliamentary pay, politicians’ remuneration should be fixed to a multiple of the median full-time wage. Read More
Greens unlikely to emulate German success
Why is it that the Australian Greens cannot break out of their ghetto while their German friends are about to replace the traditional party of the Left? Read More
Dangerous developments for democracy?
Depending on our own policy views, interest group successes can look like policy failures. But we should think very carefully about the implications of declaring these campaigns bad for democracy. Read More
Germany proves clumsy with foreign matter
The ghosts of multiculturalism are haunting Germany, a country that has failed with the concept. Read More
The fracturing of Australian politics
The palpable sense of a rift between voters and their political representatives is not unique to Australia but a global phenomenon, especially in many developed countries. Read More
Patients, doctors could pay for Super Clinics election ‘pork’
The Gillard government appears set to go ahead with the electoral pork that GP Super Clinics are. Read More
A world away
While candidates in the federal election sidestepped foreign policy for the sake of a few marginal seats, Australians as a whole are more interested in the world than they are given credit for, says John... Read More
The perils of multi-party Australia
It may be nerve-wrecking for the Australian public to watch the negotiations between the parties and the independents in the wake of the federal election but other countries have managed and are managing... Read More
City got big but never grew up
A little bit of Sydney history illustrates the point that transport, infrastructure and other problems have nothing to do with the level of the population, but how well we handle the challenges that accompany... Read More
The Italian omen
Is everything back to normal for Europe? Was the European crisis just a storm in a teacup? Asks Oliver Marc Hartwich in Business Spectator, 12 August 2010. Read More
What's missing from the population debate
To seriously meet the challenges of population growth, we first need to deal with some problems with the functioning of our federation, argues Jessica Brown in Business Spectator, 12 August 2010. Read More
Baking a recipe for migration
If Australians need reminding why migrants can be a great benefit to society, they only need to look at the German bakery in Sydney's Queen Victoria Building , says Oliver Hartwich in Business Spectator... Read More
A bigger country is inevitable
We are having a false public debate about population, something we can barely control anyway, so all of the very real challenges of population growth and ageing are not being addressed, says Jessica Brown... Read More
Scrap 'Cash for Clunkers' scheme, not older cars
Instead of scrapping hundreds of thousands of perfectly functional cars for imaginary benefits, the Prime Minister would be better advised to scrap her lunatic proposal, says Oliver Marc Hartwich in The... Read More
Europe’s lesson too late?
Will Australia learn the lessons from Europe’s past too late? Asks Oliver Marc Hartwich in Business Spectator, 29 July 2010. Read More
Europe shows the alternative to growth is decline
Growth is not everything, but without growth everything is more difficult, says Oliver Marc Hartwich in The Australian 23 July 2010 Read More
It's time Henry had an umpire
It’s not always easy to discern where factual information ends and political posturing begins, creating widespread cynicism about official forecasts of public finances. Read More
Australia’s choice between growth and decline
It is hardly surprising that Australians worry about further population increases but we only need to look to Europe’s changing demographics to see that the alternative would be even less appealing. Read More
Nuclear’s new dawn
The Swedish parliament recently reversed the country’s decades-long anti–nuclear policy, so is it time to re-open the debate about nuclear power in Australia now? Read More
The spectacular descent of Kevin Rudd
The central lesson in Rudd’s demise is that at some point, the polls have to take back seat to the policy. Read More
Ken Henry should get a new career – as a pollie
Treasury secretary Ken Henry has no business trying to stifle debate, says Oliver Marc Hartwich in The National Times, 23 June 2010. Read More
Policy debate isn’t helped when the Left descends into hatred
The abuse of Peter Saunders conceals more serious welfare questions in New Zealand. Read More
Nick Clegg isn't the Messiah...
Nick Clegg, Policy Exchange, David Cameron, Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, UK election, Labour, Gordon Brown Read More
Political idol: why TV offers more creative answers than politicians
We need more creativity in policy making, says Oliver Marc Hartwich in the Sydney Morning Herald, 28 April 2010 Read More
Rights charter would empower only lobbyists
A federal charter of rights would only empower special interest groups. Read More
Charter of rights no protection for the vulnerable
A charter of rights that many of us imagine will not be the charter we actually get. Read More
Research key to balancing pay equity with jobs growth
The Australian Fair Pay Commission's final decision on minimum wages needed to draw more broadly on research, consultations and submissions and rely less on formal procedures of a forensic nature. Read More
Activists should stop talking about global warming and start acting
If climate activists had spent the past 10 years acting instead of wasting time at talkfests such as the one at Copenhagen, we would already have a price signal on greenhouse gas emissions. Read More
Battle for ownership of broad non-Labour church
Malcolm Turnbull’s downfall as Liberal leader was an unusual event for right-of-centre Australian politics. A central cause was disagreement on a policy issue, the emissions trading scheme. Usually the... Read More
How 'liberal' is the Liberal Party?
Last weekend, Australians re-elected John Howard’s Liberal Party for a third term in government. It was a hard-fought campaign, and some commentators are claiming that it has left the nation ‘bitterly... Read More
Continental drift: inching away from federalism
The gradual shift of power among Australia’s governments, examined by Robert Carling in The Australian Financial Review, 30 April 2010 Read More