Opinion & Commentary
Opinion and Commentary contains media articles written by CIS researchers.
Categories
HECS not putting hex on parenthood
Topical issues give new impetus to old agendas, and opponents of university fees are using concern over low and falling fertility to bolster their case. ... Read More
We need more police and to use them better
Across Australia the number of police per 10,000 people has risen by about 37 per cent between 1964 and 2000. The ratio of police to persons varies by state, but, with the exclusion of the Northern Territory,...... Read More
NZ school zoning: fairness or fraud?
Good state schools in both New Zealand and Australia are facing a large and growing problem—fraud. Families are providing false addresses within a school’s zone so that their children can attend the...... Read More
Dismissal Law Benefits the Long-term Unemployed
Employment prospects for the long-term unemployed remain bleak, as the Senate is expected to reject the Fair Dismissal Bill yet again as early as this week.... Read More
Expect fallout here as our neighbour falls apart
With the impending war on Iraq and growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula understandably dominating media headlines, economic decline and government collapse in Australia's closest and largest neighbour,...... Read More
A glimmer of hope on the mean streets
Statistics coming out of NSW this week suggest that the 40-year trend of rising crime in Australia may be coming to an end. Over the past two years, robberies, burglaries and car theft fell substantially...... Read More
Leaks look lousy for lingerers - reform starts with naughty students
If the leaks from Canberra are to be believed, the Government is planning to track university students through a centralised computer system. It will keep records of students' time at university, loan...... Read More
Fertility incentives off the mark
The low fertility rate in this country is just as much about women having fewer children as it is about fewer women having children. Although childlessness has increased in the past two decades, around...... Read More
The Price of Crime Without Doing Time
The Australian crime rate has escalated over the past 40 years. According to the International Crime Victim Survey of 17 countries, Australia now ranks second highest overall (behind England and Wales)...... Read More
The Price of Crime Without Doing Time
The Australian crime rate has escalated over the past 40 years. According to the International Crime Victim Survey of 17 countries, Australia now ranks second highest overall (behind England and Wales)...... Read More
Tax is the key to welfare reform
Tony Abbott wants to reform tax and welfare so that it pays to work. His recent speech did not go into detail, but he wants to replace the existing system of pensions and allowances for working-age adults...... Read More
Parents need report cards on schools
Greater public scrutiny would increase competition, improve education and cut costs. It was wishful thinking on the part of the Federal Government and supporters of funding based on socio-economic status...... Read More
Working to beat the poverty trap
Two misconceptions continually cloud debates about poverty in Australia. One is that poverty is widespread and getting worse. The other is that the best way to tackle poverty is by increasing taxes...... Read More
Pay increases don't help the unemployed
A few weeks ago, the Australian Council of Trade Unions announced yet another 'living wage' claim. It plans to seek, in 2003, a $24.60 per week pay rise for all award workers, bringing the minimum wage...... Read More
Poverty - flawed figures, gloomy estimates
Poverty is a harsh word for harsh conditions. It conjures up images of people sleeping rough and of children going hungry and nobody wants that. Most Australians are therefore happy to support policies...... Read More
Outdated laws create problems for universities
Gloom and Australia's universities are longtime companions. The National Library's catalogue records half a dozen publications on the 'crisis' in universities, published in 1952, 1965, 1970, 1980, 1994,...... Read More
Lies and statistics
Surjit Bhalla's book Imagine There's No Country has created a furore in Washington by convincingly demonstrating that the World Bank's poverty count of 1.15 billion poor people in developing countries...... Read More
We must dance with the devil
IN the wake of the Bali bombing, it is imperative that we think clearly and, if necessary, coldly, about what the national interest requires with respect to Indonesia. ... Read More
The poor are not poorer in fact
The Commonwealth Government has just acceded to pressure from the ALP and the welfare-spending lobby to set up a Senate inquiry into poverty. If this inquiry succeeds in clearing up some of the misconceptions...... Read More
Only deregulation can create jobs
The unemployment rate in August 2002 stood at 6.2%—a high figure considering continuing economic growth. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 622,700 unemployed people, but only...... Read More
