Opinion & Commentary
Opinion and Commentary contains media articles written by CIS researchers.
Categories
A civil tongue is still crucial in politics
Civility has been making the news over the last few weeks. This is heartening, for civility is a crucial social virtue, and it is important that we as a society reflect on it from time to time. We need...... Read More
Can't beat the market so just plunge in, fees first
Some years ago I had a left-wing acquaintance whose stock response to all my market-based policy suggestions was 'it's no panacea'.... Read More
Sure, we’ll breed (if we can afford it)
More women would put careers on hold to stay at home with their child if it wasn't so costly, writes Jennifer Buckingham.... Read More
Dysfunction runs in the family
The preoccupation with paid maternity leave and our falling fertility rate is shifting attention away from deeper problems. Particular issues such as low birth rates and maternity leave need to be put...... Read More
Will higher funding really deliver higher education?
A curious feature of the current higher education debate is that very little of it is about education as such. A few brief arguments about teaching quality and how it can be improved aside, most discussion...... Read More
Students gain in change
Are low-income young people more or less likely to go to university than they were 20 years ago? An article by Peter Spearritt against university fees (Perspectives, August 26) suggests that the answer...... Read More
Unfair dismissal laws deter firing and hiring
Joblessness is a major cause of poverty. Getting the poor into work is therefore the key to alleviating poverty. The problem, however, is that there appear to be too few jobs.... Read More
Lucky country for sale
The Australian government has stepped up immigration and we continue our generous intake of genuine refugees. Both is in the national interest. Yet, public opinion has turned sceptical about mass immigration...... Read More
PNG in need for much more than money
Papua New Guinea has become a dysfunctional state. Per capita income is falling, public services are non existent and robbery, rape and murder occur every day. A least thirty people were killed during...... Read More
The importance of staying single legally
The NSW Law Reform Commission proposes that, when unmarried couples who live together break up, their property settlement should be subject to exactly the same rules as when a married couple gets divorced. ...... Read More
A new start to the end of history
Francis Fukuyama first gained instant international fame by announcing The End of History in 1989. So what was he to do when a group of Muslim terrorists so terrifyingly demonstrated their quarrel with...... Read More
The Parent Trap: Will paid maternity leave really lift the birthrate?
Heather Ridout, deputy chief executive of the Australian Industry Group, says government-funded basic maternity leave is desirable but needs to be augmented by more child care support and flexible working...... Read More
Now is the time for fecund thoughts
It's easy to find reasons to put off having a baby. You want to travel first. You want to have a career first. You want to buy a house first. You want to maintain your independence for a while longer....... Read More
Growth needs basic rules
The New Zealand economy is one of the freest in the world. This still holds true despite its freedom rating having slipped somewhat since the bold economic reforms that ended a decade ago. ... Read More
Our leaders have a responsibility to uphold standards
The name-calling and personal attacks so readily used by Australian politicians—such as Mark Latham's derogatory remarks about the Prime Minister demonstrated this week—show a complete lack of civility. ...... Read More
Public choice must fashion education
Dr Boston raises the important question of the kind of schools in which we would like to see our children educated. Thanks for asking, but can we have more than two options, please? There are potentially...... Read More
The poor need trade, not aid
Australia is not alone in its 'asylum seeker' problems. 'Asylum seekers' are putting pressures on liberal democracies world-wide, with ensuing conflict between compassion and rules that avoid future social...... Read More
Who says uni deregulation is politically unpopular?
What a difference 2½ years make. In October 1999, after then education minister David Kemp's plans to reform Australia's universities were revealed by the Opposition in parliament, John Howard ruled out...... Read More
Just give us the figures, we can add
The Australian Bureau of Statistics this week released the latest Census findings. Collecting and publishing data about population trends has long been the bureau's bread-and-butter role, and once again...... Read More
Poor Approach to the Economy: Claims that poverty is growing in Australia are built on shifting sands
Does Australia have an increasing poverty problem or not? The Centre for Independent Studies' Policy (Winter 2001) a year ago suggested that poverty estimates based on income surveys exaggerated poverty...... Read More
