Policy Monographs
Policy Monographs (PM) are pieces directly commenting on government policy, new programs or legislation.
Categories
Back to the Bad Old Days? Industrial Relations Reform in Australia
Has the Fair Work Act thrown industrial relations back to ‘the bad old days?’ This report analyses the changes in industrial relations reform over the past 20 years and assesses the role in which each... Read More
Alcohol Policy and the Politics of Moral Panic
New Zealand’s proposed liquor legislation marks a return to old attitudes towards alcohol regulation that perversely believe, in part due to dubious economic analyses, that placing restrictions on access,... Read More
Behind the Moral Curtain: The Politics of a Charter of Rights
Elise Parham argues that a federal charter of rights would be used by special interest groups as a powerful political tool. Evidence emerging in the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria – which... Read More
Family on the Edge: Stability and Fertility in Prosperity and Recession
Barry Maley argues that unless family law and policies rapidly change, family stability and a buoyant birth rate will be at risk with implications for the ageing of the population in the long term. Read More
Divorce Law and the Future of Marriage
No-fault divorce law has precipitated marital instability in Australia, discouraging people from marrying, staying together, acting to support their spouses and having children. According to respected... Read More
Family and Marriage in Australia
The growing instability of the nuclear family is a fundamental cause behind a great deal of juvenile crime, youth suicide and poor school performance. The report - Family and Marriage in Australia -... Read More
Children's Rights : Where the Law is Heading and What it Means for Families
Barry Maley cautions that while children are citizens entitled to the protection of the state, he believes that some recent moves to secure this protection may actually be counterproductive. Read More
Freedom of Speech in the Constitution
In recent years, the decisions and methods of the High Court of Australia have been the subject of intense scrutiny and sometimes harsh criticism. This book uses the landmark Freedom of Speech cases decided... Read More
Rising Crime in Australia
Rising Crime in Australia provides a long-term perspective on crime. For much of the twentieth century crime rates were in decline or stable, but have risen alarmingly since the 1970's. Read More
Welfare State or Constitutional State?
In this contribution to the CIS Social Welfare Research Program, Suri Ratnapala, Lecturer in Law at the University of Queensland, explains why the welfare state is a constant source of political conflict: Suri... Read More
Initiative and Referendum: The People's Law
Geoffrey Walker examines the history of direct legislation, how it is used in different countires, whether it favours the left or right, how it works and what it costs,why some politicians are so against... Read More
Affirmative Action: The New Discrimination
Gabriel Moens finds that the philosophical and practical ramifications of such 'affirmative action' may be worse than the original complaint. Read More
Free to Shop
Shopping hours and standards in Australia are far behind those of other countries. The trend of Governments in other countries has been to deregulate trading hours, not to control them further as in Australia."There... Read More
