Social Policy
A free society rests on strong communities of self-reliant, involved and independently-minded people. Good social policy enables such communities to flourish. Bad social policy kills them, albeit often inadvertently, and with the best of intentions. This is why CIS has been working in the area of social policy ever since the 1980s.
The aim of this work is to inform public debate and to promote policies that will protect individual liberties, emphasise personal responsibility and strengthen community life. Good policies should help people take control over their own lives and enable them to contribute in a positive way to the society in which they live.
Publications
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TARGET30: Reducing the burden for future generations
| 01 Jul 2013 | Policy ForumTARGET30 is a campaign promoting smaller government and cutting government spending to less than 30% of GDP in the next 10... Read More...
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A Fair Go: Fact or Fiction?
| 09 May 2013 | Policy MonographsThe Australian ideal of a fair go is fact rather than fiction. By offering all individuals the opportunity to capitalise... Read More...
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Saving Medicare But NOT As We Know It
| 30 Apr 2013 | TARGET30 Research PapersHigh growth in health spending is the area of public expenditure that will unsustainably increase the size of government... Read More...
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TARGET30 SNAPSHOT: Saving Medicare But NOT As We Know It
| 30 Apr 2013 | TARGET30 SnapshotsHigh growth in health spending is the area of public expenditure that will unsustainably increase the size of government... Read More...
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In the Pay of the Piper: Governments, Not-for-Profits, and the Burden of Regulation
| 23 Apr 2013 | Issue AnalysisReforms intended to boost confidence in Australian charities risk turning the charitable sector into just another arm of... Read More...
Opinion & Commentary
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Our fear of adoptions is hurting vulnerable children
| 15 Jul 2013 | The DrumRather than further pursuing often futile parental rehabilitation programs, we need to get children out of harm's way through ... Read More
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My School sheds a welcome light
| 17 May 2013 | The AustralianIf governments gather important information about schools and students, it should be available to everyone. The My School ... Read More
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The fair go is fact, not political platitude
| 16 May 2013 | ON LINE OpinionAustralia's social escalator moves so quickly that the poorest Australians can find fortune in just a few years. With the ... Read More
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Gillard Deal Risks NDIS Timebomb
| 13 May 2013 | The Australian Financial ReviewIn its eagerness to lock in the funding and governance arrangements for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), ... Read More
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Sorry, Mr Swan, the Australian fair go is still going strong
| 09 May 2013 | The DrumIn the lead up to what is likely to be a budget bloodbath on 14 May, Treasurer Wayne Swan has come out swinging. Instead ... Read More
Ideas@TheCentre
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On the trappings of power
| 12 Jul 2013A seat in the Royal Box at Wimbledon is one of those perks top politicians come to expect, even those who say they hate privilege....
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From parenting payment to prostitution?
| 12 Jul 2013Claims that people on welfare are being ‘forced’ into prostitution because of cuts to welfare should be treated with ...
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The Snowden scandal is a hollow victory for Beijing
| 21 Jun 2013The moral malaise at the heart of Washington’s intelligence apparatus seems mild when compared to Beijing’s use of surveillance....
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The moral case for a smaller state
| 14 Jun 2013People need to be able to sort out their own problems, rather than having the state take this responsibility away from them....
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Gender quotas un-egalitarian
| 07 Jun 2013It is legitimate to question the role affirmative action may have played in the government’s fate....
