When the world changes, economic policy must too
A new geopolitical shock is exposing the limits of economic orthodoxy, echoing past crises where sticking to old rules only deepened the damage.
Recent articles in Policy
13 April 2026
Job-ready Graduates has failed – a first step to fixing it is on the table
The Job-ready Graduates reforms have increased student debt, failed to shift enrolments, and entrenched inequality across Australia’s higher education system.
13 April 2026
Why “drill baby drill” won’t solve Australia’s energy problem
Calls to expand fossil fuel production ignore Australia’s real energy vulnerabilities, while electrification and renewables offer a clearer path to lower costs and greater security.
13 April 2026
Punishment alone won’t fix youth crime
Tougher penalties dominate the politics of youth crime, but without addressing how young people – particularly First Nations children – learn, relate and develop, punishment risks deepening the very problems it seeks to solve.
11 April 2026
Pope 1, Trump 0 – Message from the Editor
You think things can’t get any worse and then they do!
11 April 2026
Cost of living? We should be more concerned about something else
While cost-of-living pressures dominate headlines, deeper shifts are reshaping Australian politics – with Labor consolidating the centre and the Coalition struggling to respond.
11 April 2026
Populism grows where inequality is ignored
Populism is often dismissed or ridiculed, but its rise reflects decades of policy choices that have deepened inequality and left many Australians behind.
9 April 2026
A culture of secrecy is taking hold in Canberra
The refusal to release the Pezzullo investigation report highlights a culture of secrecy across the public service and government.
9 April 2026
Unwinding the capital gains tax folly
Tax concessions on property and capital gains have driven housing inequality and distorted the market, and fixing them requires structural reform – not Budget tinkering.
8 April 2026
Reform requires trust – and trust requires openness
Economic reform depends on public trust – and that trust is being undermined by declining transparency, weak accountability and limited public engagement.
2 April 2026
Australia’s under-16 social media ban is facing early limits
Australia’s under-16 social media ban has removed millions of accounts, but compliance gaps, loopholes and unanswered questions remain.
1 April 2026
The fuel crisis won’t save the Coalition. It might finish them
Cost-of-living pressure will not automatically shift votes to the Coalition, as culturally aligned voters begin drifting toward alternatives that project conviction and stability.
1 April 2026
Fuel crisis exposes decades of policy failure
Australia’s fuel crisis may have been triggered by global conflict – but it reflects decades of political failure to reduce oil dependence and plan for transition.
