Centre for Independent Studies

In this episode, we dive into New Zealand’s groundbreaking housing policy reforms and explore how they’ve successfully tackled the housing crisis. Join us as we unpack the findings of the Centre for Independent Studies’ report, Less Crowded Houses: The Success of NZ’s Housing Policy Reforms and Implications for Australia by Stuart Donovan.  What lessons can Australia learn from these bold changes?...

Less Crowded Houses. NZ’s housing policy success and implications for Australia by Stuart Donovan. Audio produced by Randall Evans .  To read the paper: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/less-crowded-houses-the-success-of-nzs-housing-policy-reforms-and-implications-for-australia/ To become a member: https://www.cis.org.au/membership-2-step-1/     Introduction to the Paper: Many Australians are in...

Watch here: https://youtu.be/0FS0cL7nqUk   All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies In this episode of Liberalism in Question, David Kinley, Chair of Human Rights Law at the University of Sydney, joins us to explore the relationship between freedom, liberty, and responsibility. As the author of The Liberty Paradox, David delves into the distinctions between these core concepts...

In Gorillas in the Mist: How Government Obscures Its Spending, Gene Tunny examines how Australian governments increasingly rely on off-budget mechanisms—such as loans, equity injections, and special investment funds—to finance major policy initiatives without those costs appearing in the core budget balance. These tactics allow governments to maintain the appearance of fiscal discipline while accu...

Watch here: https://youtu.be/EVmqHRwsooY   All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies In this episode of Liberalism in Question, we are joined by Australian businessman, entrepreneur, and free-market advocate Ron Manners. As the founder of the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation and a vocal proponent of individual liberty, Manners shares his perspective on the evolution of clas...

Watch here: https://youtu.be/T6Ga9mjdFhs   All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies In this compelling interview, Robert Forsyth engages in a deep conversation with Mary Eberstadt, acclaimed author and social commentator, on the profound effects of the sexual revolution and the critical importance of families in sustaining a healthy liberal democracy. Together, they explore how...

All our Links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies   Listen to this recording of our thought-provoking CIS event that explored the complexities of Australian identity, politics, and social cohesion.  The event featured engaging discussions with special guests Nyunggai Warren Mundine,  Dr. Tanveer Ahmed and Damien Freeman. Held after the historic 2023 referendum, which saw a 60/40 rejecti...

The Rise of Activist Corporations: How activism agendas subsumed shareholder primacy by Peter Swan AO September 26, 2024 Australian companies have been shifting from a purely shareholder focus to a much vaguer, less accountable, and damaging stakeholder focus for many years. One important byproduct of this decline in shareholder focus has been former shareholder resources moving into ‘social respo...

Watch here: https://youtu.be/C45cbnu3Q1k   All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies In this eye-opening interview, Robert Forsyth sits down with Nicholas Eberstadt, a leading expert on North Korea and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to dissect the origins and implications of North Korea's unique family dictatorship. The conversation delves into how the Kim...

The Rise of Activist Corporations with Peter Swan - Interviewed by Emilie Dye. Australian companies have been shifting from a purely shareholder focus to a much vaguer, less accountable, and damaging stakeholder focus for many years. One important byproduct of this decline in shareholder focus has been former shareholder resources moving into ‘social responsibility’, corporate activism, and promot...

Watch here: https://youtu.be/vr3lSCpaK2o   All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies Join Robert Forsyth in this enlightening interview with Dr. Jonathan Cole, a distinguished scholar and passionate advocate of classical liberalism. Dr. Cole shares his personal journey of conversion to classical liberalism, tracing the profound impact Ludwig von Mises had on his intellectual tra...

Read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/government-spending-and-inflation/ That government expenditure in Australia has grown apace in recent years is well-known. The growth became gargantuan during the coronavirus pandemic. However, to a less dramatic extent, it was happening before the pandemic — and has continued since it ended. Some observers welcome this growth to the extent i...

All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies   All Things Considered. Making Moral Sense of the Wars in Ukraine and Gaza by Nigel Biggar. Read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/all-things-considered-making-moral-sense-of-the-wars-in-ukraine-and-gaza/   The pacifist answer to the problem of #war is straightforward. Any use of violent force by anybody in any circumst...

Government spending and inflation with Robert Carling - Interviewed by Emilie Dye . That government expenditure in Australia has grown apace in recent years is well-known. The growth became gargantuan during the coronavirus pandemic. However, to a less dramatic extent, it was happening before the pandemic — and has continued since it ended. Some observers welcome this growth to the extent it is a...

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/vNHk5nBeEbM All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies In this thought-provoking interview, Robert Forsyth sits down with Behnam Ben Taleblu, a renowned Iran expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), to discuss the evolving landscape of liberalism in Iran. Together, they explore the complexities of Iran's political c...

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/ybXvmRJ2nO0 The Australian nation began as one of the world's first social democracies. Today its political axis has shifted to make it one of the world's leading liberal countries, enjoying unparalleled prosperity - According to today's guest Bob Catley. Are you looking for sound, thought-provoking conversations on current affairs, politics, and culture from a Classic...

Watch here: https://youtu.be/UtF9I1H2bNE Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, owner of the independent newspaper Apple Daily and pro-democracy and human rights defender, has been detained and subjected to multiple Kafkaesque trials for fighting for freedom of speech and democracy in Hong Kong. His son, Sebastien Lai, and human rights lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, sit down to talk about the trail and t...

Watch here: https://youtu.be/Xzk6zYXxvQ4   Reflecting on his pivotal role in the development of a proposal to recognise Australia’s Indigenous peoples in the Constitution, Damien Freeman explains how something that started off as an exercise in settlement politics ended in a failed referendum. Damien Freeman is a visiting scholar at the PM Glynn Institute. He founded and directs the Governor-Gener...

Watch here: https://youtu.be/y9v7xJQCfow What would have happened if Israel did nothing on October 8th? Can the "war" in Gaza be called a "moral war"? Bret Stephens argues on this week's episode of Liberalism in Question that the "war" in Gaza is an "existential war" for the survival of Israel of the safety of Jewish people internationally. Bret Stephens is an Opinion columnist for The New York Ti...

International data have repeatedly shown many Australian school students struggle with mathematics. Around 10% of students achieve at a level that requires additional support (NAPLAN) or are below the international benchmark Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS) — which is the equivalent of around 400,000 Australian students per year. More than a quarter of 15-year-olds are low p...

Counting the Cost: Subsidies For Renewable Energy By Michael Wu. For all references and graphs, please  download the publication at the centre for independent studies website where you can also become a member of CIS. As this paper is graph and data-heavy, it’s a good idea to have the paper open as you listen along. Download here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/counting-the-cost-subsidies-for-...

The federal, state and territory Energy Ministers have introduced a shadow carbon price for the national electricity market. This ‘value of emissions reduction’ (VER) sets the value of carbon abatement at $66 per tonne in 2023, rising six-fold to $420 by 2050. Costs will be passed onto consumers through electricity network projects because the regulatory investment framework will now include the i...

Oppositions hold governments to account, raise issues of public concern, represent aggrieved citizens, propose alternative policies. Having a viable and energetic opposition is an essential for the health of any democracy. The Art of Opposition is the first detailed published research study of Australian oppositions across all federal and state jurisdictions and with an additional international co...

Watch the podcast here: https://youtu.be/lYls1XLQG7s #auspol #freemarket #economics Robert Carling is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies. Robert is researching and writing about fiscal policy, taxation and federalism. Prior to joining the CIS, Robert was Executive Director, Economic and Fiscal at the New South Wales Treasury from 1998 to 2006. Previous positions have been with C...

The Australian Government wants to transition our electricity system to net zero carbon emissions by relying on wind and solar power – excluding alternatives such as small nuclear reactors. Its justification for this switch rests on the claim that a renewables-dominated system is environmentally beneficial and economically superior to using fossil fuels and nuclear energy. But its premise is based...