Opinion & Commentary

Opinion and Commentary contains media articles written by CIS researchers.
Categories
Should single parents be forced onto the dole?
Welfare reforms for Parenting Payment eligibility are a big win for taxpayers.... Read More
Labour debate ignores status quo
Individual contracts form a pivotal part of the workplace system and have been far more important for labour market flexibility than the statutory agreements of the Howard era.... Read More
Better schooling, not uni quotas
LARISSA Behrendt's recent report recommends doubling the proportion of indigenous students at universities. Only 1.09 per cent of university students are indigenous and Behrendt argues that the target...... Read More
Our right to silence is too important to lose
The move to dilute the right to silence in NSW is unjust, constitutionally questionable and unnecessary.... Read More
Australia’s long-term fiscal future
One of Australia’s strengths going into the global financial crisis was the condition of its public finances. We are now in danger of frittering away that strength.... Read More
Stop-gap subsidies for the car industry must end
The Government needs to stop throwing money at the car industry and train these employees for other industries.... Read More
Worthy goal or costly mistake? Solving the UNSC equation
The reflected glory of the UNSC's multilateral diplomacy can't compete with the power of regional relationships when it comes to achieving Australia's foreign policy objectives.... Read More
Casting Australia’s business reputation overboard
Australia cannot afford to jeopardise access to investment capital in an increasingly scarce global market.... Read More
We need more US influence in Asia, not less
We should not encourage a premature changing of the guards in Asia.... Read More
University standards under stress
With a declining number of international students studying in our universities, universities must ensure that students are sufficiently motivated or prepared for higher education, or risk the consequences.... Read More
English is the language of the Asian century
English is an Asian language in its own right, so we shouldn't be worried about how we communicate in the Asian century.... Read More
Fiscal gamble cheats reality
The recent flurry of new spending commitments by the Gillard government seems to have overlooked an inconvenient truth revealed by the Intergenerational Report in February 2010, which confirmed the budget...... Read More
Government policy driving dole growth
The increasing number of people who are on the dole but are exempted from job-search requirements is a serious concern.... Read More
Plenty of Australians speak Asian languages
Multiculturalism means Australia is becoming increasingly Asia literate.... Read More
Unions doing it for themselves
The battle that has been raging at the Myer construction site in Melbourne's CBD is primarily about flexing union muscle, not workers' rights.... Read More
Clarity on schools funding a long way off
All schools, state and non-government, should expect the federal government’s educational agenda to be imposed upon them to a greater extent than ever before.... Read More
Lack of opportunity leads to poverty on Indigenous lands
Poverty, underinvestment and mal-investment are an unholy trinity on many First Nations reserves.... Read More
Higher dole should come as bonus for serious job-seekers only
Higher dole should come as bonus for serious job-seekers only.... Read More
The NDIS will cost us more than we’re being told
The National Disability Insurance Scheme presents an opportunity to re-evaluate current and future government expenditure in a moral light: Do they pass an “NDIS test”?... Read More
Disability, injury insurance schemes need scrutiny
The National Injury Insurance Scheme is the forgotten little brother of the bigger, brighter and more popular National Disability Insurance Scheme, but that is no reason to ignore it.... Read More

