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Civil Society

social-policy-civil

With freedom comes responsibility. A society of free individuals can only function if everyone respects the rights and liberties of everybody else. This means we have to voluntarily limit our own desires and monitor our own behaviour in the hope and expectation that other people will do the same in their relations with us.

But there is evidence that these informal norms governing our behaviour have been fraying over recent decades. The CIS asks what are the causes and consequences of the decline of civility and social cohesion, and what can be done about it?

The research also examines how government is weakening civil society by trying to eradicate risk from our lives and by 'crowding out' voluntary activity with state initiatives?

Publications

  1. FEATURE: The Risks for High Migration

    Bob Birrell | 22 Mar 2010 | POLICY Magazine

    If the population of Australia reaches 36 million by 2050, it will be a direct consequence of migration policy. A growing... Read More...

  2. FEATURE: The Great Firewall of Australia

    Chris Williams-Wynn | 22 Mar 2010 | POLICY Magazine

    Despite strong opposition and economic and political risks, the federal government continues to support mandatory filtering... Read More...

  3. BOOK REVIEW: So Many Firsts: Liberal Women from Enid Lyons to the Turnbull Era

    Michelle Irving | 22 Mar 2010 | POLICY Magazine

    Margaret Fitzherbert’s new book So Many Firsts tracks the political achievements of Australian Liberal women, their political... Read More...

  4. Diminishing Democracy: The Threat Posed by Political Expenditure Laws

    Andrew Norton | 31 Jul 2009 | Issue Analysis

    Electoral law reforms nearing a Senate vote risk making political activists inadvertent lawbreakers, deterring financial... Read More...

  5. BOOK REVIEW:The Henson case

    Benjamin Hourigan | 03 Mar 2009 | POLICY Magazine

    The Henson Case by David Marr (Text Publishing, 2008).

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Opinion & Commentary

  1. It’s time to bring back a bit of class to train travel

    Oliver Marc Hartwich | 29 Oct 2009 | The Sydney Morning Herald

    For a city that wants to play in the first league of the world’s great cities, our dated intercity train connections are ... Read More

  2. Ferguson shown the door by media and the mob

    Jeremy Sammut | 29 Sep 2009 | The Newcastle Herald

    Managing the media takes precedence over dealing with controversial issues in an honest, open and effective manner.... Read More

  3. No worries on Aussies' generosity

    Sinclair Davidson | 24 Aug 2005 | The Courier Mail

    The Australian welfare lobby often calls for increases in taxation. Presumably this is to fund increases in welfare expenditure.... Read More

  4. Our leaders have a responsibility to uphold standards

    Nicole Billante | 28 Jun 2002 | The Australian

    The name-calling and personal attacks so readily used by Australian politicians—such as Mark Latham's derogatory remarks ... Read More

  5. Fighting an uncivil war to save society

    Nicole Billante | 29 May 2002 | The Daily Telegraph

    It starts with an unthinking act of selfishness, becomes rudeness, and before you can say 'I'm all right Jack', civilisation ... Read More

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Ideas@TheCentre

  1. Income Management for all a courageous step forwards

    Sara Hudson | 25 Jun 2010

    Federal parliament this week passed laws that will subject non-Indigenous welfare recipients in the Northern Territory to ...

  2. The forgotten Indigenous Australians

    Sara Hudson | 23 Apr 2010

    This week Channel Ten’s 7pm Project did a report on whether Australia is racist. It raised a few questions – specifically ...

  3. That’s discrimination!

    Elise Parham | 20 Nov 2009

    Many a bemused journalistic eye has this week turned to the human rights commissions, who have been busily cracking down ...

  4. Defending civil society and Prescribed Private Funds

    John Humphreys | 20 Feb 2009

    New regulations that will limit the flexibility of charitable funds and decrease the quality and quantity of philanthropy ...

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