Articles

2024

Opinion piece: Non‑competes are a drain on the economy and innovation

In 2022, news broke that Australia’s biggest accounting firm had used secret government plans to help clients avoid a new multinational tax law.

Opinion piece: Why don't Australians get together like they used to?

In the 13 years to 2019, the share of people involved in social groups

Opinion piece: Randomised trials are our path to effective spending

In medicine, bad evaluation comes with a body count. Until it was shown up in a randomised trial, hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID cost more than 10,000 lives.

Opinion piece: Canberra CEO Sleepout

Damien Tarrant was just 11 years old when he left home. Over the years, he has slept on the street and in an old car.

Opinion piece: Unchain my job

Bianca, a young hairdressing apprentice, didn’t feel she was receiving enough training. So she looked at switching jobs.

Opinion piece: How monopolies hurt the economy

When my 3 boys were younger, there was one sure way to start a family fight: play Monopoly.

Opinion piece: The competitive wedge

Twenty‑one‑year old ‘Tony’, a boilermaker, switched to work in‑house for a former client.

Opinion piece: The empirical evidence route to policy design

One morning, an American woman by the name of Anita Kramer woke up and could not move her left arm.

Opinion piece: Labor’s making merger law fit for a modern economy

Economists know two big facts about mergers. On the upside, size can bring economies of scale. Larger firms can deploy their network to produce goods and services more efficiently.

Opinion piece: Unenforceable and unnecessary non‑competes hold us back

Seventeen‑year‑old Charlotte landed her first casual job as a dance teacher. It was her dream job, but she was forced to quit after experiencing harassment.

Opinion piece: Government getting high-quality results from AI

Recent years have seen an explosion in interest in artificial intelligence and big data. The technology is promising, but its use in government rightly makes people nervous.

Opinion piece: Foreign investment is great, until it becomes a drain

A few years ago, the Australian Taxation Office won a court case against energy giant Chevron that saw the company pay an extra $10 billion over the following decade.

Opinion piece: Building the data to help investors direct their money, and shape the world

Consumers and investors have long understood that what they buy, and the investment decisions they make, have the power to influence social, economic, and environmental challenges.

Opinion piece: How to get money's worth out of programs

Each year thousands of patients miss their hospital appointments.

Opinion piece: Merger policy is critical

Competition is about giving Australians more choice.

Opinion piece: Why many pay too much for flights, and how to make them more affordable

A high‑performing aviation sector is critical to Australia's way of life, connecting people and communities, while supporting economic activity and employment across regions.

Opinion piece: Chocolate, cartels and competition

One of the summer’s box office hits is Wonka – the prequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

2023

Opinion piece: Tis the season to give generously

They called Chuck Feeney the “James Bond of philanthropy”. During his life, he gave away his entire $US8 billion fortune. And he did it anonymously.

Opinion piece: Charity is at the heart of Australia

Across the world, democracy is under pressure. According to one set of experts, the world entered a ‘democratic recession' in 2016 and is yet to recover.

Book review: Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon

In 2021, Forbes magazine put cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman‑Fried on its cover.