'Backpacker tax' will put more strain on labour shortage

Apr 04, 2016 06:56 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

The so called backpacker tax on Working Holiday Maker visa holders, announced in the 2015 Budget, will not only deter tourists from working in Australia but also put strain on industries that have come to rely on this...

How to reform primary health care to close the gap

Apr 04, 2016 03:04 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

Primary Health Networks were established in 2015 to reform the primary health-care system and better coordinate care across Australia. A range of services make up the primary care system in Australia. These include...

Budget should give universities more flexibility on student contributions

Apr 04, 2016 03:03 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The Australian government is committed to making inroads into its A$36 billion budget deficit in the forthcoming May budget. Universities and students will not escape unscathed. While the 2014 fee deregulation plan...

Climate Change Series

Banning fishing has helped parts of the Great Barrier Reef recover from damage

Apr 04, 2016 02:43 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

The worlds coral reefs face unprecedented threats. Their survival depends on how well they can cope with a long list of pressures including fishing, storms, coral bleaching, outbreaks of coral predators and reduced water...

Vital Signs Series

Australian economy doing well but rate cuts loom

Apr 04, 2016 02:37 am UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

The rising Aussie dollar gives the RBA cause for concern, credit-fuelled spending slows, and US unemployment ticks up amid growing US confidence. The basic logic of interest rate policy is that when the economy is...

US Election Series

There's a good reason we're so interested in the US election: it matters

Apr 04, 2016 00:31 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Kim Beazley was Australian ambassador to the United States from 2010 until January 2016, and a former leader of the federal Labor Party. He is now a senior fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre. This is the first of an...

Difference in a federal system should be cherished not feared

Apr 03, 2016 23:46 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The knee-jerk response to the Turnbull Governments proposed federalism reform is to complain that if the states controlled funding to their own schools, this could result in differences between the states, which is bad and...