Most urban households face severe restrictions on their use of water. These impose hidden costs that could amount to billions of dollars each year. Australia’s urban water shortages are only partly due to low rainfall. An important contributor has been inadequate institutional arrangements for the management of our urban water resources.This discussion paper identifies a...

This report examines the performance of all Australian governments providing education, justice, emergency management, health, community services and housing services. These services account for $120 billion in government expenditure – almost 13 per cent of Australia's gross domestic product. The report is produced by a Steering Committee of senior officials from Australian, State and Territory...

This technical paper contains a detailed examination of key elements of the Stern Review’s analytical approach.

Key points - The ratio of local government own-source revenue to GDP is about 2 per cent. - The ratio of rates revenue (the only tax instrument of councils) to GDP decreased from 1.0 per cent to 0.9 per cent between 1990-91 and 2005-06. - Local governments in urban areas are predominantly funded from their...

Australia's consumer policy framework has considerable strengths, but parts of it require an overhaul if it is to effectively meet the needs of consumers, businesses and the community in the decades ahead. At present, its capacity to deliver good outcomes is compromised by institutional deficiencies and gaps in the policy and enforcement tool kit. These...