Australia is well served by its public funding support - some $6 billion in 2002 03 - for science and innovation according to this draft research report into the sector. It is not possible, given a host of measurement and methodological issues, to provide accurate estimates of the contributions of such R&D to the economy...

This is the text of a speech by the chair of the Productivity Commission, who also chairs the Regulation Taskforce, at the 2006 Australian Social and Economic Outlook Conference. He argues that there is considerable scope for regulation within Australia's federal system to work better in the national interest.​

Australians generate solid waste at a high rate compared with most other OECD countries. Technologies and processes to avoid, reduce and recover waste are generally not used as extensively in Australia as in some other OECD countries. Non-optimal levels of waste represent lost value and opportunities, while imposing undesirable economic and environmental costs on society...

Most goods produced and consumed in the Australian economy are transported at some stage. With Australia’s dispersed population and production centres, the efficiency of freight transport and infrastructure are important ingredients in overall productivity performance and will continue to be, particularly as the freight task is projected at least to double over the next 20...

Markets are already making a significant contribution to increasing rural water-use efficiency. But further reform is needed to ensure that water continually moves to wherever it has the highest value to society (including its value in environmental uses). This study examines the feasibility of establishing market mechanisms to encourage economic efficiency of rural water use...