A team of researchers from four universities argues that the privatisation of Melbourne’s trams and trains has been an expensive failure. By June 2006, the privatised system will have cost $1.2 billion more in public subsidies than continued operation by the former Public Transport Corporation. They propose that the state government should replace the franchise...

Pacific Island community and government leaders have long argued that increased access to the Australian and New Zealand labour markets, especially for unskilled workers, should be a central component of regional economic integration. Nic Maclellan and Peter Mares analyse the debate over remittances, migration and development.

Denise Meredyth, Julian Thomas, Scott Ewing and Liza Hopkins summarise research on the social effects of computer network based in Atherton Gardens, a high rise public housing estate in Fitzroy, Melbourne. The aim of the project was to increase access to information and communication technologies for low income people, to contribute to neighbourhood renewal and...

Peter Mares shows that fruit and vegetable growers have trouble finding seasonal workers to pick their crops and sometimes resort to illegal immigrants to get the job done. His findings are based on a survey of horticultural producers in the horticultural region stretching along the Murray River between Swan Hill and Mildura in northwest Victoria.

One recent means of addressing the supposed asymmetry of knowledge between finance providers and consumers has been the introduction of mandatory comparison rates, which calculate the total cost of a fixed term loan, including interest and all fees and charges. Scott Ewing looks at Australian overseas research on schemes of this type and reports on...