Organisation

Institute of Public Affairs

Acronym:
IPA
Report

State economic scorecard 2026


The scorecard assesses and ranks the performance of each Australian state across ten economic indicators: annual growth in per capita gross state product, annual wage growth, jobs growth, retail turnover, tax burden, debt burden, productivity growth, business investment, rental affordability and energy affordability. Western Australia is the best performing state and New South Wales the...
Report

Decline: a snapshot of the Australian economy in the 2020’s


This research report uses key economic indicators to compare Australia’s economic conditions in the post-pandemic years against previous decades. It finds that Australia is increasingly dependent on government spending and population growth to fuel headline economic growth. Private investment and net export has declined since 2000.
Discussion paper

Discount or penalty? How high inflation turns the capital gains discount into a hidden tax on investment


The role of inflation in determining the merits of different forms of capital gains taxation is widely misunderstood. This paper finds the discount is not always more generous than the previous system and can produce very high effective rates of taxation on real capital gains because taxation is levied on both real and inflationary gains.
Report

The cost of prisons in 2025


Australia’s reliance on incarceration for a wide range of offences has come at a significant financial cost to taxpayers while failing to improve community safety. This report outlines the cost of prisons, trends in incarnation, the incarceration of non-violent offenders and recommendations for reform. It finds the reliance on incarcerating non-violent offenders is straining prison...
Report

Peak woke: the declining popularity of social justice ideas in Australia


An analysis of prominent words and phrases associated with social justice – also known as 'woke' – in web searches in Australia between 2004 and 2025 reveals Australia reached ‘peak woke’ in 2023. This report finds that woke ideas are declining in prevalence and suggests that they will play a less prominent role in public...

ADVERTISEMENT