The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was supposed to grow over time, so that state and territory governments would have a reliable income source to help them fund important services. This paper finds that if the GST had kept up with economic growth, states and territories would have received an additional $231 billion in revenue.

Restricting the number of investors in the housing market is possible if there is an increase in interest rates on investment loans. In 2017, this kind of regulation reduced house prices in Australia. This paper proposes that reintroducing this policy could, as interest rates fall, help make housing more affordable for owner-occupiers.

This report discusses the potential for the Trump administration to ask Australia to water down the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This would result in higher medicine prices. The report argues that policies delivering cheaper medicine for Australians should not be considered trade restrictions.

Australia continues to subsidise fossil fuels, imposing costs not only on the budget but on the climate. This report estimates Australia’s subsidies to fossil fuel producers and major users from all governments totalled $14.9 billion in the 2024–25 financial year. The report calls for cutting back these subsidies as a priority for the next parliament.

Wealth inequality over the past 20 years has progressively worsened in Australia. Australia’s wealth is now more unequally distributed than in the past. This paper examines the growth of Australian household wealth from 2002 to 2022 by asset. Tax concessions and the rapid growth in investment properties are found to have contributed to wealth inequality.