The report aims to provide a balanced view of the present state of the Australian childcare system and some recommendations for reform. It finds that while public spending on childcare exceeds $14 billion annually, accessibility and quality remain uneven. It proposes that Australia’s childcare market would perform better with reduced regulatory interference and greater transparency.

Schools may be strategically manipulating participation in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) to improve their public performance results, according to this research.

Australia’s young people deserve to have their interests considered in Australian policy-making. In the Covid era, many policies were defended on the basis that they would help those vulnerable to Covid, mainly the elderly. In this report, the author attempts to put a price tag on Covid-era policies, from the perspective of Australia’s youth.