Centre for Independent Studies

The Ridiculous Spending Hidden in the Federal Budget What is your favourite thing about the budget? Watch our latest video:

'Generation Trapped: Why Young Australians Have Given Up Hope @parnellpalme on the six distinct "tribes" of young Australians she uncovered—and why personal agency, not income, is the strongest predictor of happiness.' Read the @Quillette article about the latest paper of Parnell Palme McGuinness: quillette.com/2026/07/11/gen…

The biggest white elephant in NSW history and it's being built in the name of clean energy @FootnotesGuy said an inevitable cost blowout for the REZ project – potentially to $20bn – would result in a further rise in NSW electricity bills. dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/dumb-…

The data is in on city zoning and it explains everything about Australia's housing crisis 'As more and more density is supplied in Melbourne, it has moved from being the second-most expensive city in the country to being passed by Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide' said Peter Tulip abc.net.au/news/2026-07-1…

Stop panicking and don't listen to pollies. Falling house prices are a win 'Last month's fall in house prices is good news. Further falls would be welcome' Read Peter Tulip's latest op-ed: canberratimes.com.au/story/9307296/…

This with @clairlemon and @parnellpalme should be excellent youtu.be/ZLVHR4y8Fts?si…

This was a really interesting chat. I’ve always admired Claire’s intelligence and thoughtful reasoning and we went deep on why woman in the US are so left but women in Australia are as likely as men to support our right wing populist party, using the insights from my @CISOZ research.

Excellent contemporary #Auspol discussion & data analysis between @clairlemon & @parnellpalme of @CISOZ - this sort of both cerebral and spirited discussion is what the ABC exists for but does not provide so good to see @Quillette filling a gaping void youtube.com/watch?v=ZLVHR4…

A mining union alliance has given notice of strike action at BHP's Port Hedland terminal, the world's biggest iron ore export port, just as new supply comes online from Guinea's Simandou project. Australia risks squandering its biggest export industry →cis.org.au/ideas-july-10-…

The Australian Labor Party was once among Israel's strongest supporters. H.V. Evatt championed partition in 1947. Bob Hawke was a steadfast friend. That era is over. What changed? A new paper from the Centre for Independent Studies argues the answer is not Israel — it is the Left itself. In Why the Left Abandoned Israel, Dr Gary Johns — a minister in the Keating Labor government, writing from inside the labour tradition — traces how decades of intellectual drift prepared the ground for the shift long before 7 October 2023. Declining confidence in liberal democracy, the retreat from the nation-state, the revival of anti-colonial theory, the growth of identity politics, and a multiculturalism that excused disunity rather than demanding a common life: each of these currents, Johns argues, primed Western publics to read Israel's success as evidence of its guilt. The core of the argument is uncomfortable but worth confronting. The Left once supported Israel as the underdog. Israel ceased to be the underdog. It built a prosperous, democratic, militarily capable state — and in doing so, disqualified itself from Left sympathy. Success became the charge. Johns also traces how changing Labor demographics, the influence of universities, and the growth of Muslim constituencies within ALP-held seats gave political shape to what began as an intellectual shift. Read the paper foreword by Peter Kurti:

New digital rules sound reasonable, until you read the fine print on free speech 'I think unelected bureaucrats do need to be accountable, certainly to parliament, in the way they exercise powers, and that can’t be left open-ended either' said Peter Kurti. theaustralian.com.au/nation/politic…

The federal budget's headline cash deficit hits $265bn over 5 years — almost double the $151bn "underlying" figure the government prefers to cite. Robert Carling's Fiscal Follies on the rubbery numbers behind the spin → cis.org.au/ideas-july-3-2…

Labor's tax changes are driving builders out of the market. The housing crisis just got worse. 'In the longer run, we (will) see land prices adjust, profits adjust and construction seems to have no long-term relationship with house prices' said @peter_tulip skynews.com.au/business/real-…

Stop obsessing over prices. The real housing crisis is supply and nobody in Canberra is fixing it @peter_tulip points out 'So states that build more housing would receive a higher GST distribution while those that do not build enough would have grants withheld' theaustralian.com.au/commentary/hou…

Women being exploited through unrecognised marriages  and the law isn't protecting them. 'the issue raised “significant questions” about the rights of women entering into these ­unions' said Peter Kurti dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/fears…

The internet as you know it is changing. New digital laws could mean the end of online anonymity. Peter Kurti said 'Anonymity should not mean impunity, but I would not want to see people forced to identify themselves before joining public debate' smh.com.au/politics/feder…

When a former union boss turns on Labor's CGT reforms, you know something has gone very wrong. 'Each of these issues potentially plays a significant role in determining business dynamism and, by extension, our productivity. Their absence from discussion is likely to impede commissioners from drawing the right conclusions and recommending the most corrective policy measures. In particular, the extensive changes to workplace relations legislation since 2022 have significantly reduced workplace flexibility and likely have been a significant drag on business dynamism. As an example, the reinstatement of multi-employer bargaining into the workplace-relations landscape, by definition, is a barrier to competition at the firm level, where most productivity gains are determined' said Stephen Walters theaustralian.com.au/nation/politic…

World Cup made Europeans fall for America 'The soccer extravaganza is boosting American patriotism just as Trump’s narcissism is souring the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence.' Read Michael Stutchbury's latest op-ed: afr.com/world/north-am…