Centre for Independent Studies

Economic Challenges Ahead for the Government: A CIS Review | Research Collection

The re-elected government faces a long list of economic challenges, some of them created or exacerbated in its first term. This CIS review discusses some of the major challenges: budget repair; fiscal reform; productivity growth; and housing. Read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/post-election-economic-challenges/ 
Subscribe to all our shows: Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/ 
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so that you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/ What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/ 
CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/#auspol #news #economics 

Grounded Liberty: Liberalism’s Moral Roots | Michael Bird | Liberalism in Question

Watch here: https://youtu.be/-NaJolceTlIRobert Forsyth interviews Dr. Michael Bird, who reflects on the relationship between liberalism and Christianity. Bird acknowledges the strengths of liberalism—its emphasis on individual liberty, pluralism, and democratic governance—but warns that when liberalism becomes detached from its Christian moral and philosophical roots, it risks undermining the very values it seeks to uphold.
He argues that a purely secular liberalism can drift into relativism or moral vacuity, leaving society vulnerable to fragmentation. For liberal democracy to thrive, Bird suggests, it must remain tethered to a deeper moral vision—one that Christianity has historically provided.
🔹 Become a member: https://www.cis.org.au/membership-2-step-1/
🔹 Make a donation: https://www.cis.org.au/support/donate/today/
🔹 Learn more: https://www.cis.org.au/
Subscribe to all our shows: 
Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/ 
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so that you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/ 
What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/ 
CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/ 

The ties that bind: Reconciling value pluralism and national identity | Peter Kurti | Research Collection

Read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/the-ties-that-bind-reconciling-value-pluralism-and-national-identity-in-australia/ Executive summary
Australia’s multicultural democracy is under increasing pressure, not only from economic uncertainty but from the moral and cultural disagreements that have intensified in recent years. Deep cultural and moral diversity presents both remarkable opportunities and profound challenges for our national identity.
This report explores whether value pluralism — the recognition that people will continue to hold fundamentally different moral, religious, and cultural beliefs — is compatible with a cohesive national identity in a liberal democracy. It argues that Australia’s future cohesion depends not on suppressing disagreement, but on managing it fairly through civic institutions, democratic procedures and mutual restraint. This entails rethinking national identity in light of enduring moral diversity so cultural differences do not threaten social harmony.
Drawing on the political theory of value pluralism developed by Isaiah Berlin, John Gray and others, the report argues that civic nationalism — not ethnic or cultural nationalism – offers the best foundation for Australian identity. This model does not require moral consensus, but depends on shared political commitments: to the rule of law, democratic accountability, and the peaceful resolution of disagreement. It is a model that offers a robust framework for managing disagreement in a pluralist society.
The report draws a careful distinction between non-negotiable limits (such as prohibitions on female genital mutilation, child marriage, and ritual violence) and morally contested ‘grey zones’ where rights and values may conflict. These include religious exemptions to anti-discrimination laws, parental refusal of child vaccinations, and ritual slaughter.
It argues that these contested areas require structured negotiation, not moral coercion, and that pluralism must be bounded by core liberal principles, including human dignity and equal protection under the law. Addressing these challenges demands more than rule-setting; it requires a civic culture capable of managing moral disagreement with fairness and refrainment. To strengthen national cohesion in a context of deep moral diversity, the report proposes five exploratory policy directions:
Reform civic education to equip citizens for principled disagreement and deliberation.
Revise the citizenship test to reflect shared civic institutions rather than narrow cultural values.
Encourage voluntary intercultural dialogue, especially in communities under pressure.
Design conflict-resolution mechanisms that defuse moral clashes before they escalate.
Commission longitudinal research on public attitudes and pluralism’s institutional performance.
Rather than calling for renewed consensus around fixed national values, the report calls for a civic culture capable of managing deep diversity. It argues that Australia’s identity must be grounded not in sameness, but in the institutions and norms that allow citizens to live together amid enduring difference. Only by managing difference fairly can Australia protect its democracy, strengthen social trust and build a national identity embracing a new understanding of ‘patriotism’ fit for the challenges of the 21st century.
In "Rooftop Solar: Paradise Lost," Zoe Hilton, Michael Wu, and Aidan Morrison examine the unintended consequences of Australia's rooftop solar boom. They argue that while rooftop solar has been promoted as a means to lower electricity bills and support the environment, it has inadvertently led to increased costs for non-solar customers. The paper analyzes the financial dynamics of rooftop solar adoption, highlighting how current tariff structures result in cross-subsidies from non-solar to solar customers. It also discusses the implications for energy equity and suggests potential reforms to address these disparities.Read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/the-ties-that-bind-reconciling-value-pluralism-and-national-identity-in-australia/ Audio Produced by: Randall Evans
Subscribe to all our shows:What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/ 
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so that you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/

The science of learning will set students free | Glenn Fahey | Liberalism in Question

Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRlHwPrD850Robert Forsyth interviews Glenn Fahey, director of the education program at the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), who explores why a classical liberal think tank is deeply engaged in education policy. Fahey argues that education is the great enabler of freedom—central to the classical liberal vision of a society where individuals can shape their own lives. He explains that without access to high-quality education, people are denied the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the economy, civic life, and democratic decision-making. Glenn Fahey also discusses the science of learning and how society is slowly getting back to evidence-based education approaches.
Subscribe to all our shows:Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/ 
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so that you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/ 
CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/

How to Vandalise Savings: the New Super Tax | Robert Carling | Research Collection

The proposed tax on superannuation balances exceeding $3 million is poorly designed, economically damaging, and sets a dangerous precedent by taxing unrealised capital gains, a Centre for Independent Studies paper outlines.In How to Vandalise Savings: the New Super Tax, economist Robert Carling delivers a scathing critique of the tax, calling for the scheme to be shelved or substantially revised and deferred to a later start date than 1 July 2025.This analysis arrives at a critical juncture as the re-elected Labor government prepares to reintroduce legislation that had previously stalled before the May 2025 election.While the tax is marketed as affecting only a small number of high-balance super accounts, the paper makes clear that its impact will widen rapidly and disproportionately affect those who have saved prudently under previous rules.The new tax is often described as doubling the existing tax — which would be severe in itself — but in fact it is more than a doubling. The existing tax allows for a one-third discount of capital gains from longer held assets, which reduces the effective tax rate to 10%. This discount will not be available under the new tax. The treatment of dividend franking credits also means that tax payable will more than double on balances above $3 million.“Far from being the ‘modest change’ described by the government, this tax represents a radical shift with long-term implications for retirement planning, capital markets, and the integrity of the tax system,” Carling warns. “Doubling a rate of tax is anything but modest.”“The new tax being applied to unrealised gains will distort investment behaviour, increase compliance costs, and undermine confidence in superannuation as a long-term savings vehicle.”Carling points out that the lack of indexation for the $3m threshold is a time bomb for workers.“The threshold is not indexed to inflation or wages, meaning more Australians will be caught over time as balances naturally grow,” Carling says. “Even indexing to the CPI would not be enough, because average CPI-adjusted balances will grow as real incomes grow.”“This design flaw echoes the bracket creep issue in income tax and suggests a stealthy revenue grab.”The paper highlights the near-impossible task of applying “broadly equivalent” treatment to unfunded public sector pensions, arguing it could result in unfair double taxation and legal confusion.Carling points out that the tax is also likely to drive investors away from growth and innovation-focused assets — such as small businesses and start-ups — towards more conservative, liquid holdings, “with long-term costs to economic productivity”.“Further, despite the significance of the tax, the government has provided little in the way of theoretical justification, relying instead on administrative convenience and political rhetoric,” he says. “Making such a far-reaching change out of administrative convenience is like the tail wagging the dog.”Recommendations
Carling urges the government to delay the implementation date by at least 12 months and undertake a full review of the policy design – most importantly to resolve administrative obstacles to calculating earnings as they are now, including discounted realised gains rather than undiscounted unrealised gains.
A temporary waiver of impediments should be granted to allow those affected to shift funds out of superannuation before the tax takes effect.
Ultimately, the paper argues the tax should not proceed in any form, echoing the views of other leading economists, who have warned of its far-reaching consequences.
Robert Carling is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies and a former World Bank, IMF and federal and state Treasury economist.#auspol #supertax
Subscribe to all our shows:Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/ 
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so that you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/ 
CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/

In Defence of Jordan Peterson | Rohan McHugh | Liberalism in Question

Watch here: https://youtu.be/o6TVilPFQxo Robert Forsyth speaks with Rohan McHugh, who contends that the liberal tradition’s “contest of ideas” — though vital for intellectual refinement — does not conflict with the enduring boundaries that have sustained Western civilization for millennia. These boundaries have been upheld by long-standing institutions and validated by their outcomes. While the classical liberal model deserves affirmation, McHugh argues it should be recognized as incomplete, especially when treated as a rigid framework that excludes metaphysical foundations. As American founding father John Adams famously stated, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
🔹 Become a member: https://www.cis.org.au/membership-2-step-1/ 
🔹 Make a donation: https://www.cis.org.au/support/donate/today/ 
🔹 Learn more: https://www.cis.org.au/
Subscribe to all our shows: 
Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/  
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so that you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/  
What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/  
CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/  

Liberalism in the Shadows: The Intellectual Dark Web and the Struggle for Free Thought | Jamie Q. Roberts | Liberalism in Question

Watch here: https://youtu.be/9kHg5sDRbHE
In this episode, we delve into the controversial world of the Intellectual Dark Web (IDW) with guest Jamie Q. Roberts, a political theorist and commentator on digital discourse and dissent. We unpack the origins of the IDW, a loose network of academics, commentators, and public intellectuals who challenge mainstream narratives on culture, politics, and identity. Roberts explores how the IDW gained traction online, its appeal to audiences disillusioned with traditional institutions, and the tensions it reveals within liberal democratic societies. From free speech debates to culture wars, Joe Rogan to Sam Harris, we examine the influence and contradictions of this online movement—and what its rise tells us about the state of public intellectual life in the digital age.Roberts’ book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Intellectual-Dark-Web-History-Possible-ebook/dp/B0DYNPVKGJ👉 Help promote sound economics:
🔹 Become a member: https://www.cis.org.au/membership-2-step-1/
🔹 Make a donation: https://www.cis.org.au/support/donate/today/
🔹 Learn more: https://www.cis.org.au/
Subscribe to all our shows:Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/ 
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so that you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/ 
CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/

Riches from Royalties: How Australia’s States and Territories Depend on Mining | Gene Tunny | Research Collection

In "Riches from Royalties: How Australia’s States and Territories Depend on Mining," Gene Tunny highlights how royalty payments from mining companies serve as a vital source of revenue for state and territory governments. These funds support essential public services such as health and education while helping reduce reliance on federal transfers. The paper reviews the value of royalties, explores alternative models like resource rent taxes and state-owned enterprises, and discusses the broader fiscal implications for federal-state financial relations in Australia.
Read the paper here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/riches-from-royalties-how-australias-states-and-territories-depend-on-mining Audio Produced by: Randall Evans
Subscribe to all our shows:What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/ 
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so that you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/
#mining #auspol #greenenergy 

Faith and Freedom: Evangelical Christianity in Liberal Australia | Stuart Piggin | Liberalism in Question

Watch here: https://youtu.be/m1-tzuQjbFc 
In this episode, we explore the history of evangelical Christianity in Australia with guest Stuart Piggin, a leading historian and author on the subject. Drawing on his extensive research, Piggin unpacks the complex relationship between evangelicalism and liberalism throughout Australian history. We examine how evangelical movements have shaped, and been shaped by, Australia's evolving political, social, and cultural landscapes—particularly the liberal values of individual freedom, moral reform, and civic responsibility.
🔹 Become a member: https://www.cis.org.au/membership-2-step-1/
🔹 Make a donation: https://www.cis.org.au/support/donate/today/
🔹 Learn more: https://www.cis.org.au/
Subscribe to all our shows: 
Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/ 
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so that you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/ 
What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/ 
CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/ 
All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies

The Economic Philosophy of Liberalism | Eamonn Butler | Liberalism in Question

In this episode of Liberalism in Question, we’re joined by Eamonn Butler, Director of the Adam Smith Institute, to discuss the economic philosophy of liberalism. From Adam Smith’s "invisible hand" to modern free-market principles, we explore how liberal economic thought has shaped prosperity, innovation, and policy.
How do Smith’s ideas on free markets, competition, and limited government remain relevant today? What lessons can we learn from classical liberal thinkers to tackle contemporary economic challenges? Join us for a fascinating conversation on the foundations of economic liberalism and its ongoing impact.
👉 Help promote sound economics:
🔹 Become a member: https://www.cis.org.au/membership-2-step-1/
🔹 Make a donation: https://www.cis.org.au/support/donate/today/
🔹 Make a donation: Learn more: https://www.cis.org.au/
👉 FURTHER READING: Super for Housing: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/super-for-housing/
NZ’s housing policy success and implications for Australia: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/less-crowded-houses-the-success-of-nzs-housing-policy-reforms-and-implications-for-australia/
How government obscures its spending: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/gorillas-in-the-mist-how-government-obscures-its-spending/
Government spending and inflation: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/government-spending-and-inflation/
The Truth About The Tax Burden: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/the-truth-about-the-tax-burden/
👉 CREDITS
🔹 Hosted by Robert Forsyth
🔹 Guest Eamonn Butler
🔹 Produced by Randall Evans
🔹 Music Licence Code: 4IBEVSEILUCGIHLX
🔹 All thanks to the Centre for Independent Studies.
Subscribe to all our shows: What You Need to Know About delivers concise insights from CIS experts, breaking down complex topics like policy, economics, and societal challenges. Subscribe here: https://whatyouneedtoknowabout.podbean.com/
The CIS Research Collection delivers our research papers in an audio format so you can listen to them on the go. Subscribe here: https://cisresearch.podbean.com/
Liberalism in Question features thought-provoking interviews with world experts in politics and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective. Subscribe here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/
CIS Events Experience: From the studios of CIS our events team brings you engaging discussions from our live events, featuring lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with leading experts: https://cisevents.podbean.com/
All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies