Society & Culture
Illegal smoking police raids are being done to raise tax
There is news this week of police raiding illegal tobacco shops in Sydney. This is an interesting story where the issue is not so much about crime as tax.
Most Australians think university should be much cheaper than it actually is
According to recent Australia Institute polling, nearly three in five (58%) Australians think university should cost less than $5,000 per year, and half of these (29% overall) people believe that degrees should be free. In reality, university is much more expensive than this.
Private job agencies are capturing welfare payments
New data shows that only one-in-nine jobseekers (11.7%) found long term employment via a job agency in the financial year ending in June 2025. This is despite an increase in public funding through Workforce Australia, a Commonwealth Government service which pays private job agencies to help people who are unemployed find jobs.
Public trust in universities eroded as Australians see profit, not education, as their priority
New research reveals Australians think universities are too expensive and not doing their job
Households to get free electricity because of renewable generation
Renewables are the cheapest form of electricity generation, and this is being highlighted by the fact that soon electricity will be free for 3 hours a day.
From culture wars to AI disruption, universities face a reckoning over their role in society
High fees, student dissatisfaction and repeated governance issues dominating the headlines have fuelled an intense political climate for universities. Well before President Donald Trump was re-elected for a second term, the anti-university backlash had taken root both in the United States and here in Australia.
Poverty is not inevitable, it’s a policy choice, social sector leaders tell Canberra”
Anglicare Australia has described the nation’s $7 billion employment services program as a waste of money, arguing the funds would be better used to create secure, lasting jobs.
Gambling means Australians are the biggest losers in the world
A bet on the horses today is the only time many Australians will gamble. But this doesn’t change the reality that, collectively, Australians are the biggest gamblers in the world, wagering a total $254 billion in 2023-24.
Sophie Scamps: Ministerial 'turf wars' are stalling critical policy reforms
Independent Member for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps has blamed 'ministerial turf wars' for stalling critical reforms, warning the gap between departments is where “sensible reform proposals go to die”.
