Menu Close

Articles on IPA

Displaying all articles

Tony Abbott promised the IPA that his government would repeal Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act – only to renege on this when in government. AAP/Mick Tsikas

With friends like these: just how close are the Liberal Party and IPA?

The Institute of Public Affairs was founded by rich men with rich men’s interests at its core, albeit with obligatory nods to the national interest.
Before entering politics, Scott Morrison was employed to develop policy for the Property Council of Australia, which is now leading the charge against negative-gearing reform. AAP/Mick Tsikas

Housing policy is captive to property politics, so don’t expect politicians to tackle affordability

The default position for politicians is to sound concerned about housing affordability, but do nothing. This can be explained by the idea of ‘policy capture’, in this case by industry interests.
In its first year in office, the Abbott government has been revealed as utterly tone-deaf when it comes to matters of political ideology. AAP/Lukas Coch

Oh, what a lovely culture war! Team Abbott’s ideological battle

As we approach the first anniversary of the Abbott government coming to office, The Conversation is examining how the Coalition has fared in remaking Australia and keeping its election promises. Labor…
Is the ABC biased against fossil fuels? The IPA thinks so, but it’s not really the most constructive question to ask. AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy

Claims of ABC anti-coal and gas ‘bias’ aren’t backed by the facts

It’s tempting to view The Australian’s latest broadside at the ABC as just another salvo fired between our nation’s two biggest media organisations. But the coverage, based on an Institute of Public Affairs…
Treasurer Joe Hockey wants to ‘end of the age of entitlement’, but which think-tanks around the world have played a part in developing that idea? AAP/Alan Porritt

Free-market think-tanks waged war on entitlement, conscripted an Australian Joe

We propose things which people regard as being on the edge of lunacy. The next thing you know they’re on the edge of policy. – Madsen Pirie, President of the Adam Smith Institute, 1987 In a speech in London…
Attorney-general George Brandis has put his imprimatur on the Human Rights Commission with the appointment of the IPA’s Tim Wilson as Human Rights Commissioner. AAP/Daniel Munoz

The two Tims, the IPA and the future of human rights in Australia

There is something both utterly predictable and wonderfully larrikin about federal attorney-general George Brandis’ appointment of the Institute for Public Affairs’ (IPA) self-described “classic liberal…
Will vouchers to access legal aid services be the fix the Australian legal system needs? AAP/Lee Besford

‘Coupon justice’ won’t address legal aid crisis

Most Australians with legal problems are unlikely to be able to access the help they need. Unless you’re wealthy and can pay for a private lawyer, or extremely poor and disadvantaged and able to access…
Will free-marketeers like the IPA be disappointed by an Abbott government? AAP/Lukas Coch

A big fat yes? Or will Tony Abbott leave the IPA crying at the altar?

In August 2012 the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), which bills itself as “Australia’s leading free market think tank,” urged opposition leader Tony Abbott to “be like Gough” in the IPA Review, proposing…
Rinehart will experience push-back from Fairfax staff if she tries to change the paper’s editorial direction. AAP/Julian Smith

Why does Gina Rinehart want control of Fairfax?

It is elementary that most business investors seek to make money. But Gina Rinehart’s investment in Fairfax is not aimed at a financial return. There are a hundred other, healthier companies where this…
Valiant sceptics have taken on the evil dragon of climate change conspiracy. magia e/Flickr

Think tank’s talking points deepen the divide over climate change

The trouble with words is that you never know whose mouths they’ve been in. – Dennis Potter Readers following the Australian news media’s coverage of climate change will probably have detected the conspiracy…

Top contributors

More