Completed inquiries
The following is a list of all completed Public inquiries and commissioned studies undertaken by the Commission.
Education and training workforce: Vocational education and training
05 / 05 / 2011
The Commission has been asked to consider factors affecting the current and future demand for both the VET workforce as a whole - including trainers and assessors in enterprises, adult community education and community organisations - and the TAFE workforce as a subset.
Bilateral and regional trade agreements
13 / 12 / 2010
This study examines the impact of bilateral and regional trade agreements on trade and investment barriers and on Australia's trade and economic performance.
Wheat export marketing arrangements
28 / 10 / 2010
A public inquiry into the effectiveness of the Wheat Export Marketing Act 2008 and the Wheat Export Accreditation Scheme 2008 in meeting their objectives.
Gambling (2010)
23 / 06 / 2010
A public inquiry to provide an update on developments in the Australian gambling industry since the Commission's 1999 report.
Australia's anti-dumping and countervailing system
27 / 05 / 2010
The Australian Government has asked the Productivity Commission to undertake an inquiry into the effectiveness and impact of Australia's anti-dumping and countervailing system.
Performance benchmarking of Australian business regulation: Occupational health and safety
06 / 04 / 2010
Commissioned study into Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation: Occupational Health and Safety.
Market mechanisms for recovering water in the Murray-Darling Basin
31 / 03 / 2010
A study undertaken by the Commission into Market Mechanisms for Recovering Water in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Contribution of the not-for-profit sector
11 / 02 / 2010
The Productivity Commission received terms of reference from the Government on 17 March 2009 asking it to undertake a commissioned study on the contributions of the not for profit sector.
Executive remuneration
04 / 01 / 2010
The Productivity Commission has been asked to undertake a public inquiry into the regulatory framework around remuneration of directors and executives of companies regulated under the Corporations Act.
Performance benchmarking of Australian business regulation: Food safety
22 / 12 / 2009
Commissioned study into the Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation: Food Safety.
Performance of public and private hospital systems
10 / 12 / 2009
A commissioned study which examines the relative performance of the public and private hospital systems, and related data issues.
Paid maternity, paternity and parental Leave
12 / 05 / 2009
A public inquiry into paid maternity, paternity and paternal leave concentrating on support for parents of newborn children up to the age of two years.
Government drought support
12 / 05 / 2009
A public inquiry into the current government drought support arrangements in Australia with the aim of identifying the most appropriate way for governments to assist farmers, farm businesses and farm dependent rural small businesses to improve their self-reliance and preparedness for drought events.
Regulatory burden on the upstream petroleum (Oil and gas) sector
30 / 04 / 2009
A study commissioned to review the regulatory burden on the upstream petroleum sector in Australia.
Review of mutual recognition schemes (2009)
06 / 02 / 2009
The Australian Government has asked the Productivity Commission to undertake a review of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) and the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA).
Performance benchmarking of Australian business regulation: Quantity and quality / Cost of business registration
12 / 12 / 2008
A commissioned study into benchmarking regulatory quality and quantity, and business registration costs.
Retail tenancy leases in Australia
27 / 08 / 2008
A public inquiry into the market for retail tenancy leases in Australia.
Copyright restrictions on the parallel importation of books
26 / 08 / 2008
The Australian Government asked the Productivity Commission to undertake a study of restrictions on the parallel importation of books into Australia, as contained in the Copyright Act 1968, to examine the extent to which the restrictions promote and achieve the objectives of the Act.
Chemicals and plastics regulation
07 / 08 / 2008
The Chemical and Plastics Regulation commissioned study examines Australia's system of regulating chemicals and plastics.
Economy-wide effects of assistance to the textile, clothing and footwear industries
08 / 07 / 2008
The Australian Government asked the Productivity Commission to undertake modelling of the economy-wide effects of future assistance options for Australia's textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) industries in order to inform the current Review of the TCF industries as well as public debate and the Government's deliberations.