Articles
News articles written on a variety of Commission reports.
Welcome Associate Commissioner Chris Guest
07 Jun 2023
We are pleased to announce that Chris Guest has joined the Productivity Commission as an Associate Commissioner with the Murray Darling Basin Plan: Implementation Review.
Opportunities for better housing outcomes
07 Oct 2022
Four years ago, Australian governments signed the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA), with the aim of improving access to affordable housing. Today, by most measures, the situation is no better than it was in 2018.
Australia's data and digital dividend
25 Aug 2022
Australia is in the middle of a digital and data revolution. The Productivity Commission’s second interim report for our five-year productivity inquiry looks at how these new technologies can grow our economy.
Protecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual arts and crafts
23 Aug 2022
A draft report focuses on ways to address fake 'Indigenous-style' art and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and art centres.
Not everyone has a home that is safe and affordable
04 Feb 2022
During the COVID‑19 pandemic, we have become more familiar with our homes. They are essential to our lives: where we rest, care for our family, entertain friends and, increasingly, work. But not everyone has a home that is safe and affordable.
Good time for a public transport pricing rethink
06 Jan 2022
COVID has affected many things. One that is less talked about is public transport. Google mobility data shows that when COVID hit Australia in early 2020, trips on public transport fell by as much as 70 per cent in large states and by more in Victoria. That is hardly a surprise.
Furthering Australian consumers’ right to repair
08 Dec 2021
In Australia, and around the world, there are growing concerns that repairs of consumer products are becoming ever more difficult and impractical to undertake or access. These products include everything from smart phones through to washing machines and cars.
Working from home: What’s next?
21 Oct 2021
If an alien came to Earth, what would they make of the daily commute? Millions of people getting up each day, going from one building to another in the morning, then doing the opposite at night.
Australia has fewer criminal offenders but more people in prisons
18 Oct 2021
The past 40 years has seen a steady rise in the level of imprisonment in Australia and the imprisonment rate is at the highest level in a century. How do we explain this?
SME lending transformation
11 Oct 2021
Productivity Commission research shows a lending market being transformed, as demand for unsecured credit prompts a raft of new providers and products. Innovative lenders with new business models are using technology and data to identify creditworthy applicants.
Our trade fortunes rely less on China than you think
07 Sep 2021
The stress test created by Beijing’s 2020 tariffs and bans reveals significant facts about the make-up and nature of Australia’s foreign trade.
Targeted texts and peer support: how smarter health care can cut costs and help Australians with chronic conditions
21 Apr 2021
Creating a culture of innovation and sharing best practice throughout our health system will benefit the growing number of Australians living with chronic health conditions.
Why is a good idea so hard to do? Integrating urban water
19 Mar 2020
Our major cities are facing considerable water challenges in the future. Significant population growth will increase demand for services whilst climate change is likely to reduce water availability in most areas.
Should everyone go to university?
26 Jun 2019
Right now the government caps university places. But until 2017 universities could accept as many students as they liked and the government provided funding for all of these places. It was called the ‘demand driven system’ and it started in 2010.
Better functioning towns and cities
23 Feb 2018
The overwhelming majority of Australians live and work in cities... so how cities operate now and in the future is integral to both the quality of people’s lives and national prosperity.
Skin in the game – education and workforce
12 Feb 2018
The skills needed for well-paid jobs change just like everything else. So does Australia have the right system in place? One that will meet the needs of both employees’ and employers’?
Healthier Australians
18 Jan 2018
While on many measures, the Australian health system is very good compared with health care systems in many other countries, this is not true across the board. There is significant potential for improvement.
PC News
08 Feb 2017
The newsletter which ceased in 2019, was a round-up of the Commission's news and events.