Media releases
Our media releases provide informative statements for media outlets and the wider-community about our broad range of work.
For media enquiries, call Simon Kinsmore on 02 6240 3330 or email media@pc.gov.au.
Australia's healthcare system among the most productive in the world
Released 23 / 04 / 2024
New research from the Productivity Commission has found Australia's healthcare system delivers some of the best value for money of any in the world.
Australia needs a revitalised National Water Initiative
Released 04 / 04 / 2024
Governments must renew and update the National Water Initiative (NWI) to address the effects of climate change and growing and changing demand for water, according to the interim report of the Productivity Commission’s review of the agreement.
Productivity bulletin: green shoots mark end of productivity bubble
Released 27 / 03 / 2024
Labour productivity increased for the second quarter in a row in the December 2023 quarter, suggesting a return to ‘productivity normal’ after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New insights into Australia’s productivity problem
Released 29 / 02 / 2024
A new report from the Productivity Commission shows that labour productivity fell sharply in 2022-23, as a record-breaking increase in hours worked failed to generate a similar increase in economic output.
The National Agreement on Closing the Gap is an opportunity governments cannot continue to waste
Released 07 / 02 / 2024
The Productivity Commission has found governments have largely not fulfilled their commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and has made four recommendations to drive progress.
Seizing Australia’s AI opportunity
Released 01 / 02 / 2024
New research from the Productivity Commission finds that artificial intelligence could significantly boost Australia’s productivity if governments implement well-directed policy and regulation.
Report on Government Services 2024
Released 22 / 01 / 2024
The Report on Government Services provides important information to help governments and the community understand the efficiency and effectiveness of key services to the community.
Productivity bulletin: end of productivity freefall no cause for complacency
Released 20 / 12 / 2023
Australia’s labour productivity has halted its decline but mostly because people worked fewer hours in the 2023 September quarter, according to Productivity Commission research.
Growing number of micro-taxes risks productivity growth
Released 12 / 12 / 2023
The rise of industry levies – narrowly applied, sector-specific taxes – is creating an increasingly complex and inefficient tax system that risks limiting productivity growth, according to Productivity Commission research released today.
Building the future foundations for giving in Australia
Released 30 / 11 / 2023
The Productivity Commission has proposed an overhaul of the system that determines which charities can receive tax-deductible donations. This is part of a package of reforms proposed in the draft report of their philanthropy inquiry.
A path to universal early childhood education and care
Released 23 / 11 / 2023
The Australian Government should lead a coordinated effort to give every child access to three days a week of high-quality early childhood education and care, according to a Productivity Commission report.
Getting the Murray–Darling Basin Plan back on track
Released 30 / 10 / 2023
The interim report of the 2023 Murray–Darling Basin Plan implementation review finds the Australian Government’s recently proposed extension of the Basin Plan timeframes is necessary but won’t be enough.
Productivity goes backwards as Australians ‘running to stand still’
Released 10 / 10 / 2023
Productivity decreased by 2% in the June 2023 quarter, as record-high growth in hours worked outpaced output growth, according to the Productivity Commission’s latest Productivity Bulletin.
Governments falling short on Closing the Gap commitments
Released 26 / 07 / 2023
Australian governments do not appear to have grasped the nature and scale of change required to accelerate improvements in life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Trade and assistance review exposes rising industry assistance
Released 20 / 07 / 2023
Assistance to Australian industry – money spent by governments to support Australian businesses – rose to $13.8 billion in 2021-22, according to the Productivity Commission’s annual Trade and Assistance Review (TAR) released today.
Closing the Gap annual update reveals mixed progress and significant data gaps
Released 12 / 07 / 2023
The Productivity Commission today released the third Annual Data Compilation Report, which provides a point-in-time snapshot of progress against the targets and indicators in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Annual productivity bulletin examines recent productivity trends
Released 10 / 07 / 2023
The Productivity Commission’s 2023 Bulletin unpacks the 4.6% decline in labour productivity for the 12 months to March 2023, and finds that the decline could be driven in part by the unwinding of COVID-19 related effects...
A focused Future Drought Fund for a changing climate
Released 13 / 06 / 2023
The interim report invites further views on the Commission’s initial findings and recommendations on ways to improve the operation and design of the Future Drought Fund (FDF).
Productivity Inquiry sets out priorities to advance prosperity
Released 17 / 03 / 2023
If Australia is to continue to grow its economy and increase individual prosperity, productivity policy should focus on key emerging trends like the shift towards service industries, according to the final report of the Productivity Commission’s 5-year Productivity Inquiry.
Extended unpaid leave will not plug Australia's carer gap
Released 28 / 02 / 2023
Providing workers with an entitlement to extended unpaid carer leave would benefit a small number of workers and care recipients but would not make a material difference to Australia’s carer gap.