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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.

Government action needed because two in three Indigenous-style souvenirs are fake

Released 13 / 12 / 2022

The Productivity Commission is calling for the Australian Government to introduce legislation that will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to protect important aspects of their cultures from being misappropriated in visual arts and crafts.

Regulating for direct employment not the answer for aged care

Released 21 / 10 / 2022

A new report by the Productivity Commission has found the use of independent contractors in aged care gives older Australians more choice and is helping them stay in their own homes longer.

People at heart of productivity

Released 13 / 10 / 2022

The Productivity Commission’s sixth interim report in its 5-year Productivity Inquiry investigates how workers can boost the nation’s productivity.

Getting more value from education

Released 04 / 10 / 2022

High-quality school and tertiary education systems are vital for a productive workforce. But despite increased investment in schools, foundational skills such as writing and numeracy have stagnated. Employment rates for university and VET graduates have also fallen in recent years.

Tackling Australia's housing affordability problem

Released 30 / 09 / 2022

Australia has a housing affordability problem, with many Australians struggling to rent or buy a home, according to the Productivity Commission’s review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) released today.

Time to take the handbrake off Australia's productivity

Released 28 / 09 / 2022

Overcoming challenges presented by climate change and an increasingly unfavourable global trade and investment landscape will be necessary to reinvigorate Australia's business environment and accelerate productivity growth.

Innovation by the many, not just the few

Released 26 / 09 / 2022

With only between one and two per cent of Australian businesses producing new to the world innovation, consideration must be given to how to help the other 98 per cent adopt and adapt existing technologies and practices to improve performance...

Reforms needed to lift student outcomes

Released 14 / 09 / 2022

To lift student outcomes the Commonwealth and States and Territories need to forge a new agreement focused on driving effective change in our schools and classrooms.

Container port underperformance costs all Australians

Released 09 / 09 / 2022

Lifting productivity at our container ports could save business and consumers $605 million each year. Reform could achieve consistent, high performance, according to a draft report released by the Productivity Commission today.

Australia's data and digital dividend

Released 23 / 08 / 2022

Digital technologies and data are increasingly important for Australia’s economy. Policies that promote digital innovation and adoption are needed to drive productivity growth.

Assistance efficacy vital for meeting challenges to Australia’s prosperity

Released 05 / 08 / 2022

With the cost of living rapidly rising, Australia near full employment, and significant challenges to the global economic landscape, there has never been a more important time for the Commonwealth to ensure that assistance to industry is efficient and effective.

Productivity: The key to prosperity

Released 03 / 08 / 2022

Productivity growth, based on the spread of new, useful ideas, is the key to Australia’s continued prosperity. But the future pattern of innovation and growth could look different from that of the 20th century, according to a report by...

Closing the Gap Agreement: more information is now available, but further time and data are needed to say if lives are improving

Released 28 / 07 / 2022

The Productivity Commission today released the second Annual Data Compilation Report. It provides a point-in-time snapshot of data for monitoring progress under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, signed in July 2020.

Productivity Commission proposes new protections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual arts and crafts

Released 19 / 07 / 2022

Two in three Indigenous-style souvenirs are inauthentic, with no connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Commission is calling for mandatory labelling of inauthentic products to warn consumers, and other measures.

Report on Government Services 2022

Released 25 / 01 / 2022

The Report on Government Services provides a public report card on the performance of Australian governments in the delivery of important services to the community.

Is the price right? Time to re-think public transport fares

Released 15 / 12 / 2021

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on public transport use in Australian cities, but the Productivity Commission has warned against knee jerk reactions like free travel or big fare reductions, in a new report.

Inheritances are growing, but not driving inequality

Released 07 / 12 / 2021

The Productivity Commission has released the first comprehensive research report on wealth transfers in Australia to improve understanding of the impact inheritances and gifts on the distribution of wealth.

Australia’s prison dilemma

Released 29 / 10 / 2021

Despite falling crime rates, imprisonment in Australia is at a historic high. A report released today by the Productivity Commission says this is happening across all states and territories.

New lending options boost small business and the economy

Released 30 / 09 / 2021

Changes to lending markets over the last decade means there are now a wide range of finance options available for small businesses that don’t require property as security, according to a new report by the Productivity Commission.

Forced experiment working from home

Released 16 / 09 / 2021

The shift to working from home caused by the pandemic is one of the greatest changes to the way we work in the last fifty years.