Australia's innovation policy faces a blind spot: the systematic neglect of common knowledge that enables breakthrough innovations to scale and endure. While current frameworks excel at measuring patents and R&D expenditures, they overlook the tacit expertise, institutional practices, and professional networks that serve as innovation's connective tissue. This Insight reveals how integrating common knowledge with proprietary systems can transform Australia's innovation perfor

I've been analysing Australia's innovation policy and discovered something striking: the Administrative Arrangements Order (which allocates government responsibilities) doesn't mention "innovation" anywhere. Departments are assigned responsibility for research, science, and technology, but no department is given responsibility for innovation itself. This helps explain why we keep cycling through reviews, Ministerial statements, and "renewed" strategies without delivering tran

Ministerial speeches at the start of a new tenure rarely change the course of history, but they do set the tone and expectations. When Senator Tim Ayres addressed the CRA Collaborate Innovate Conference on 20 May, he stepped into a familiar ritual in the ebb and flow of policy leadership: the scene-setting speech. For a minister with just a week on the job, the question is not “Did he deliver a new vision?” but “How well did he manage the balancing act between expectation and

Modern public administration is now defined by systemic complexity, marked by institutional fragmentation, overloaded systems, and the rise of symbolic reformism. Today’s policy failures are not just technical—they’re conceptual. Consensus without strategic alignment, reform without clear problem framing, and consultation without coherence all contribute to a landscape where governments “do more” but achieve less.

Australia's Future Made in Australia strategy risks building the factories of tomorrow while outsourcing their digital brains. This new Innovation Insight argues that Computer and Information Services (CIS)—including software, AI, and cloud platforms—must be recognised as essential infrastructure, not an afterthought. This Insight proposes a dedicated Digital Enablement stream into the FiMA National Interest Framework. Without this, we risk building yesterday’s industries wit

Despite decades of consensus that Australia must diversify beyond resource dependence, policy action has repeatedly stalled. This new Insight from the Acton Institute unpacks this paradox as a slow-moving crisis—a systemic drift that erodes capability, legitimacy, and future prosperity. The Insight explores why structural reform so often fails, and argues that policy effectiveness in the 21st century depends not just on what governments do, but how they make sense of what mus

Innovation has shaped prosperity and progress, yet its virtues are increasingly threatened by political opportunism and corporate betrayal. How can governments, firms, and individuals protect innovation’s role as a force for good? This Insight from Professor Mark Dodgson shows the way

How can innovation policy become both empirically rigorous and open to wisdom that cannot easily be measured? This new Innovation Insight examines the strengths of evidence-based policymaking in building accountability and transparency, while also questioning whether excessive reliance on measurable outcomes risks excluding critical interdisciplinary perspectives. As research and innovation challenges become more complex, the need for richer, integrative policymaking grows.

This policy insight evaluates the current state of innovation policy through a multidimensional lens that complements existing frameworks.

What does the NSW Innovation Blueprint 2035 actually commit to? This analysis examines the strengths and gaps in the state's innovation stra

John H. Howard, 1 April 2025 Innovation ecosystems are critical for economic resilience and long-term growth. Cities worldwide are...

This is the first of a series on what makes good public policy. Further Insights will be published weekly on Tuesdays. Other Innovation...

Imagine an Australia where innovation flourishes: industry makes bold R&D investments, universities collaborate, and Government is a partner

Australia has research excellence—now it's time to strengthen innovation ecosystems, financing, and pathways to adoption, application & use.

Urban Innovation Districts represent a fundamental shift in how cities leverage knowledge, technology, and people to drive economic growth.

Australia’s innovation policy needs a paradigm shift. There must be a framework to support sustainable growth across all growth businesses

As innovation takes centre stage in national economic strategy, the governance of knowledge-intensive ecosystems is a major policy challege.

Australia has achieved remarkable success in consumer-facing applications. But it faces a crucial challenge developing platform technologies

John H Howard, 4 December 2024 The Australian Government’s Strategic Examination of the Research and Development (R&D) system offers a...

Australia's industrial policy is shifting with the Future Made in Australia Act. However, there are concerns about potential inefficiencies