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

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

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...

Revenue-contingent loans are a policy mechanism to offer businesses flexible, risk-managed financing, with repayments tied to future revenue

Gavin Keeley and Dalene Wray*, 6 February 2025 The Regional Development Australia (RDA) Moreton Bay-Sunshine Coast region presents one of...

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