The Productivity Commission's report - Early Childhood Development Workforce – released 1 December 2011, finds that many more workers will be required in preschool and long day care. Full implementation of the reforms will require an estimated 15,000 more workers than would otherwise have been...

The Productivity Commission was asked to report every two to three years to COAG on the economic 'impacts and benefits' of COAG reforms. The Commission is also required to consider the extent to which Australia's reform potential is being achieved and opportunities for improvement.In preparation...

The Productivity Commission presented its Research Report ‘Review of Mutual Recognition Schemes' to Australian Heads of Government and the New Zealand Prime Minister in early February 2009.In its assessment of the two main mutual recognition schemes – the Mutual Recognition Agreement and the...

While the overall profitability of GTEs increased in 2006-07, a new Commission report finds that just over half the monitored GTEs still failed to achieve a commercial rate of return.Government Trading Enterprises (GTEs) are major providers of infrastructure services and contribute significantly...

The Productivity Commission's latest Annual Report assesses some policy implications of the global financial crisis and associated economic downturn.As a result of the global financial crisis, world production and employment contracted dramatically from late 2008. Australia did not experience as...

The Productivity Commission has made recommendations on how the Australian Government's buyback of water entitlements in the Murray Darling Basin could be improved, in a report released today. The buyback and a larger irrigation infrastructure program are being used to recover water for the...

Many Australian farmers and rural communities have been experiencing hardship from the latest severe and prolonged drought. While this is not new to dryland farming, 'irrigation drought' is uncharted territory. Australia has always had a variable climate, with drought being a recurring feature....

This paper presents the findings of a new survey by the Commission on what motivates Australian firms to operate or relocate their headquarters offshore, and the implications for Australia. The Commission found that the establishment by Australian firms of operations overseas typically...

In 2001, the Government asked the Commission to undertake a nine-month independent review of the Job Network. The Commission would look at the framework for delivering labour market assistance (the purchaser- provider model) and identify areas where the model could be improved. The Commission...

Amongst other things, this report: . provides a statistical overview of the structure of the industry and the activities of the 500 acute care, psychiatric and day hospitals that operate within it; . looks at some indicators of the industry’s financial performance, efficiency and quality of...