The Productivity Commission’s inquiry report into ‘Smash Repair and Insurance’, was released on 18 August 2005. The Productivity Commission was asked to review financial and other commercial relationships between the smash repair industry and the insurance industry. Some of the areas the...

The Productivity Commission’s inquiry report into the ‘Road and Rail Freight Infrastructure Pricing’, was tabled in Parliament in April 2007. The Commission had been asked to inquiry into the costs of freight transport infrastructure on major road and rail networks and options for...

The Productivity Commission’s inquiry report into the ‘Review of the National Competition Policy Reforms’ was released in April 2005. In 2004 the Australian Government asked the Productivity Commission to look at the impact on the economy and the community of NCP and related reforms and...

The Productivity Commission’s final inquiry report into the market for retail tenancy leases in Australia was released in August 2008. The Commission was asked to make recommendations for improving the retail tenancy market in Australia and to identify, and where practicable quantify, the...

The Productivity Commission’s inquiry report into the ‘Australian Pigmeat Industry’, was released on 16 August 2005. The Commission was asked to examine the competitive situation and outlook for the pigmeat industry in Australia. It found that while the pig producing and processing sectors...

While Australian pigmeat producers are feeling pressure from substantially higher feed costs, in the Productivity Commission’s assessment these circumstances do not meet the WTO criteria for safeguards action. The WTO Safeguards Agreement requires evidence that significant increases in imports...

The Productivity Commission’s inquiry report, 'Review of Part X of the Trade Practices Act 1974: International Liner Cargo Shipping', was released on 5 October 2005. The Commission was asked to examine and report on the rational, effects and alternatives to Part X, which allow international...

The Productivity Commission has released two companion reports, benchmarking business regulation across jurisdictions: one on the Quantity and Quality of Regulation, the other on the Cost of Business Registrations. This first report provides indicators of the stock and flow of regulation and...

The average efficiency of public and private hospitals is about 20 per cent below best practice after adjusting for differences in what hospitals do and who they treat, according to the ‘Public and Private Hospitals’ Research Report released by the Productivity Commission. However, the...

The Commission’s modelling indicates that there would be economy–wide benefits from further reductions in assistance to the automotive sector, particularly for tariffs. It also suggests that the benefits would be larger under the current assistance reduction program than options entailing...