The Commission recently completed a Research Report for the Government on the performance of public and private hospitals. The report examined relative costs, hospital-acquired infections and other aspects of hospital performance. It also dealt with informed financial consent and the indexation...

In May 2009 the Australian Government asked the Productivity Commission to examine three aspects of the health care system: • the relative performance of public and private hospitals, with particular regard to the cost of performing clinically-similar procedures and the rate of...

The Productivity Commission released its research report into 'Standard Setting and Laboratory Accreditation' in November 2006. The Commission was asked to define the appropriate role for the Australian Government in standard setting and laboratory accreditation, the efficiency and effectiveness...

This study draws together and builds on previous research by the Commission on the role of the private sector in the conservation of biodiversity. With more than 60 per cent of Australia's land area under private management, conservation cannot be adequately addressed without private sector...

There is scope for Governments to take more account of social capital in policy development, according to this Commission study. This paper suggests that social capital generally brings social and economic benefits by reducing transaction costs, promoting cooperative behaviour, diffusing...

The Australian Government now has institutions and arrangements in place to identify areas of regulation that are unduly burdensome or ineffective and to develop appropriate reforms. However, the Productivity Commission research report, released 15 December 2011, indicated there was a need to...

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

The Productivity Commission convened a roundtable on the topic Productive Reform in a Federal System at Old Parliament House, Canberra on 27 and 28 October 2005. The invitees included senior government officials, consultants, academics, and representatives from industry and community groups.The...

The conference proceedings, 'Quantitative Tools for Microeconomic Policy Analysis', were published on 6 October 2005. The conference, organised by the Productivity Commission, was held in Canberra on 17-18 November 2004.Policy modelling has played an important role in the work of the...

There is a need for wide-ranging reforms to remove unnecessary burdens and costs faced by the not-for-profit sector and improve its accountability. This is the key message of a research report released today by the Productivity Commission. Better regulation, improved funding arrangements and...