I'm a 'talk-radio' addict and it struck me a while ago how many commentators are described as being members of one 'thinktank' or another. Australia is a small country but seems to have no shortage of thinktanks, so what are they?
A brief survey of the field shows a diverse and disparate group, ranging from independent non-profit research bodies, advocates for policy reforms of one type or another, to those that are thinly-disguised industry or political lobby groups.
For no particular reason other than because I haven't seen one before, I thought I'd start a collection here and think about creating a 'field guide' in future. We'll see how it goes.
The current list is incomplete and in alphabetic order.
Preferring the label 'progressive' rather than 'left wing', the Australia Institute undertakes to redress a perceived 'imbalance' between the treatment of issues from an economic viewpoint, rather than from a societal, environmental or ethical perspective. Funded by 'philanthropic trusts, memberships and commissioned research'.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute is 'a Government- funded but independent research institute', set up as a company with the Australian Government as the sole shareholder. Board members - the Council - are appointed by the Minister of Defence. Good for some independent views on defence policy, then?
A rather different beast is the Brisbane Instutute, which sees itself as a 'generator of ideas and a facilitator of discussion', and proudly announces that it is 'emerging as a key driver of intellectual exchange between policy makers and practitioners'. Funding is through a range of sponsors including Universities, industry and government, and through personal membership.
The Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies is the largest, richest and reputedly most influential thinktank. Funds come from private sector donations and individual memberships. Generally depicted on the right of the spectrum of political thought, it has no direct political affiliations.
Unabashedly declaring itself to be 'The Australian labour movement's leading policy research organization', the Evatt Foundation is less cagey about political affiliations. Its sphere of interest is 'furthering the ideals of social justice, equality, participation and human rights'. Funding is by membership, fees and donations.
Melbourne's Institute of Public Affairs also avows its independent, non-profit status and stakes a claim as Australia's most influential thintank. Despite some claims to the contrary, most would position the IPA firmly to the right of the political spectrum.' Dedicated to preserving and strengthening the foundations of economic and political freedom', IPA is funded by subscription and industry donations.
The Lowy Institutestands out in this company by being established as a gift by Mr Frank Lowy (a Lowy Institute Director), this being its sole source of funding. Politically non-partisan with a focus on Australia's role in the Asia-Pacific region and within the international community.
The Sydney Institute is 'a conservative think tank dedicated to the principle of policy debate' and stated to be 'privately funded'. A frequent participant in policy discussions and a noted watchdog for any left-wing bias in the media.
No prizes for guessing the political leanings of the Whitlam Institute intended to pursue the interests of its namesake, principally 'the factors which shape the social, economic, political and cultural environments of urban regions ... social justice and human services. Sponsored by industry, individual donations and the University of Western Sydney.
Please see our Resources pages for more suggestions, or drop me a line if you have any interesting links you think should be included.