Per Capita Australia
@percapitaaustralia
An independent public policy think tank working to build a new vision for Australia based on fairness, shared prosperity, and social justice.
We're hiring! Per Capita is looking for a Senior Research Associate, ideally based in Melbourne. This is a great opportunity for a purpose-driven, experienced policy researcher to join Per Capita, focused on developing policy to address inequality in Australia www.ethicaljobs.com.au/members/perc...
Per Capita was joined by Professor Bryan Horrigan yesterday for our March John Cain Lunch. In front of an intimate crowd, Professor Horrigan spoke about his new book "Corporate Social Responsibility in an Age of Existential Threats" which was followed by spirited discussion with the audience.
On this week's Burning Platforms, the Director of QUT’S Digital Media Research Centre outlines how different chatbots take users down different wormholes when they research conspiracy theories. Listen to Burning Platforms here: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/b...
"The imbalance between labour income and capital income raises serious equity concerns. A 25% discount would maintain an incentive to invest while improving the fairness of the system." Wesa Chau at the Senate Select Committee on the Operation of the CGT Discount.
The Burning Platforms panel kick around the carcass of a week when the White House went to war with AI, bosses found new ways to snoop on workers, and the market was moved by a bit of fan fiction. Listen to the latest episode of Burning Platforms: percapita.org.au/our_podcasts...
“If you look Labor’s history and you see the left as the handbrake on the pragmatism of the right, what happens when the left takes power? Who is there to try and pull them back?” Sean Kelly spoke at the Feb JCL Watch the full speech here: youtube.com/live/g4sm0e-...
"Covertly tracking customers has transformed the marketplace from a place of human connection to one of automated checkouts, monitored customers and staff forced to don body-cams to document the inevitable backlash." Peter Lewis writes. Read the full story here: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
On this week's episode of Burning Platforms, the team look at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi with first-hand accounts from UTS’s Human Technology Institute co-director, Prof Nicholas Davis, and regular panelist Digital Rights Chair Lizzie O'Shea. Listen to Burning Platforms: shorturl.at/H6kE1
“When asked to rate the nation’s kindness, Australians like to think of ourselves as displaying the characteristics of kindness, assuming others have good intentions, caring for those doing it tough, being aware of our impact on others.”
Author, columnist, and former adviser to the Rudd/Gillard governments, Sean Kelly, joined us for our first John Cain Lunch for 2026. Per Capita thanks Sean for sharing his time with us, delivering a fantastic speech and answers during our Q+A in front of a packed crowd!
"A politics of kindness could breathe fresh life into a broader policy agenda that looks beyond our own material wellbeing to encompass the plights of those who are struggling, both here and abroad, and recognising that improving their plight makes us stronger, not weaker." Peter Lewis writes.
Our ED, Dr Wesa Chau, has been out and about, this time attending Mannifera's Democracy 100 roundtable in Melbourne. Per Capita is proud to have Dr Chau represent our think tank at this event. And we thank Mannifera for facilitating such important conversations.
"Way before Bondi, Albanese had identified kindness as his aspirational operating principle in government... The challenge is that “kindness” is both a noun (our kind) and verb (to act with generosity of spirit, the empathy to see our common humanity)."
"When the pathways into leadership narrow, so too does the diversity of thinking and experience within our democracy." Dr Wesa Chau speaking on how Australians are represented by their government. Read the fourth edition of The Way In here: percapita.org.au/our_work/the...
Per Capita has and will continue to push the envelope on these progressive issues through our research and advocacy. And we continue to honour John Cain via our events and JCL Series podcast. Listen to the John Cain Lunch Series here: percapita.org.au/podcasts/
John Cain's legacy has informed Per Capita's work since our inception. This connection was strengthened through our merger with the John Cain Foundation in late 2020.
“When asked to rate the nation’s kindness, Australians like to think of ourselves as displaying the characteristics of kindness, assuming others have good intentions, caring for those doing it tough, being aware of our impact on others.” Peter Lewis writes in The Guardian Australia. Read it here:
“When you’re talking about people who are sleeping rough, they’ll usually come to these [proposed] pods with a whole bunch of trauma... just having a bed doesn’t solve everything.” Listen to the full segment here: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
The discount should be reduced to 25 per cent to improve equity and fund more effective ways to encourage productive investment. Read our full explainer in the Per Capita blog: percapita.org.au/reforming-th...
The 50 per cent CGT discount goes beyond the purpose the discount and undermines the progressive nature of Australia’s personal income tax system.
Starting 2026 strong at Per Capita with a productive strategy day in Melbourne, where we brainstormed new ways to make a greater impact with our research and advocacy. Making Australia a more equitable and fair place is a big challenge, but our small team is ready to tackle it head on.
Changes in the property market tend to deliver winners and losers, she said, but stabilising house prices was a good policy outcome in the face of unsustainable growth. "From an equity perspective, house prices not increasing in Melbourne is a good thing for many people," [Dr Kate Raynor] said.
"With more women in leadership, governments become more responsive to issues such as health, education, safety and equity. It also shows young Australians that leadership is not defined by gender." Wesa Chau writes in her new blog. Read the "The Way In": percapita.org.au/the-way-in-r...
Our study is a huge step forward for WA and SA, but needs to be replicated across Australia to better understand national levels of need and the cost of meeting it. Read CEHs reports on Supportive Housing here: centreforequitablehousing.org.au/our_work/sup...
Our research, commissioned by the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness, provides a needs assessment and evidence-based argument for the development of Supportive Housing (SH), a program based on housing first principles. And we determined the cost of ending rough sleeping in these cities.
Homelessness is a large and growing issue in Australia. 350 requests for support go unmet each day due to a lack of resources. It is also a health crisis with the median age at death for people receiving homelessness being 55, 28 years the average Australian average life expectancy.
"This research is groundbreaking. For the first time in Australia, we can answer questions about what it would actually cost to functionally end rough sleeping in a location." Dr Kate Raynor speaks on the "Supportive Housing (SH) Needs Assessment for Perth and Bunbury, Western Australia" Report.
Per Capita's Wesa Chau and Kate Raynor met with Mortgage Stress Victoria yesterday to share their research and explore how we could help Victorians experience mortgage stress. Looking forward to further collaborations in the future!