As in many things, Tasmania is experiencing COVID-19 in ways that differ from other states. We knew being an island could give us faster and tighter control of our borders, and we know our demographics make us more vulnerable – physically, socially and economically – to the virus. These differences are evident to those leading […]

By Dr Lisa Denny OUR economy, society and political ideologies are geared to increasing consumption to grow our economy rather than focusing on productivity, innovation and the traded sectors. However, with an end to population growth on the horizon threatening future consumption patterns (apart from increasing tourism), it highlights the point that Future Tasmania series […]

By Dr Lisa Denny Society takes time to adjust to new technology, and government policy must keep up. What is fuelling increasing discontent in Australian society? Why is it that we have such social and economic challenges as rising inequality, increasing housing stress, low wage growth, persistent under-employment and economic stagnation facing Australians today? Why […]

This opinion piece by Institute for the Study of Social Change demographer and Research Fellow Dr Lisa Denny originally appeared in the Mercury on Thursday 23 May 2019. FOR almost 20 years I have been involved in some form or another in the research or policy development for improving the life outcomes of Tasmanians. In […]

This opinion piece by Institute for the Study of Social Change Director Professor Richard Eccleston, first appeared in the Mercury newspaper on Monday 20 May 2019. PRIME Minister Scott Morrison has defied the odds and opinion polls to win what appears to be a third term for the Coalition Government. Tasmania, and the northern seats of […]

This opinion piece by Institute for the Study of Social Change Director Professor Richard Eccleston, first appeared in the Mercury newspaper on Tuesday 7 May 2019. AS with any new technology, the rapid growth in accommodation ‘sharing’ platforms such as Airbnb is creating winners and losers. Tasmanians know this better than most. They are living […]

This article ‘The Federal election 2019: state of the states’ first featured on The Conversation website on Thursday 11 April 2019 by various authors, including Institute for the Study of Social Change Director Professor Richard Eccleston and University of Tasmania PhD candidate Michael Lester. WE NOW know that the next federal election will take place on […]

This opinion piece by Institute for the Study of Social Change Director Professor Richard Eccleston and PhD Candidate Lachlan Johnson first appeared in the Mercury on Thursday, 4 April 2019. A CREDIBLE path to a budget surplus next year, significant income tax cuts for middle Australia and a big infrastructure spend – Tuesday night’s Federal Budget was classic pre-election fare. But will […]