Evidence Based Policy Research Project

(a not-for-profit incorporated association)

As a result, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), a self-described ‘free-market’ think tank identified with the Right of politics, and Per Capita Australia, a self-labelled ‘progressive’ think tank identified with the Left, were commissioned in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 to undertake a ‘double blind’ assessment each year of 20 legislated policies drawn from around the country: eight from the Commonwealth and four from each of the three states. In 2022, Blueprint (BP), an ‘economically conservative’ think tank, replaced IPA because the latter could no longer spare researchers for the task.

Though the two think tanks used each year often have opposing policy outlooks, their benchmarking results against the Wiltshire criteria were remarkably similar across the 100 legislative initiatives analysed in total over the five years. In each of these years, the think tanks found that basic standards of evidence and consultation-based policy making were inadequately met by Australian federal and state governments.

Our Story

In November 2017 a Symposium convened by the newDemocracy Foundation agreed to challenge opinion leaders by asking them what practical, measurable steps could be taken to improve public trust in government decisions. The objective was to move from complaining about problems to offering potential solutions. The Evidence Based Policy Review Project was one of the major initiatives to emerge from the 2017 Symposium event.

Many participants – company directors, the advocacy sector, journalists, and even former MPs – lamented that “evidenced based policy making” had become an empty phrase which everyone claimed to pursue but no one knew how to quantify

Former Secretary of the NSW Treasury, Percy Allan, championed a proposal to draw on the “good practice” policy making criteria developed by Prof. Kenneth Wiltshire AO from the University of Queensland which had been used in assessing the quality of federal legislation by the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) in 2012 when Percy was its national president.

With the support of newDemocracy, it was agreed to undertake an independent benchmarking assessment of legislative initiatives from the Commonwealth and three states – New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland – rating them against the “Wiltshire criteria”.

As a result, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), a self-described ‘free-market’ think tank identified with the Right of politics, and Per Capita Australia, a self-labelled ‘progressive’ think tank identified with the Left, were commissioned in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, in a ‘double blind’ exercise which each year saw them assess 20 policies drawn from around the country: eight from the Commonwealth and four from each of the three states.

Though these think tanks often have opposing policy outlooks, their benchmarking results against the Wiltshire criteria were remarkably similar, across what is now a total of 80 legislative initiatives analysed. For four years running, the think tanks have found that basic standards of evidence and consultation-based policy making are inadequately met by Australian federal and state governments.