Who are Australia’s major think tanks?
What Australia’s leading think tanks work on, where each sits politically, who leads it and how think tanks are funded, as of October 2026.
Australia’s major think tanks range from independent institutes, such as the Grattan Institute and CEDA, to ones with a stated philosophy. The Australia Institute and the McKell Institute describe themselves as progressive. The Centre for Independent Studies and the Institute of Public Affairs argue for free markets.
On foreign and defence policy, the main names are the Lowy Institute, ASPI and the United States Studies Centre. Each of the four main parties also has a think tank, from Labor’s Chifley Research Centre to the Liberals’ Menzies Research Centre.
What think tanks do
Think tanks research public policy and argue for change. They publish reports and policy proposals, write for the media and host events. Many also make submissions and give evidence to parliamentary inquiries.
Some are independent, some work from a stated political philosophy, and some are affiliated with a party. Knowing which is which helps you read their work, and decide whether and how to work with them.
How think tanks are funded
Funding varies, and it affects how a think tank’s work is read. Many say on their websites where their money comes from.
- Members and donors. The Institute of Public Affairs says it takes no government funding and is backed by more than 10,000 members and donors. The Australia Institute is funded by philanthropic trusts, individual supporters, unions, businesses and others, but takes no money from political parties.
- Organisations as members. CEDA’s members come from business, government, universities and the community sector.
- Government. The Australian Government set up ASPI in 2001, and the Department of Defence provides part of its funding.
- Universities. The United States Studies Centre is a joint venture of the University of Sydney and the American Australian Association. It also has Australian Government support.
- A Commonwealth grant for party think tanks. The Chifley Research Centre and the Page Research Centre both receive an annual grant administered by the Department of Finance.
At a glance
| Think tank | Focus | Leaning |
|---|---|---|
| Grattan Institute | Domestic public policy | Independent |
| CEDA | Economic and social policy | Independent, non-partisan, member-based |
| e61 Institute | Economic research | Non-partisan |
| Centre for Policy Development | Long-term economic, social and climate policy | Independent, not-for-profit |
| The Australia Institute | Inequality, climate and energy, democracy | Progressive, in its own words |
| McKell Institute | Practical policy for state and federal governments | Progressive, in its own words |
| Per Capita | Fairness, shared prosperity and social justice | Usually described as progressive |
| Centre for Independent Studies | Public policy | Classical liberal, in its own words |
| Institute of Public Affairs | Economic and political freedom | Free market; widely described as conservative |
| Lowy Institute | International policy | Independent, non-partisan |
| ASPI | Defence, security and strategic policy | Independent, non-partisan; set up by government |
| United States Studies Centre | The United States | Independent, university-based |
| Chifley Research Centre | Labor policy and ideas | Australian Labor Party |
| Menzies Research Centre | Liberal policy and ideas | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Page Research Centre | Rural and regional policy | The Nationals |
| Green Institute | Research and training for the Greens | Australian Greens |
Leaders below are as each organisation listed them when this guide was reviewed in October 2026.
Independent public policy institutes
- [Grattan Institute](https://grattan.edu.au/): an independent public policy think tank in Melbourne, founded in 2008. It publishes on the economy and budgets, housing, health, disability, education, energy and the integrity of government. CEO: Aruna Sathanapally.
- [CEDA](https://www.ceda.com.au/) (the Committee for Economic Development of Australia): an independent, member-based think tank on economic and social policy, founded in 1960. Chief Executive: Melinda Cilento.
- [e61 Institute](https://e61.in/): a non-partisan economic research institute that applies new data and tools to questions such as tax, work incentives and retirement incomes. CEO: Michael Brennan, a former Chair of the Productivity Commission.
- [Centre for Policy Development](https://cpd.org.au/): an independent, not-for-profit policy institute with staff in Sydney, Melbourne and Jakarta. Its work covers economic and social policy, climate, early childhood, and migration and settlement. CEO: Andrew Hudson.
Progressive think tanks
- [The Australia Institute](https://australiainstitute.org.au/): a public policy think tank based in Canberra, working on inequality, climate and energy, democracy and economic reform. It says it seeks progressive policy change and calls itself “fiercely non-partisan”. Co-CEOs: Richard Denniss and Leanne Minshull.
- [McKell Institute](https://mckellinstitute.org.au/): a progressive research institute, set up in Sydney in 2011, with branches covering every state and the Northern Territory. Its chair and several directors are current or former union officials. CEO: Veronica Newman.
- [Per Capita](https://percapita.org.au/): an independent public policy think tank working for fairness, shared prosperity and social justice, and usually described as progressive. Executive Director: Wesa Chau.
Free-market think tanks
- [Centre for Independent Studies](https://www.cis.org.au/): a Sydney think tank, publishing research since 1976, that promotes free choice and individual liberty. It describes its outlook as classical liberal. Executive Director: Michael Stutchbury.
- [Institute of Public Affairs](https://ipa.org.au/): an independent, non-profit think tank in Melbourne, founded in 1943, that argues for economic and political freedom. It takes no government funding and is widely described as conservative. Executive Director: Scott Hargreaves.
Foreign policy, defence and security
- [Lowy Institute](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/): an independent, non-partisan international policy think tank in Sydney, founded in 2003 by Sir Frank Lowy. Executive Director: Michael Fullilove.
- [Australian Strategic Policy Institute](https://www.aspi.org.au/) (ASPI): a defence and security think tank in Canberra. The Australian Government set it up in 2001 as a Commonwealth company, and the Department of Defence partly funds it. It describes its analysis as independent and non-partisan.
- [United States Studies Centre](https://www.ussc.edu.au/): an independent, university-based research centre at the University of Sydney. It studies US foreign policy, economic security, technology, politics and culture. CEO: Michael Green.
Party think tanks
Each of the four main parties has a think tank of its own. They publish research and run events and conferences for their party’s members and supporters.
- [Chifley Research Centre](https://www.chifley.org.au/): the Australian Labor Party’s official think tank, named after Ben Chifley. Executive Director: Emma Dawson.
- [Menzies Research Centre](https://www.menziesrc.org/): affiliated with the Liberal Party of Australia, founded in 1994 and named after Sir Robert Menzies. Executive Director: David Hughes.
- [Page Research Centre](https://www.page.org.au/): affiliated with the Nationals and focused on rural and regional Australia. It was launched in 2003 and is named after Sir Earle Page.
- [Green Institute](https://www.greeninstitute.org.au/): the official research institute of the Australian Greens, combining policy research with training. Executive Director: Max Chandler-Mather, a former Greens MP.
Working with think tanks
A think tank’s report can frame a debate before a minister or committee takes it up. Following what think tanks publish, and what they tell inquiries, shows where an argument is heading.
Think tanks often make submissions and give evidence to parliamentary inquiries. GovConnex Monitoring covers inquiry submissions, so you can see what each has told an inquiry you follow.
Before working with one on research or an event, consider how its funding and leaning will look to the ministers and officials you need. Our guide to government relations strategy covers working out who decides.
Common questions
What is a think tank? An organisation that researches public policy and argues for changes to it, through reports, the media, events and submissions to government and parliamentary inquiries. Some are independent; others work from a political philosophy or are linked to a party.
Which Australian think tanks are linked to political parties? The Chifley Research Centre is Labor’s official think tank, and the Green Institute is the Australian Greens’ research institute. The Menzies Research Centre is affiliated with the Liberal Party, and the Page Research Centre with the Nationals.
Is the Australia Institute left-wing? It describes its aim as progressive policy change and calls itself non-partisan. It says it accepts no donations or commissioned work from political parties.
Who funds the Institute of Public Affairs? The IPA says it neither seeks nor receives government funding. It says it is supported by more than 10,000 members and donors.
Is ASPI funded by the government? Partly: the Australian Government set ASPI up in 2001, and the Department of Defence provides part of its funding. The rest comes from sources such as sponsorship, commissioned work and events. ASPI describes its analysis as independent and non-partisan.
