This paper examines the Australian Productivity Commission and its role in Australian policy making.The Productivity Commission is one of Australia’s most prolific and influential government advisory bodies, providing evidence-based policy advice on a wide spectrum of social and economic issues aimed at raising living standards across society. The paper aims to show how the Commission has become such a prominent actor in Australian policy making, highlighting its origins and the way it is used by the government. Two case studies provide more contextualised accounts of the Commission’s role.
