The Varghese Review: It Should have Read 'More, Please'

In the months since the Review, the missteps seem starker than ever...

Key Observations

• The Australian government's 2024 Independent Review of Commonwealth Funding for Strategic Policy Work, known locally as the Varghese Review, was a masterpiece report meeting political needs, in the name of efficiency and value. But it falls well short of meeting Australian interests—it should have been framed by a full appreciation of the strategic value of think tanks and of a diversity of ideas, analysis and tools, given Australia's ambiguous security and economic circumstances.

• During the current period of disruption, Australia needs more, and a broader set of, think tanks in the strategic, defence and international security domain free and able to offer policymakers, politicians and the broader community a diversity of ideas, analysis, tools and suggested strategies and to test government policies.

• A larger ecosystem of Australian think tanks is in the nation's interest: it behooves the Australian government to provide long-term financial support, to build capability and encourage the development of strategic talent. At a cost of less than one tenth of one per cent of the Defence portfolio's budget, the return on the taxpayer's investment, especially given the retrenchment of US and corporate funding, would be substantial.

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