Institute of Public Affairs

Public Policy Think Tank Servicesipa.org.au

The Institute of Public Affairs is an independent Australian non-profit public policy think tank founded in 1943, producing human-authored research, publications, podcasts, and educational programs on economic and political freedom, funded by more than 10,000 members and donors without government support.

Company typePrivate
Founded1943
HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Institute of Public Affairs does

The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is an independent, non-profit public policy think tank founded in 1943 and headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. It conducts research and advocacy on economic and political freedom, free markets, limited and efficient government, evidence-based public policy, the rule of law, and representative democracy, applying these frameworks to contemporary Australian policy questions across economics, immigration, energy, education, regulation, national security, and culture. The organisation serves individual Australian supporters, policymakers, journalists, and the broader public through its research outputs, media commentary, events, and educational programs.

Its core offerings are human-authored research and content products rather than technology products. These include the quarterly IPA Review magazine, Research Notes, monthly Parliamentary Research Briefs, formal Submissions to government inquiries, IPA Books, and four active podcasts (Australia Censored, Australia's Future with Tony Abbott, IPA Encounters, and The Mainstream). The IPA also runs specialised research and outreach programs including the Centre for the Australian Way of Life, the IPA Schools Program, Generation Liberty (youth engagement), Foundations of Western Civilisation, Victims of Communism, and Argentina's Free Market Revolution. Distribution is multi-channel: website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube), a weekly email newsletter (IPA This Week), podcasts, in-person events, and frequent media appearances on outlets such as Sky News, ABC, 2GB, 3AW, 4BC, and Channel 7.

The IPA's business model is membership-based and donation-funded, with an explicit policy of neither seeking nor receiving government funding. It is supported by more than 10,000 members and donors across five subscription tiers (Young Under 40 at AUD $59/year, General Member at AUD $110/year, Couples at AUD $249/year, Premier at AUD $299/year, and Premier Couples at AUD $599/year), supplemented by one-time tax-deductible donations and a bequest program. There is no software, API, or technology product; the underlying "platform" is a research staff, a content archive, and the brand reputation accumulated over more than eight decades.

Institute of Public Affairs firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Institute of Public Affairs
Legal name: Institute of Public Affairs
Website: https://ipa.org.au
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1943
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: The Institute of Public Affairs is an independent Australian non-profit public policy think tank founded in 1943, producing human-authored research, publications, podcasts, and educational programs on economic and political freedom, funded by more than 10,000 members and donors without government support.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Institute of Public Affairs industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public Policy Think Tank Services
NAICS: Political Organizations (813940)
SIC: Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
akta.pro primary industry: Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)
akta.pro secondary industry: News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

Public policy research
Think tank analysis
Policy publications
Research memberships
Free market advocacy

Where Institute of Public Affairs is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Melbourne
HQ country: Australia
HQ region: Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

Institute of Public Affairs business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Membership fees: Annual membership program with multiple tiers providing access to events, publications, and updates from IPA researchers. Supported by more than 10,000 Members and donors.
Donations and contributions: Tax-deductible contributions from members and supporters committed to preserving economic and political freedom. Includes bequest program.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Young (Under 40) Member - $59 per year
Subscription	Annual	General Member - $110 per year
Subscription	Annual	General Member - Couples - $249 per year
Subscription	Annual	Premier Member - $299 per year
Subscription	Annual	Premier Member - Couples - $599 per year

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Institute of Public Affairs product offering

Product offering

Core offering

The Institute of Public Affairs is an independent, non-profit public policy think tank that produces and disseminates policy research, analysis, and advocacy on economic and political freedom in Australia. Its core deliverables include the quarterly IPA Review magazine, Research Notes, Parliamentary Research Briefs, formal government submissions, multiple podcast series, books, and live events with leading thinkers, all funded through tiered annual memberships and donations.

Product overview

The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is an independent, non-profit public policy think tank that does not offer a software product but rather produces research publications, policy analysis, and educational content. The IPA's offerings include the IPA Review (quarterly magazine), Research Notes, Parliamentary Research Briefs, Submissions to government inquiries, and several podcasts including 'Australia Censored', 'Australia's Future with Tony Abbott', 'The Mainstream', and 'IPA Encounters'. The organization also runs research programs such as the Centre for the Australian Way of Life, the IPA Schools Program, and Generation Liberty. Books and other publications round out the portfolio of research outputs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Centre for the Australian Way of Life: A research program focused on Australian culture and way of life
IPA Schools Program
Generation Liberty
IPA Review
Australia Censored
The Mainstream

Products and services

IPA Membership Program Tiered annual membership program (Young Member, General Member, General Couples, Premier Member, Premier Couples) providing access to IPA events, publications, weekly newsletters, and updates from IPA researchers.
IPA Donation and Bequest Program
IPA Review
IPA Research Notes
Parliamentary Research Briefs
IPA Submissions to Government Inquiries
Australia Censored (Podcast)
Australia's Future with Tony Abbott (Podcast)
The Mainstream (Podcast)
IPA Encounters (Podcast)
IPA Books
IPA Events Program
IPA Schools Program
Generation Liberty

Companies that use Institute of Public Affairs

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Institute of Public Affairs technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Institute of Public Affairs partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Institute of Public Affairs competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Sydney Institute: Australian public policy forum publishing research and hosting events on contemporary political and cultural issues. It shares IPA's focus on evidence-based policy analysis and competes in the same media and policymaker attention markets in Australia.
H.R. Nicholls Society: An Australian think tank focused on industrial relations, labour market deregulation, and free-market economics. While narrower in scope than the IPA, it operates in the same ideological space and targets overlapping policy issues related to economic freedom and government overreach.
Centre for Independent Studies: Australia's other prominent free-market think tank, founded in 1976 and based in Sydney. CIS operates with a similar mission of promoting individual liberty and free enterprise, publishes policy papers and a quarterly journal (Policy), and competes directly with the IPA for donors, media attention, and influence on Australian policymakers.
Mannkal Economic Education Foundation: Australian free-market think tank focused on economic education and policy research. Like the IPA, it promotes free enterprise principles, publishes research, and engages in policy advocacy with similar ideological alignment.
Menzies Research Centre: Australian centre-right think tank focused on liberal economic policy and political philosophy. It targets similar policy areas (economic freedom, limited government) and competes with the IPA for centre-right political influence and donor support within the same Australian ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

Heritage Foundation: Major U.S. conservative think tank with global influence and a large endowment. While ideologically distinct from IPA's classical liberalism, Heritage shares the IPA's advocacy-driven model of producing policy briefs, podcasts, and media commentary to shape conservative policy debate.
Institute of Economic Affairs: UK-based free-market think tank and one of the world's oldest classical liberal policy institutes. The IEA shares IPA's mission of promoting free markets and limited government, providing a UK reference point that influences Australian free-market policy thinking.
Cato Institute: The leading U.S. libertarian think tank, much larger in scale and budget than the IPA but ideologically aligned on economic and personal freedom. Cato's research outputs, podcasts, and policy positions serve as a conceptual model and reference point for IPA's free-market advocacy.

Emerging players

Australian Strategic Policy Institute: Australian defence and security think tank that overlaps with IPA's National Security research program (including work by IPA author Peter Jennings). While ASPI is mission-focused rather than ideologically aligned, it shares IPA's Australian policy research context and competes for policy influence in adjacent areas.

Regional players

New Zealand Initiative: New Zealand-based free-market think tank with a similar mission of evidence-based policy research on economic freedom and prosperity. It operates in a different national jurisdiction but covers policy themes (regulation, taxation, education) that overlap directly with IPA's research areas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Institute of Public Affairs financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Institute of Public Affairs leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Institute of Public Affairs funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Institute of Public Affairs M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Public Affairs

What does Institute of Public Affairs do?

Is Institute of Public Affairs a public or private company?

Institute of Public Affairs is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Institute of Public Affairs founded?

Institute of Public Affairs was founded in 1943. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Institute of Public Affairs based?

Institute of Public Affairs is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.

How does Institute of Public Affairs make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Membership fees are the primary driver. The others are donations and contributions.

Who are Institute of Public Affairs's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Sydney Institute, H.R. Nicholls Society, Centre for Independent Studies, Mannkal Economic Education Foundation and Menzies Research Centre. Broad incumbents are Heritage Foundation, Institute of Economic Affairs and Cato Institute. Australian Strategic Policy Institute is listed as an emerging player. New Zealand Initiative is listed as a regional player.

Does Institute of Public Affairs have an API?

No public API is recorded for Institute of Public Affairs.

What industry is Institute of Public Affairs in?

Institute of Public Affairs's product category is Public Policy Think Tank Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAO, Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes, with a secondary code of MPAJAEAO, News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines. Its NAICS code is 813940 and its SIC code is 8600.