The history and future of economic reform

The reforms of the Hawke and Keating governments helped revitalise the Australian economy but the declining role of government in the production of goods and services and a generally light-handed approach to regulation have failed to arrest a decline in competition and economic dynamism in recent years.

Resilience and Australia’s trading system

As Australia seeks to diversify its economy, build more resilience into supply chains and improve productivity, reducing the transaction costs of both exporting and importing must be high on all governments’ policy agendas.