2016
Lining up the ducks: a rare insight into how impossible policies become possible
Sir Roland Wilson Annual Oration May 11 2016
Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt, Professor Bruce Chapman and Dr Ken Henry reflected on their experiences of how power, politics and personality influenced the ability to introduce innovative policy both here in Australia and in the UK.
Using examples such as the policy response to the Global Financial Crisis, the Higher Education Contribution Scheme and the UK’s Congestion Charge, they explored what did and didn’t work in these contexts, the personalities involved and what lessons can be drawn for introducing future complex policies.
Patricia Hewitt served in Tony Blair’s Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health (2005 – 2007), Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Cabinet Minister for Women (both 2001 – 2005). She introduced the smoking ban, legislated to give parents and carers the right to work shorter hours and introduced ‘say on pay’ votes for company shareholders. A fourth-generation Australian who was born and brought up in Canberra, Patricia went to Cambridge as an undergraduate. Her father, Sir Lenox Hewitt, had a long and distinguished career in the Australian Public Service and as chairman of Qantas.
Bruce Chapman is a Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the ANU. He has extensive experience in public policy having helped design the HECS policy, as a senior economic adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating, and as an adviser to the World bank, the OECD and the governments of a large number of countries.
Dr Ken Henry is the Chair of the Sir Roland Wilson Foundation. He served as the Secretary of the Department of the Treasury from 2001 to 2011 and was Chair of both the Howard Government’s Taxation Taskforce (1997-1998) and the Review into Australia’s Future Tax System commissioned by the Rudd Government (2008-09). He is currently the Chair of the National Australia Bank.
Balancing the books? Post-budget policy analysis
Sir Roland Wilson Public Annual Budget Forum May 19 2016
Balancing the books? Audio on SoundCloud
Our diverse group of panel members sought from academia, public policy and the media offered their thoughts on the 2016 budget, particularly in the context of what needs to be done both to prepare Australia to deal with the current domestic and global environments and for the medium term future.
Convened by
Mr Steve Sedgwick AO
Deputy Chair, Sir Roland Wilson Foundation, Former Australian Public Service Commissioner
Speakers
Ms Michelle Grattan AO
Chief Political Correspondent at The Conversation & Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Ms Jan Harris
Board member, Bendigo Bank & former Deputy Secretary to the Treasury
Dr John Hewson AM
Former leader of the Opposition & Chair, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Dr Mike Keating AC
Former Secretary of the Departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Finance
Prof Warwick McKibbin AO
Chair, ANU Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Prof Miranda Stewart
Director of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
