Ken Henry — What Killed the Reform Era?

Описание: This episode is the seventh instalment of my Australian policy series, recorded live in Sydney on April 29, 2025.

I speak with Ken Henry—former Treasury Secretary and chair of the landmark Henry Tax Review—about why Australia hasn’t achieved major economic reform since the GST, and what must change to restart it.

We discuss how AGI could reshape the public service, intergenerational unfairness in the tax system, the collapse in business investment, how to build a new Australian city, and the roots of Australia's long-standing policy complacency.

SPONSORS
This episode is sponsored by Eucalyptus, the Aussie startup providing digital healthcare clinics to help patients around the world take control of their quality of life. Euc is looking to hire ambitious young Aussies and Brits. You can check out their open roles at https://www.eucalyptus.health/careers.

This episode is also sponsored by e61, a not-for-profit, non-partisan economic research institute applying data and academic rigour to illuminate Australia’s biggest economic challenges. To get their weekly insights, subscribe at https://e61.in/subscribe/.

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TIMESTAMPS
(00:00:00) - Introduction.
(00:01:42) - Artificial intelligence.
(00:40:10) - Tax reform.
(01:01:58) - Immigration, fertility, and housing.
(01:21:25) - Productivity.
(01:38:23) - What killed the reform era?
(01:56:39) - Audience Q&A.