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Ken Henry

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It’s not the crisis the PM wants, but it’s the opportunity he needs

Fuel price hikes and shortages have created a sense of emergency. But that’s not the only reason Anthony Albanese should seize this moment to drive reform.

  • Peter Hartcher

Latest

Labor is reportedly investigating changes to the capital gains tax concession.

‘Do whatever is possible’: Top economists join forces to back capital gains tax changes

Three days of parliamentary hearings will take evidence from some of the nation’s pre-eminent economists – and an international financial organisation – backing changes to capital gains tax.

  • Shane Wright
Environment Minister Murray Watt says deforestation wasn’t a focus of the reforms.

We can’t do it all at once, Watt says to critics on deforestation

Reforms facing the senate won’t stop the run-off damaging Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, says the federal environment minister.

  • Julius Dennis
Ken Henry

Environmental reforms will fail to protect reef, ex-Treasury boss warns

At a Brisbane lunch on Wednesday, Ken Henry will warn that law reforms won’t close “deforestation loopholes” threatening the Great Barrier Reef.

  • Cameron Atfield
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers at the opening of the Economic Reform Roundtable at Parliament House on Tuesday.

Albanese doesn’t share Chalmers’ ambition. He’s got a different one

Even though there’s now an organising principle for this term of government, the PM is unlikely to embrace major reform until circumstances dictate that he should.

  • Peter Hartcher
Illustration by Simon Letch

Roundtable will fix nothing unless we can all park our self-interest

Sadly, I’m not expecting much progress from the much-heralded economic roundtable. Why? Because our democracy has devolved into a self-interested fist-fight.

  • Ross Gittins
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Because nature is so vast, when we assess the negative environmental impact of one project at a time, it will often seem tiny and irrelevant.

Like ChatGPT, we need clear goals and rules. Otherwise, we could make bad decisions

We’re remarkably similar to the chatbot. But there’s one big thing we can – and need – to do differently.

  • Millie Muroi
Australian workers have been robbed of $500,000 by the slowdown in productivity over the past 25 years, according to former Treasury head Ken Henry.

Australians robbed of half a million dollars each: Henry

Anthony Albanese is holding a three-day talkfest next month to find ways to lift productivity levels. Ken Henry says poor productivity has already cost Australians $500,000.

  • Shane Wright and Mike Foley
Former Treasury head Ken Henry.

If Albanese can’t pass this test, ‘we should stop dreaming’: former Treasury boss

Ken Henry says overdue environmental reforms must happen before any thought is given to challenges facing the economy.

  • Mike Foley
Economist Ken Henry is living back on the Mid North Coast where he grew up, and focusing on environmental work.

The secret ‘wild life’ of Ken Henry

The former Treasury boss sometimes came to the office with a joey tucked under his shirt to keep it warm. The economist’s full-time focus is now squarely on the environment.

  • Caitlin Fitzsimmons