Writer
Ken Henry
Ken Henry was Secretary to the Treasury from 2001 to 2011.
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“A nation based on mercantilist plunder”
Australia has a reputation for egalitarianism. It is not deserved. Continue reading »
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Australia’s remarkable current account surplus
In recent years, commencing in the pre-COVID period, Australia’s balance of payments has consistently recorded a surplus on the current account. This has confounded some commentators, especially those who followed the compelling ‘debt and deficit’ (and especially the ‘twin deficits’) narrative that emerged in the mid-1980s. Does it mean that that narrative should no longer Continue reading »
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Ken Henry: The interests of the most disadvantaged are not being served by our tax system
Those who care about distributive justice cannot ignore the extraordinary intergenerational inequity inherent in our present tax system. Continue reading »
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KEN HENRY supports Pearls and Irritations.
Pearls & Irritations should be a priority resource for anyone with an interest in public affairs who would prefer to hear the voice of experience. Continue reading »
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KEN HENRY. A longer term look at the labour market.
The unemployment rate is relatively low and the participation rate relatively high. So the employment ratio is close to historically high levels. But that doesn’t tell us everything we need to know about the strength of the labour market. Continue reading »
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KEN HENRY. Tax reform in 2020.
Largely because of the budgetary impact of the global financial crisis, we missed the opportunity a decade ago to fix the Australian tax and transfer systems. Continue reading »
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KEN HENRY.-In these dreadful times,spare a thought for the wombat.
The iconic wombat has faced numerous challenges since white settlement of the Australian continent. And the events of recent months have elevated several threats. Continue reading »
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KEN HENRY. The political economy of climate change
Myopia, loss aversion and free-rider problems undermine the provision of public goods, including global public goods like climate change mitigation. It’s easy to understand why climate policy has been a failure in Australia. But what happens when the central case of long-term projections, something outside of the bounds of what has been considered probable in Continue reading »
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Ken Henry. Fairness, opportunity and security.
The policy series ‘Fairness, opportunity and security’ begins on Monday May 11. ‘I can’t recall a poorer quality public debate, on almost any issue, than what we have had in Australia in recent times.’ Ken Henry In December 1983 the $A was floated and restrictions on the free international movement of capital were abolished. On Continue reading »
