J\ AiSTRA. IA l 16M E
FOR MEDIA 7 October 1983
The Economic Planning Advisory Council ( EPAC) held its
second meeting today.
The meeting was attended by the recently appointed Director,
Geoff Miller, formerly Deputy Secretary of the Department of
Primary Industry.
The Council discussed with Mr Miller the role of EPAC, the
priority areas of EPAC's work in the near future, and the
progress of arrangements for EPAC staffing.
The meeting confirmed that the main role of EPAC is analysing
medium and long-term economic performance in Australia, and
factors influencing that performance.
The Government made it clear that while it would be strongly
influenced by views expressed within EPAC, it would not seek
to use EPAC as a shield against public reaction to difficult
decisions. Responsibility for policy decisions will be clearly with
Government. The meeting discussed current economic conditions, and
concurred in the assessment that recovery was underway, a] though
at this stage it was uneven.
While the economy is showing promising signs that recovery is
underway, our major problems on the employment front will not
be easily or quickly resolved.
A major task ahead of the Council is to identify ways in which
the prospective performance can be improved.
This applies particularly to job generation.
EPAC will examine employment in bot: the narrow econcmic growth
context, and in a broader social adjustment context.
Today's meeting discussed at some length a survey of reviews
of the Australian taxation system over the past decade.
The next step in EPAC's taxation review will involve the
preparation of a paper on the nature and effects of the current
Australian taxation system at Federal, State and Local Govern-.:: cnt
levels.
2.
Other matters discussed at today's m,., eeting included progress
towards estabishment of the Prices Surveill. ance Auth" or itv;
the decision of the recent ACTU Congress; the recent
national wage ca se decision; the adequacy of the Australian
data base; and the implic-ations of the recent appreciation
of the dollar.
The next meeting of EPAC will be held in Canberra on
December 12.