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PRIME MINISTER
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP
ECONOMIC PLANNING ADVISORY COUNCIL NEW ARRANGEMENTS
Today I am announcing changes to EPAC. Its tenth year of operation
provides an appropriate time to make changes to enhance its future role.
EPAC has contributed substantially to promoting a broader consensus
and understanding of Australia's medium and long-term economic and
social prospects.
There has been a convergence of views among major groups in Australia
that was unthinkable a decade earlier.
EPAC discussion and consultation was the early linchpin for that process.
Similarly, EPAC's reports have helped inform and shape debate on a wide
range of issues including: foreign and public sector debt, savings and
investment, population ageing, growth potential, productivity, public
sector benchmarking, enterprise bargaining and micro-economic reform.
I now wish to build on these achievements by creating a new advisory
group, by developing and focusing the public information work of EPAC,
and by establishing a capacity for related special projects in order to
extend EPAC activities.
In order to improve my access to new ideas and new ways forward in
business and economic matters, I will be appointing a new " Eropornic
Round-Table", to replace EPAC Council. The members of this small1 group
will include the Treasurer and creative business achievers and
independent-minded individuals who are thinkers and doers. The aim is
to avoid simple interest group representation and to have flexible
. memberskip-afrangements-in order-to -keep -the ideas flowing. I will chair
the Group and relevant Ministers will be invited to attend. The Group will
give attention to the possible role for the Government on key strategic
issues and to links to broader social concerns. Initial composition of the
Group will be announced soon when members have agreed to their
appointments. 72/ 94
I thank all present and past members of the EPAC Council for their
contribution to developing our medium and longer-term thinking and
policy. I will be. meeting with many of these members in the numerous
other fora which have emerged for interchange of views, and I look
forward to those continuing associations.
Turning to the Office of EPAC, it is my intention that its widely respected
work in producing public reports on medium and longer-term issues
should continue. For many today, the name of EPAC is associated more
with these studies than with the meetings of Council. The small group of
past and present staff of the Office of EPAC deserve credit for this
achievement. The acronym EPAC will continue with the re-establishment of the Office
of EPAC as the Eoaomic Planning Advisory Commission. The
Commission will continue to publish accessible and authoritative studies
as in the past, but I wish the opportunity to be taken to develop a more
thematic focus, with EPAC producing fewer but high quality reports. For
1994-95 the Commission will look at three themes of fundamental
importance for Australia's medium and longer-term future: Globalisation,
Investment and Growth, and Work Patterns.
In addition, I am asking Professor Glenn Withers, the head of EPAC, to
establish a capacity for related special projects which will allow EPAC to
broaden the range of its activities to include provision of policy advice on
medium-term issues in selected areas. EPAC will retain its wellestablished
role in co-ordinating for the Commonwealth submissions on
the Budget by business, trade union and community groups and reporting
publicly on their content. It will also strengthen public discussion on
medium and long-term issues through seminars and conferences.
In particular I am asking EPAC to convene a major conference on Long-
Term National Strategies to be held in Sydney on November 24-25. This
Government has long taken a farsighted view of the country's direction
and has acted upon that. At the same time, it is appropriate that we
take stock periodically beyond the immediate political arena. The
Government-has a--commitment-to hearing-broad debate before policy
decisions are made. This Conference will do this and will itself help
define the longer-term work program for EPAC. More details of this
Conference will be announced soon.
Finally, I intend that the Commission be able to undertake task force
work on suitable projects as requested by Government. These could
cover a. wide variety of topics with a medium-term focus. They would
mainly be directed at reporting over 3-6 months periods and tapping the
best talent from outside the public service, including as task force heads,
and obtaining transfer or secondment of top expertise from within the
public service. The projects may often have a sharper policy focus than
for regular EPAC studies, but will still benefit from EPAC's remove from
policy implementation responsibilities. I will announce the initial projects
of this kind shortly.
The Commission will be responsible to the Prime Minister, as is the
present Office of EPAC.
The changes I have announced today will increase still further the
contributions to be made by EPAC in identifying the issues underpinning
our future, for filtering the arguments and evidence and for discussing
the issues in a balanced and authoritative way. I also look forward to
meeting with the new " Economic Round-Table" as a new source of
insights for the Government.
CANBERRA 16 August 1994.