The forty-eight articles from thirty-one contributors cover fifteen subject areas. In the absence of political leadership, as Ken Henry points out in his opening comments, our problem may not be so much complacency about the need for future reforms as a public lack of awareness about the challenges that we face. Accordingly our hope is that this book will raise public awareness and act as a catalyst for further public discussion of what we see as the most important issues facing Australia at this time.The selection of articles covers what we see as the key policy challenges for the future. They reflect the views of independent commentators who are experts in their field and able to draw on the available evidence to support their arguments. In the present policy vacuum we consider it is only by this type of informed public discussion that sufficient consensus will emerge to encourage the political parties to embrace a proper reform agenda.

The forty-eight articles from thirty-one contributors cover fifteen subject areas. In the absence of political leadership, as Ken Henry points out in his opening comments, our problem may not be so much complacency about the need for future reforms as a public lack of awareness about the challenges that we face. Accordingly our hope is that this book will raise public awareness and act as a catalyst for further public discussion of what we see as the most important issues facing Australia at this time.The selection of articles covers what we see as the key policy challenges for the future. They reflect the views of independent commentators who are experts in their field and able to draw on the available evidence to support their arguments. In the present policy vacuum we consider it is only by this type of informed public discussion that sufficient consensus will emerge to encourage the political parties to embrace a proper reform agenda.