Australia has benefitted greatly from global trade and specialisation, but the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the supply of goods in severe and unexpected ways. As Australia and other countries consider these disruptions and the security of their supply chains, CEDA is seeking to provide a balanced voice in this debate.

Our work is considering how best to respond to current and future disruptions, as well as looking to opportunities caused by disruption such as in advanced manufacturing.

Part two of our three-part blog series was released at the end of last week and we will be addressing these issues in a livestream coming up next week. You can find further details below.

I highlight this work as it is the first in a series of topics that we think are vital for Australia’s economic recovery that CEDA will delve into through our research and other contributions in coming months under the title of Recovery: coming back better. 

Recovery was also the theme of our meeting last week at CEDA’s Council on Economic Policy. Our CCEP includes an impressive line-up of experienced economists and policy experts keen to contribute their insights and ideas to support Australia’s economic and social recovery. As a result of that meeting, we will be releasing further thinking on recovery from key members of CCEP in coming months.

In addition to this broader recovery focused work, we also continue our full program of livestreams, blogs and podcasts drawn from across our member base on specific issues relevant to recovery, as demonstrated below. 

I am particularly pleased that we have begun to reintroduce into our calendar virtual member and trustee roundtables. These roundtables provide a great opportunity to share ideas and insights at this challenging time and give CEDA valuable insights into the thoughts and priorities of our members. You can see upcoming roundtables here.

Watch: This week’s livestream is Australia’s sports economy: more than a game, on Thursday 21 May. As we sit on the cusp of sporting competitions restarting, join us as we explore the economic and social contribution the sports sector makes to the national economy.
Speakers include:

• Australian Olympic Committee, Chief Executive Officer, Matt Carroll AM
• Richmond Football Club, President, Peggy O’Neal AO
• Western Australian Cricket Association, Deputy Chair, Dr Vanessa Guthrie

You can register here.

Next week sees a double line up of livestreams. First cab off the rank, Leveraging technology for recovery, is on Tuesday 26 May. Join this expert panel for a discussion on how technology is being used to inform, monitor and evaluate our response to the pandemic and the public’s acceptance of technology-led solutions. Speakers include:

• Google, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Lucinda Longcroft
• Smash Delta, Managing Director, Ben Morley-John
• NSW Government, Chief Data Scientist, and ACS, President, Dr Ian Oppermann
• GHD Digital, Australian Digital Leader, Colin Dominish

You can register here.

Also next week, our livestream, Supply chains and global trade: where to now? is on Thursday 28 May. This livestream will examine a supply chain and trade reform agenda. See below for more details. Speakers include:

• Austrade, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Tim Beresford
• NSW Ports, Chief Executive Officer, Marika Calfas
• IBM Australia & New Zealand, Global Business Services, Managing Partner, Doug Robinson
• CEDA, Chief Economist, Jarrod Ball

You can register here.

Tickets for these online events are free to CEDA members, with low cost tickets available to non-members. You can also catch up with CEDA’s livestreams on demand on the video archive page of the website. 

Also don’t forget free member registration also applies for CEDA’s State of the Nation, coming up on 15-16 June. We have now confirmed Federal Opposition Leader, the Hon. Anthony Albanese in our program, which already includes Prime Minister, the Hon. Scott Morrison and 15 other political, policy and business leaders. Find out more and register here.

Read: On the blog this week CEDA Chief Economist, Jarrod Ball, discusses how the COVID-19 crisis has affected imports to Australia in part two of CEDA's three-part blog series, ​Trade and supply chains: pressure points in perspective. You can find out more here.

Also on the blog, Arup Principal and Australasia Cities Leader, Dr Tim Williams, draws on his experience as a key housing adviser to the UK government during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis to propose a major new program of investment to repair and upgrade Australia’s ageing social housing stock. Dr Williams says that the costed program would improve standards of living, support the environment and provide an immediate and targeted boost to the economy. You can read more here.

Listen: The Economists' Corner Podcast has covered innovation and an international comparison on recovery in the last week.

With the easing of lockdown restrictions on the horizon for Australia, CEDA Chief Economist, Jarrod Ball, spoke with Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln (German Economic Institute), Director and Head of Research, Dr Hubertus Bardt, to find out how Germany has coped with the crisis and how their opening of the country compares with Australia's plan. You can hear more here.

Science and technology is at the forefront of our efforts to contain the COVID-19 crisis but it will also shape our path forward. Last week CSIRO Chief Executive, Dr Larry Marshall, talked to me about how CSIRO has helped to manage the COVID-19 crisis in Australia and the role innovation will play in the recovery. You can hear more here. 

In addition to The Economists’ Corner, we have also recently added a new podcast series, The lowdown, which provides short casual conversations with leaders and thinkers, drawn from CEDA member organisations, to understand what they are seeing, hear their plans for the work ahead, and progress ideas for change.

In the latest episode out today, CEDA Queensland State Director Kyl Murphy chats with recruitment expert Sinead Hourigan, Robert Walters Queensland Managing Director. Their conversation touches on how COVID-19 is radically altering the employment landscape and the industries that are struggling and holding strong in the crisis from a hiring perspective. You can listen here.

In Skills and digital education, TasTAFE CEO Jenny Dodd, talks about how COVID-19 has affected the tertiary training sector and how it has pushed the conversation on digital education and skills readiness. You can hear more here.

In Social investment and community services, Community Services Industry Alliance CEO, Belinda Drew, talks about how the ongoing crisis is shaping social services policy and the role of social impact investing in supporting community services. Find out more here.

In Soft power in the Asia-Pacific, Griffith University Griffith Asia Institute Director, Professor Caitlin Byrne, discusses the events in the Asia Pacific that have been overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing importance of soft power in diplomacy. You can hear more here.

Finally, I’d like to thank our renewing members:

National members

• Mitsubishi Australia
• Serco

State members

• Adelaide Convention Centre (SA)
• C|T Group (NSW)
• City West Water (VIC)
• EDL (QLD)
• Hender Consulting (SA)
• IAG (NSW)
• NSW Public Service Commission (NSW)
• Olam Australia (QLD)
• Queensland Family and Child Commission (QLD)
• Redland City Council (QLD)
• SAP Australia (WA)
• TechnologyOne (QLD)
• Translational Research Institute (QLD)
• Western Power (WA)

Thank you once again to all our members and the wider CEDA community for your ongoing support as we continue the conversations on policy priorities that matter for our future with Australian leaders across government, business and academia.