Unpack and understand Australia's economic reform roundtable, which met in Canberra recently to explore ways of making the economy more productive and resilient.
This includes what the issues discussed mean for the economy’s future and what accountants and finance leaders need to know about the major tax and productivity challenges ahead.
Tune in now for a breakdown of this three-day summit, including:
Tax reform and productivity
Long-term growth challenges
Modernising the workforce
Tariffs
AI strategies
Attracting capital
While there is cautious optimism, this episode explores the broad thrust of the roundtable to understand the key challenges ahead.
The federal government roundtable, held in August 2025 brought together leaders from the business community, the union movement and society.
These discussions were informed by nearly 900 submissions from experts, industry leaders and individuals (including CPA Australia) and over 40 forums that Ministers held.
Listen now.
Host: Adrienne Biscontin, external affairs adviser, CPA Australia
Guests Dr Brendan Rynne, chief economist, KPMG. Brendan has been at KPMG nearly 30 years, 22 years as a partner, and has worked on major policy reforms including the Henry Tax Review and the Tax White paper. Alongside Brendan is Gavan Ord business investment and international lead, CPA Australia.
Links:
Listen to more With Interest episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.
CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:
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Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
As AI becomes embedded across public sector operations, how do you balance innovation with accountability? In this episode, hear expert views on the governance of AI in the public sector.
Key themes include:
Why defining AI clearly matters for risk management
The need to keep humans in the loop for high-impact decisions
Risks of using public generative AI tools with confidential data
The importance of closed-loop and contextual AI systems in government
How to balance centralised frameworks with agency-specific needs
Building a risk-aware culture vs. enforcing tick-box compliance
The challenge of maintaining transparency in machine learning
Why AI governance should be principles-based, not rules-based
The growing concerns around agentic AI and loss of human control
Whether you're a policy maker, accountant or public service leader, this discussion offers practical insights into designing agile, ethical and effective AI governance in the public sector.
Host: Ram Subramanian, External Reporting Lead, Policy, Standards and External Affairs, CPA Australia
Guest: Michael Davern, FCPA Professor of Accounting and Business Information Systems, University of Melbourne. For over 30 years, both in Australia and internationally, he has led industry-engaged research projects in data analytics, business intelligence, financial reporting, risk management, data governance and ethics, among others.
CPA Australia has released a report titled AI governance in the public sector. It features key insights from CPA Australia’s recent webinar with public sector experts.
For more, a media release on AI governance in the public sector summarises our views.
And learn more about this episode’s expert guest Michael Davern on the University of Melbourne website.
Listen to more With Interest episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.
CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:
Search for them in your podcast platform.
Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au