Three issues papers covering each of the themes of the Australian Government’s Economic Reform Roundtable from 19–21 August: economic resilience, productivity, and budget sustainability and tax reform. The Roundtable aims to build consensus on ways to improve, enhance and strengthen these areas. It will bring together a mix of leaders from business, unions, civil society, government and other experts.

The papers have been released to give participants the opportunity to engage with the issues in detail and build consensus before the Roundtable where possible. They define the issues, set out recent trends and outline the big challenges and opportunities Australia is confronting.

Key points

• Economic resilience helps weather and respond to disruptions including economic, geopolitical, technology and climate shocks, so Australia can prosper in an uncertain world.
• Lifting productivity is critical to growth in real wages, incomes, jobs and overall living standards. It needs to be done in a sustainable and inclusive way to ensure all Australians can benefit.
• Budget sustainability is a critical foundation to growing living standards over time. The structure of Australia's tax system is an important component of budget sustainability, along with high quality and efficient government spending.
• Australia's tax system and quality of public spending have important implications for productivity and intergenerational equity. 

Issues papers

• Economic Reform Roundtable: economic resilience
• Economic Reform Roundtable: productivity
• Economic Reform Roundtable: budget sustainability and tax reform.