The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) is a

bipartisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing Political party, politica ...

, non-profit organisation providing thought leadership and policy perspectives on the economic and social issues affecting Australia, established in 1960.

Foundation

The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) was formed in 1960 by Sir Douglas Copland, one of the most influential figures in Australian economics. George Le Couteur

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

was president from 1968 until 1974. It was modelled on the US CED (

Committee for Economic Development The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) is an American nonprofit and nonpartisan public policy think tank. The board of trustees consist primarily of senior corporate executives from a range of U.S. industries an ...

) but is now organised along lines more similar to the US

Conference Board The Conference Board, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit business membership and research organization. It counts over 1,000 public and private corporations and other organizations as members, encompassing 60 countries. The Board convenes confere ...

and the

Conference Board of Canada The Conference Board of Canada is an independent, non-profit applied-research organization based in Canada. It aims to help Canada's leaders make informed, evidence-based decisions using non-partisan and non-ideological analysis. The organiza ...

. It is Australia's third-oldest think-tank, after the

Institute of Public Affairs The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is a conservative non-profit free market public policy think tank, Political links and networking The IPA Victoria was founded during World War II by businessmen in response to the feared growing power of ...

and the

Australian Institute of International Affairs The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) is an Australian research institute and think tank which focuses on International relations. It publishes the '' Australian Journal of International Affairs''. It is one of the oldest act ...

.James G. McGann and R. Kent Weaver (ed), ''Think Tanks and Civil Societies'', Transaction Publishers, 2002, at p395 In 1979, after a debate on CEDA's involvement in lobbying, it established a "Business Roundtable" as an independent entity, which in 1983 was merged into the

Business Council of Australia The Business Council of Australia (BCA) is an industry association that comprises the chief executives of more than 130 of Australia's biggest corporations. It was formed in 1983 by the merger of the Business Roundtable – a spin-off of the Co ...

Aims and function

The expressed aim of CEDA is to "promote national economic development in a sustainable and socially balanced way". ''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...

'' economics editor

Ross Gittins Ross Gittins (born 1948 in Newcastle, Australia) is an Australian political and economic journalist and author, known for "his ability to make dry, hard-to-understand economics and economic policy relevant". Early life and education Ross Roder ...

has described CEDA as seeking to "inform the public debate without lobbying". It is not influenced by political parties or vested interests, but remains independent.

Governance and people

, Diane Smith-Gander is national president of CEDA, and Melinda Cilento is CEO. It is financed by around 700 members drawn from businesses, universities, governments, and community groups and by a program of conferences and other events. Neville Norman, later a professor at

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, was economic advisor from 1975 to 1992. John Nieuwenhuysen served as research director in the late 1980s, and became CEO in 1996. He expanded CEDA's collaborative research with Australian universities on issues such as

tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

and industrial relations reform. Neil Warren, later a professor at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

, was research director from 1988 to 1990.

Research approach

In 2018 CEDA identified its policy stack: technology and data; workplace, workforce and collaboration; population; critical services and institutions. Rather than identifying strongly with a particular ideological viewpoint in the style of the

Centre for Independent Studies The Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) is an Australian think tank founded in 1976 by Greg Lindsay. The CIS specialises in public policy research and publishes material in areas such as economics, education, culture and foreign policy. Alth ...

, the

, or the Australia Institute, it mostly offers conclusions that are near the centre of the policy spectrum. It tends to favour market-oriented or at least price-oriented solutions to issues such as water supply and infrastructure.

References

External links

* {{refend 1960 establishments in Australia Political and economic think tanks based in Australia Economic development organizations