ASR Blog
The aim of the ASR blog is to stimulate informed policy oriented dialogue by members. The opinions expressed in the blogs are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ASR. Comments by members are welcomed. Blogs and comments can be submitted to the Executive Director.
Recent posts
-
Payments impasse needs to end
Posted by Andrew McCredie, 13 December 2011
Payments impasse is costing $13 billion per year says ASR in op ed in Mon 12 Dec Australian Financial Review
-
Understanding Services at the heart of a competitive economy An ABAC Initiative - Champions: ABAC Hong Kong China and ABAC Philippines October 2011
Posted by Andrew McCredie, 7 November 2011
Understanding Services at the heart of a competitive economy
An ABAC Initiative – Champions: ABAC Hong Kong China and ABAC Philippines
October 2011, a paper tabled at the November 2011 APEC meeting in Honolulu. -
New strategies needed for Australia to benefit from Asian growth in services
Posted by Andrew McCredie, 24 August 2011
Businesses attending the Services Mission to China led by the Minister for Trade Dr Craig Emerson agreed there are historic new opportunities in Asia. The much talked about growth in Asian economies of domestic demand and services is finally occurring and has an unstoppable momentum.
-
Australia progressing as an international
finance centre
Posted by Andrew McCredie, 17 July 2011
In the difficult climate for international trade negotiations, slowing the pace of domestic reform must be avoided. To be ready for a more open and globalised financial services sector, Australia needs to implement important reforms, as set out in the 2009 Johnson Report, Australia as a Financial Centre – Building on our Strengths, produced by the Australian Financial Centre Forum.
Corrected version of article originally published in inFinance – the magazine for FINSIA members June 2011.
-
Australian science all "R" and no "D"
Posted by Duncan Jones, 17 July 2011
Duncan Jones says a failure to properly manage Australian publicly funded research means 80 per cent of the potential ROI to Australia is being lost. Five years ago, a management framework for research undertaken universities and public funded research agencies was developed by a Government-supported committee drawing on experienced research managers from business, including from the science industry and venture capital, CSIRO and universities. Australia can no longer afford the waste resulting from failure to implement this framework.
-
Measuring Service Delivery in Australia
Posted by Jane Drake-Brockman, 17 July 2011
Jane Drake-Brockman says there are major difficulties associated with measurement of each of the four modes of services trade delivery as defined in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS): cross-border supply, consumption abroad, commercial presence, and movement of natural persons. The consequence is that the extent of global trade in services is hugely underestimated and the services sector does not receive the trade and economic policy attention it deserves. The global economy meanwhile misses out on the productivity gains that focused reform of services sectors could generate.
-
Communique from Global Services Coalition from Hong Kong Services Conference 1-3 June
Posted by Andrew McCredie, 3 June 2011
The global services community has been strong supporters of the multilateral trading system and for achieving services outcomes through the Doha Development Agenda of the WTO. In a substantial and united break from the past, services leaders from all the key services representative bodies issued a Communique calling for a plurilateral approach to services negotiations.
-
Services - the new Manufacturing
Posted by Andrew McCredie, 28 April 2011
There was a surprising finding from the Services Symposium held by the Australian Services Roundtable with the ANU’s Crawford School of Economics. Services are just like manufacturing. In particular, services have joined manufacturing in the frontline of the battle for international economic competitiveness. How and why did this come about
-
Australia cannot afford to lag in e-health
Posted by Andrew McCredie, 14 March 2011
For the Australian Government to deliver on its plans to reform the health sector, it needs sophisticated electronic health solutions that provide information and transparency, while protecting personal information. E-health can deliver savings by reducing duplication and inefficiencies and improve the health system’s performance by identifying and addressing delivery gaps.
-
Seven Myths about Services
Posted by Darryl Bubner and Andrew McCredie, 14 March 2011
That for some time now the services sectors cover just about everything that counts in modern economy has been obscured by a number of pervasive myths. The seven most common myths are the subject of the attached paper link to pdf.