The following are the full Top 100 issues as decided by a survey of 291 CEDA trustees and nine CEDA senior staff.
Rank |
Issue |
Environment |
Description |
---|---|---|---|
Source: CEDA Big Issues survey 2007 | |||
1 |
Water |
National Resources |
Water - including rainfall, run-off, location, impact of El Nino, pollution, storage of water resources, usage (e.g. agriculture, industry, households) |
2 |
Economy |
World |
Economy - including size and growth prospects in global, regional and national economies, inflationary pressures, savings levels |
3 |
People |
World |
People - including population growth, ageing, poverty, income & wealth polarisation, emigration/immigration patterns |
4 |
Ecology |
World |
Ecology - including environmentalism, global warming, water resources, carbon trading, ocean resources & depletion, forests & deforestation |
5 |
World Trade |
World |
Trade - including trade liberalisation, WTO, export growth, type of trade in goods & services, booms & busts (esp. commodities) |
6 |
Labour Skills |
National Resources |
Labour Skills - including educational attainment levels, continuous training, workforce flexibility, industrial relations |
7 |
Energy |
National Resources |
Energy - including quantity, type & cleanness of energy mix, peak power usage capability, competition & pricing |
8 |
Productivity |
Economy |
Productivity - including overall, by industry, lagging industries, methods of improvement |
9 |
Workforce |
Labour |
Workforce - including size, growth, distribution, participation rate, shortages |
10 |
Priorities |
Government |
Priorities - including long range priorities such as ageing, health, education, defence, workplace relations |
11 |
Health |
Government |
Health - including cost of healthcare and distribution of payment responsibilities, PBS scheme |
12 |
Growth |
Industry |
Growth - including development of new age & emerging industries (e.g. biotech, nanotechnology, service industries) |
13 |
Minerals |
National Resources |
Minerals - including fuel reserves (e.g. oil, gas, coal, uranium), ore reserves (e.g. iron, bauxite, nickel), native rights |
14 |
Our Region |
World |
Our Region - including Asia Pacific & sub-regions (e.g. South-East Asia), size & growth of region's nations, trade, capital flows, alliances & pacts |
15 |
Labour |
World |
Labour - including employment & unemployment levels, comparative wage rates & conditions, trends to contractualism |
16 |
Transport |
National Resources |
Transport - including state of road, rail, air and water infrastructure, type of ownership, competition, productivity & safety |
17 |
Investment |
Economy |
Investment - including capital expenditure growth & disposition, by type & ownership |
18 |
Governance |
Enterprise |
Governance - including ethical behaviour of directors, executives & employees, triple bottom line type assessments |
19 |
Communications |
National Resources |
Communications - including broadband connectivity, speed, mobile phone density, industry competition |
20 |
Agriculture |
National Resources |
Agriculture - including arable land (with water certainty), salination & degradation issues, crop suitability for land |
21 |
Export |
Markets |
Export - including mix of exports (growth & non growth), destination (e.g. regions, countries), terms of trade |
22 |
Ecology Issues |
National Resources |
Ecology - including environmental protection & integrity (e.g. air, water, land, flora, fauna), remediation (e.g. salination, water pollution) |
23 |
Finance |
World |
Finance - including global equity & debt flows, derivatives (e.g. hedge funds), stock markets, private funds, interest rates, exchange rates |
24 |
Key Industries |
Industry |
Key industries - identification of key industries, which change over time, for analysis & policy making |
25 |
Australian Trade |
Economy |
Australian trade - including exports & imports by trade, destination, source |
26 |
GDP |
Economy |
GDP - including size, growth, components, contribution by region |
27 |
WBP |
Industry |
World's Best Practice - including knowledge & emulation of world's best practice across industry divisions |
28 |
Interest Rates |
Finance |
Interest rates - including interest rates across various capital instruments |
29 |
Accountability |
Government |
Accountability - including governments', ministers', public servants' responsibility for their actions, transparency |
30 |
Profitability |
Enterprise |
Profitability - including meeting world's best practice of 4 times the bond rate as a return on shareholders funds |
31 |
Industry mix |
Economy |
Industry mix - including industry importance, growth & non-growth industries, future structure |
32 |
Strategic Goods |
Markets |
Strategic goods - including all pervasive materials (e.g. crude oil) availability, price movements |
33 |
Health |
Community |
Health - including consciousness, fitness levels, obesity issues, diet regimes |
34 |
Taxation |
Government |
Taxation - including level, mix, trends, world comparisons |
35 |
Government |
World |
Government - including political ideologies, progress of democracy, emergence of regional & world governments, taxation levels |
36 |
Inflation |
Economy |
Inflation - including overall inflation, CPI (and components) |
37 |
Population |
Community |
Population - including size, growth & composition of population, geographic concentration (city vs. rural vs. coastal) |
38 |
Intellectual Property |
National Resources |
Intellectual Property - including innovation (e.g. business, government, universities), R&D spending, IP protection mechanisms |
39 |
Availability |
Finance |
Availability - including equity & debt, capital sources (e.g. banks, share markets, venture capital) |
40 |
Government |
Markets |
Government - including government spending at federal, state & local level, type of spending by function |
41 |
National Savings |
Economy |
National savings - including levels of distribution (e.g. household, business, government) |
42 |
WBP |
Enterprise |
World's Best Practice - including world's best practice at functional level of enterprises (e.g. HR, governance, R&D) |
43 |
Age Structure |
Community |
Age structure - including cohorts, generations, ageing issues & challenges |
44 |
Exchange Rates |
Finance |
Exchange rates - including changes in exchange rates between countries, key trading & investment nations |
45 |
Returns |
Finance |
Returns - comparative investment performance, share market, property, industry trusts, cash, gold, housing, overseas share market |
46 |
Wages |
Labour |
Wages - including growth, by industry, by gender, by occupation |
47 |
Forests |
National Resources |
Forests - including stock (native, plantation), reforestation, tropical rainforests & protection, logging |
48 |
Regulation |
Government |
Regulation - including trends in business regulation at the state & federal level, impact |
49 |
Personal Savings |
Community |
Personal savings - including total, compulsory (superannuation levy), voluntary |
50 |
Communications |
World |
Communications - freedom of speech, changing media mix, media ownership & concentration, Internet, broadband connectivity & speed |
51 |
Current Account |
Economy |
Current account - including deficit (% of GDP), components (e.g. trade, income), foreign debt |
52 |
Debt |
Community |
Debt - including total household debt, mortgage debt, other debt (e.g. loans, credit cards) |
53 |
Investment Flows |
Finance |
Investment flows - including foreign & domestic capital flows |
54 |
Incomes |
Community |
Incomes - including income levels, growth components, distribution (polarisation) |
55 |
Budget |
Government |
Budget - including budgets & performance to budget across federal & state |
56 |
Immigration |
Community |
Immigration - including growth, origin by country/region, impact, existing & future ethnicity |
57 |
Federalism |
Government |
Federalism - the changing role of national & state governments |
58 |
Unemployment |
Labour |
Unemployment - including level, change, location (states), age structure, youth unemployment, length of employment |
59 |
Performance |
Finance |
Performance - including liquidity, interest cover, EVA, ROSF |
60 |
Industrial |
Markets |
Industrial - including distribution trends, logistics |
61 |
Wealth |
Community |
Wealth - including total, growth, gross vs. net wealth, components of wealth by asset (category), polarisation |
62 |
Consumption |
Economy |
Consumption - including household & government consumption components |
63 |
Tourism |
National Resources |
Tourism - including topographic resources for tourism (e.g. beaches, tropical forests, the outback, eco-tourism) |
64 |
Working Conditions |
Labour |
Working conditions - including OH&S issues, working from home (part or full-time), wage-related conditions (e.g. leave, holidays) |
65 |
Housing |
Economy |
Housing - including investment by type (e.g. housing, apartments, alterations & additions), by purpose (e.g. owner-occupier, investor) |
66 |
Expenditure |
Community |
Expenditure - including distribution of household expenditure, health expenditure, gambling |
67 |
Security |
World |
Security - including regional & global pacts, role of UN, role of US, Australian pacts & treaties, contribution to regional defence & safety |
68 |
Fishing |
National Resources |
Fishing - including stocks (e.g. ocean), aquaculture, pearling, over-fishing (domestic or international operators), pollution |
69 |
Generations |
Labour |
Generations - including workforce by generation, & their attitudes & behaviors towards work |
70 |
Hours of Work |
Labour |
Hours of work - including full time, casual, part-time, etc. |
71 |
Consumer |
Markets |
Consumer - including household spending, locations (e.g. retail, online), composition, etc. |
72 |
Mix |
Enterprise |
Mix - including the changing importance & role of large, medium & small enterprises, etc. |
73 |
War/Terrorism |
World |
War/Terrorism - including civil wars, ethnic conflicts, terrorism, nuclear capabilities, war, rogue states, international judicial apparatus |
74 |
Auditing |
Finance |
Auditing - including good governance, internal & external auditing, etc. |
75 |
Disease |
World |
Disease - including human & animal-originated pandemics (e.g. SARS, Bird Flu, BSE), malaria & other eradicable diseases |
76 |
Crime |
Community |
Crime - including incidence of crime, world comparisons, prison population, efficacy of judicial system, rehabilitation |
77 |
Drugs |
Community |
Drugs - including drug use, availability, addiction, rehabilitation |
78 |
Old Sectors |
Industry |
Old sectors - including future of agriculture (<3% of GDP), manufacturing (heading for just 7% of GDP from 30% in 1960) |
79 |
Imports |
Markets |
Imports - including mix, availability, price movements of imported materials & finished goods, equipment, machinery, etc. |
80 |
Government |
Enterprise |
Government - including the future role (if any) of GBEs (Government Business Enterprises), etc. |
81 |
Use of Time |
Community |
Use of time - including changing use of time (e.g. work, leisure), leisure activities, etc. |
82 |
Defence |
Government |
Defence - including funding, manpower, equipping, structure, alliances, effectiveness, flexibility, etc. |
83 |
Contractualism |
Labour |
Contractualism - employee concept to contracted services (i.e. turning the employer-employee relationship into a b2b relationship) |
84 |
Local |
Markets |
Local - including mix, availability, price movements of locally sourced inputs, etc. |
85 |
Subsidies |
Government |
Subsidies - including efficient use of subsidies, welfare & relief to business & individuals, etc. |
86 |
Outsourcing |
Services |
Outsourcing - outsourced functions & activities, supply arrangements, pricing issues, documentation & negotiation issues |
87 |
Disasters |
World |
Disasters - natural disasters, nuclear plant meltdowns, major chemical disasters, water source contamination |
88 |
Derivatives |
Finance |
Derivatives - including hedge funds, futures markets, company risk, national risks, etc. |
89 |
Marketing |
Markets |
Marketing - including changing mix of marketing (e.g. above & below line advertising expenditure), direct marketing |
90 |
Subcontracting |
Services |
Subcontracting - including the difference between outsourcing & subcontracting, onshore & offshore subcontracting, etc. |
91 |
Family Formation |
Community |
Family formation - including marriages, separations, divorces, etc. |
92 |
Households |
Community |
Households - including number, growth, composition, etc. |
93 |
Religion |
World |
Religion - including major religions, radicalism/fundamentalism/extremism, role in economy & welfare of nations, etc. |
94 |
Parties |
Government |
Parties - including parties in power (state and federal), platforms, performance, etc. |
95 |
Ideologies |
Government |
Ideologies - including socialism, capitalism, humanism, rationalism, environmentalism, etc. |
96 |
Sport |
Community |
Sport - including participation levels, types of sport, etc. |
97 |
Unionism |
Labour |
Unionism - including levels, direction, disposition of union membership, etc. |
98 |
Franchising |
Services |
Franchising - including the growth & disposition of franchising, legal issues, etc. |
99 |
Republic |
Government |
Republic - the importance & consequences of becoming a republic, etc. |
100 |
Religious Adherence |
Community |
Religious adherence - including religious affiliations, practicing vs. nominal, etc. |