It has been a year since the federal government convened its economic reform roundtable – the culmination of a process that flung the doors open on the reforms needed to drive a more prosperous Australia.

The roundtable followed a flurry of activity: almost 900 submissions, 75 meetings with chief executives and industry leaders, and 41 ministerial roundtables asking for ideas to improve productivity, build economic resilience, and strengthen the budget.

With a strong election win behind it, the Albanese government was in the rare position of being able to think beyond the three-year election cycle.

It even opened the door to a discussion of tax reform, which had seemed an impossible dream for economists and policy makers since the turn of the century – a “third rail” that neither major party was willing to touch.

When I addressed the roundtable on that topic, my message was that Australians need a tax system that is helping us, not hindering us, to adapt to a changing world. The longer we put off reform, the more ill-fitting our tax system is going to be for the future we face and the harder the reform task will get.

So, how much has the government achieved in the intervening year?

Some progress, despite ample distraction

At the roundtable, we grappled with income taxes, company........

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