About the discussion
Improving Australia’s productivity performance is widely recognised as an urgent priority. A critical yet sometimes hard-to-pin-down element of that challenge concerns how international and foreign policy decisions shape domestic productivity outcomes. Governments like Australia’s are managing global security risks while positioning their economies for a world defined by technological transformation, strategic tension and climate change.
In August, the Economic Reform Roundtable convened to set a course on productivity, resilience and budget sustainability. With the dust having settled, attention turns to what comes next and which policy levers matter most. What role can trade and investment policy play in capital deepening, technology diffusion and competition? And how might regional and multilateral architectures shape the next phase of Australian growth?
On Tuesday 25 November 2025, Professor Jenny Gordon and Professor Christopher Findlay joined the Canberra Security Economics Network for a discussion on the international dimensions of productivity policy.
If you attended this event and would like a summary or the presenters’ slides, please contact us.
The speakers
Professor Jenny Gordon
Lowy Institute / Australian National University
Professor Jenny Gordon is a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute and an Honorary Professor at the Centre for Social Research and Methods at the Australian National University. She previously served as Chief Economist at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, establishing the Office of the Chief Economist and leading work on trade, investment and development economics. She has held senior roles at Nous Group, the Productivity Commission and the Centre for International Economics.
Professor Christopher Findlay
Professor Christopher Findlay was previously Executive Dean of the Faculty of the Professions at the University of Adelaide, Head of Economics at Adelaide, and Professor of Economics at the Australian National University. He was also vice Chair of the Australian Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee. His current work spans services trade and regional integration.