CEDA was formed in 1960 by Sir Douglas Copland (pictured), one of Australia's foremost economists. Sir Douglas wanted to create a national, independent body that could harness the ideas and influence of the greatest minds in Australia's business, community and academic worlds.

The concept for CEDA was based on US think tank the Committee for Economic Development (CED). The CED was formed in 1942 to deal with the problem of anticipated unemployment after World War II and was influential in shaping the Marshall Plan and the post-war monetary system.

CEDA was formed as a national, not-for-profit economic research organisation, funded by private members and corporate subscriptions. From the start, CEDA was objective and not associated with any political or economic group. Its aims at its inception remain its aims today – to bring together leaders from the business, academic and community sectors to initiate independent research on matters of national economic importance.

Builders of CEDA

Sir Douglas Copland is the best-known figure in CEDA's history (you can see more about Copland here). But the organisation has been shaped by a series of leaders.

Don Merry

Peter Grey

John Nieuwenhuysen

Don Merry, for many years the chief economist of the ANZ Bank, chaired CEDA's first executive committee in 1961. He was founding committee chairman for CEDA in 1960 and was president from 1970 to 1980. Don Merry argued that real economic growth was vital to the success of social policy.

Peter Grey was for 30 years the chief executive and moving force of CEDA. Joining CEDA as director of research in the late 1960s, he led the organisation through the 1970s and 1980s and into the 1990s. He personified CEDA's mission of building bridges between different parts of the community.

In a speech to mark CEDA's 25th anniversary, the then prime minister, Bob Hawke, referred to "that quick mind, the generous spirit and the fascinating character which is Peter ... Peter Grey has done us all a great service in bringing together opinion makers, businessmen, academics, journalists, trade unionists and others in our community to debate the issues which have, and continue to be, important to our nation." Peter Grey retired in 1995.

Professor John Nieuwenhuysen first served CEDA as research director in the late 1980s before returning as chief executive in 1996. Professor Nieuwenhuysen dramatically expanded CEDA's joint research efforts with Australian universities on topics such as tax and industrial relations reform, bringing a new depth to CEDA's research publications. He also restructured CEDA's sponsorships and built large surpluses for the organisation that funded its continued growth.

David Edwards, who succeeded Professor Nieuwenhuysen in 2002, brought a new level of business discipline to CEDA, expanded CEDA's trustee base, introduced CEO roundtables and broadened CEDA's involvement in the study and discussion of business management.

CEDA's research directors have included Professor John Nieuwenhuysen in the late 1980s and Professor Neil Warren, now of the University of Sydney, from 1988 to 1990. Professor Neville Norman, now of the University of Melbourne, was Economic Advisor to CEDA from 1975 to 1992. 

Areas of interest

Over the years, CEDA has been influential in articulating and advising on some of Australia's biggest challenges. Its focus has always remained on how to encourage economic growth while maintaining social and environmental balance.

Immigration and emigration

CEDA has been influential on immigration issues since Reg Appleyard's 1963 research on low-cost housing for migrants.

CEDA's most influential research report, on the economic impact of immigration, was issued in 1985. Part of a four-year project, it was overseen by then CEDA economic adviser Dr Neville Norman and researcher Katherine Meikle. It was carried out in conjunction with the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, with the keen support of Peter Grey.

The research initially won support in 1982 from the then Immigration Minister, Ian Macphee. His Hawke Government ministerial successor, Chris Hurford, embraced the report and won implementation of a number of its key recommendations. Among these was the creation of a Bureau of Immigration Research.

The most far-reaching of the report's recommendation to be implemented by the Hawke Government, however, was the implementation of a points system for skilled migration. Since its adoption in Australia in the late 1980s, this system has increasingly become a model for immigration regimes in other parts of the developed world.

Skilled emigration has also been a key CEDA concern. A landmark report in 2003 on "Australia's diaspora" changed the Australian debate by pointing out that rather than enduring a "brain drain", Australia experienced "brain circulation", with skilled Australians moving overseas but then often returning to use their experience with Australia's borders.

Infrastructure

CEDA put infrastructure firmly on the national agenda with the release of Growth 54: Infrastructure: Getting on with the Job in 2004. The report articulated powerful concerns from industry and academia about the negative impact of failing infrastructure on Australia's economic development.

Asia

As early as the 1960s, CEDA produced a series of studies on the South-East Asian economies at a time when Australia was waking up to the importance of engaging with Asia. This issue remains at the forefront of CEDA's research agenda, with the publication in 2005 of Growth 55: China in Australia's Future, a major report outlining the opportunities for Australia to engage with China.

Taxation

CEDA vigorously supported the Mathews Committee's tax recommendations in the mid-1970s. Its influence was felt in the Fraser Government's introduction of a system of stock value adjustments to help businesses cope with inflation, and in government's 1976 introduction of tax indexation - although this last reform was quickly abandoned.

More recently, CEDA's call to spur labour force participation through tax cuts for low-income earners has been taken up by the OECD and became a feature of Howard Government tax policy through 2007.

Water

A landmark 2004 report, Growth 52: Water and the Australian Economy, called for a new approach to water management in Australia to ensure the future sustainability of this scarce resource.

Indigenous issues

Aborigines and the Mining Industry, published in 1984, was influential in arguing for increased government expenditure to overcome problems in remote aboriginal communities.

Industrial relations

CEDA's contribution to debate on wages and IR has been substantial. Wages and Productivity was released in 1967, and in the 1980s CEDA surveyed more then 200 business leaders about the arbitration system to support the Niland-Turner report.

Books about CEDA

CEDA's history and its contribution to Australia's economic development have been documented in Problems and Progress (1986), published on CEDA's 25th anniversary, and The Bridge (1991) published on CEDA's 30th anniversary.