Comment: Free thinking Murray now five days away
Free thinking David Murray is now five days away from releasing the report of the Financial Services Inquiry he has been chairing and, thanks to faster broadband, it will be easier to access than previous reports. Â If you want to buy a copy of the 1981 Campbell committee report, look hard. Common sellers of books don't seem to stock it and anyone selling it hasn't pushed that availability to search engines. 1997 Wallis reports are also not being traded widely, if Google is any guide. Â You can order a bound copy of The Campbell report from the National Library of Australia for $280, although the Wallis report does not seem to attract the same treatment. Â But both can still be had for free, from Treasury. Â David Murray's edition will also be free - and this time will be quick to download, avoiding the slow downloads that were a real barrier to appreciation of Stan Wallis' committee work when broadband was rare and creaky. This third great endeavour at a Financial System Inquiry continues a tradition started by real estate prince Keith Campbell in 1979. Campbell was largely assisted by Treasury, while McKinseys had a decent hand the Wallis process. Oliver Wyman have taken that role this time. So, what was that first Campbell committee report, finally released in 1981, all about? A ten year-old edition of Treasury's Economic Roundup is the source for our next two articles.