With Interest
CPA Australia
Recent Episodes
In this special episode of With Interest, CPA Australia CEO Chris Freeland sits down with Australia's Auditor General, Dr Caralee McLiesh, for an exclusive fireside chat on public sector challenges.
The conversation builds on Dr McLiesh's keynote address on performance management in the Commonwealth public sector, drawing on insights from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) annual report, released in September 2025.
The discussion took place following a roundtable lunch in Canberra on 5 August 2025, where CPA Australia convened senior public sector leaders to hear Dr McLiesh's keynote before she joined Chris Freeland to expand on the key themes.
Listen now.
Speakers: Dr Caralee McLiesh, Auditor-General of Australia and Chris Freeland, CEO, CPA Australia.
You can listen to the keynote speech from the roundtable in full by Australia's Auditor-General, Dr Caralee McLiesh.
For more information about the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) head to its website.
And you can learn more about Dr Caralee McLiesh's career from this PMC statement following her announcement as Australia's auditor general in 2024.
Listen to more With Interest episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.
CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:
Search for them in your podcast platform.
Email the podcast team at [email protected]
In this special With Interest episode, you can listen in full to a keynote speech by Australia's Auditor-General, Dr Caralee McLiesh.
The speech focuses on performance management in the Commonwealth public sector, drawing on some of the many findings in the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) annual report, released in September 2025.
The Auditor-General addresses the state of performance management 10 years after the introduction of the Public Governance Performance and Accountability (PGPA) Act of 2013. In her speech, she highlights three key areas where the framework's full potential has yet to be realised.
CPA Australia CEO Chris Freeland brought together senior leaders from across the public sector for a roundtable lunch in the nation's capital on August 5, 2025, where the Auditor-General gave this insightful keynote.
Listen now.
Speaker: Dr Caralee McLiesh, Auditor-General of Australia
For more information about the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) head to its website.
And you can learn more about Dr Caralee McLiesh's career from this PMC statement following her announcement as Australia's auditor general in 2024.
Listen to more With Interest episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube.
CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:
Search for them in your podcast platform.
Email the podcast team at [email protected]
How does the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) ensure tax fairness when dealing with large corporations.
In this episode, the Deputy Commissioner, Public Groups, at the ATO explains how the tax office works to promote transparency, accountability and compliance in the large market sector.
This discussion sheds light on how the ATO's strategic approach supports both corporate confidence and public trust.
Some of the key areas covered include:
-
Current state of the large business market
-
The Tax Avoidance Taskforce
-
Key trends in compliance
-
Overall relationship between large businesses and the tax system
-
Dispute resolution
-
The introduction of public country-by-country reporting
-
The future of the relationship between big business and the ATO
Listen now for expert-led insights from the ATO's expert in this field.
Host: Jenny Wong, Tax Lead, CPA Australia
Guest: Rebecca Saint, Deputy Commissioner, Public Groups, ATO. Rebecca plays a leading role in the Tax Avoidance Taskforce, where she handles large market strategy and compliance and assurance programs for public and multinational groups.
For more, you can read Rebecca's speech at the CPA Tax Forum 2025.
And this ATO Findings Report on public and multinational business disputes and outcomes will provide further context to this episode.
Keen to listen to more episodes? With Interest and other CPA Australia podcasts are uploaded regularly to YouTube.
CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:
Search for them in your podcast platform.
Email the podcast team at [email protected]
In part two of this With Interest conversation, experts David Bradbury, Paul Tilley, Dale Pinto and Jenny Wong discuss the global tax reform debate, unpacking the challenges and opportunities facing Australia.
Key takeaways include:
- Why OECD Pillar Two still has a fighting chance
- The impact of dividend imputation on tax reform
- Why stamp duty is a critical state-level issue
- How tariffs vs VAT reflect shifting US tax policy
- International best practices to boost investor confidence.
From corporate tax rate dilemmas to economic nationalism, this episode explores how geopolitical tensions and tax complexity are reshaping the future of taxation.
The discussion was held at CPA Australia's inaugural Tax Forum in August 2025.
Listen now.
Hosts: Jenny Wong, Tax Lead, Policy and Advocacy, CPA Australia and Dale Pinto, Global President and Chair of CPA Australia
Guests: David Bradbury, partner at KPMG Australia, former Federal Minister and Assistant Treasurer, former Deputy Director of the OECD's Centre for Tax Policy and Administration
Paul Tilley, former economic advisor to Treasury and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and author of Mixed Fortunes: A History of Tax Reform in Australia.
You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website.
Missed part one? Find it here.
Would you like to listen to more With Interest episodes? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel.
CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:
Search for them in your podcast platform.
Email the podcast team at [email protected]
Australia's tax system is under pressure.
In part one of this With Interest conversation, Jenny Wong is joined by two of the country's leading voices in tax policy — David Bradbury and Paul Tilley. Together, they explore the structural flaws in Australia's tax system, the economic and political barriers to reform and the urgent need for a tax mix shift.
Key takeaways include:
- Why Australia's tax system may not be fit for "dangerous times"
- The single biggest structural flaw in Australia's tax system today
- The risks of over-reliance on personal income tax
- How capital income tax impacts productivity and investment
- Why Australia has gone 25 years without meaningful change
From capital taxation challenges to the erosion of GST revenue, this conversation offers deep insights into the future of tax reform in Australia.
The discussion was held at CPA Australia's inaugural Tax Forum in August 2025.
Listen now.
Host: Jenny Wong, Tax Lead, Policy and Advocacy, CPA Australia
Guests: David Bradbury, partner at KPMG Australia, former Federal Minister and Assistant Treasurer, former Deputy Director of the OECD's Centre for Tax Policy and Administration
Paul Tilley, former economic advisor to Treasury and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and author of Mixed Fortunes: A History of Tax Reform in Australia.
You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website.
Stay tuned for part two as David Bradbury, Paul Tilley, Dale Pinto and Jenny Wong discuss the global tax reform debate, unpacking the challenges and opportunities facing Australia. Coming soon.
Would you like to listen to more With Interest episodes? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel.
CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:
Search for them in your podcast platform.
Email the podcast team at [email protected]