Thomas Walker Email & Phone Number

Hi there! I'm Tom, an economist, geographer, and the CEO of Think Forward.I research and advocate for intergenerational collaboration and fairness in policymaking. I am incredibly passionate about this work and our little organisation. Why? Because we can see that our futures are increasingly uncertain. We notice it in our daily lives, from record student loan debts, the housing crisis, a decade-long decline in real wages and growing intergenerational wealth inequality. These issues are compounded by climate change and the budgetary impacts of an aging population and contribute to a youth mental health crisis, our ability to have a family, Australia’s low rates of entrepreneurship and disillusionment with our political leaders. I believe that our society relies on an implicit intergenerational bargain to function. This is where working-age taxpayers support younger generations in setting up their lives and older Australians in retirement. It also means that sustainable economic and social progress will afford each generation equitable access to life’s essentials. At the very least, we should not leave Australia in a worse position than when we inherited it.However, this bargain is under pressure. Decades of policy inertia have resulted in short-termism triumphing over long-term planning and shared prosperity. Despite the evidence, there has been little meaningful action. That's the job we've set ourselves at Think Forward: to get economic reform on the agenda and ensure younger generations are at the forefront of the debate to diversify the traditional voices protecting the status quo. It’s also about values and the type of society we want to live in and leave behind. Our vision is to build a brighter, fairer future grounded in shared prosperity on a healthy planet. We want an economy, taxation regime and social services that work for all generations.