Introduction

From 1996 to 2006, Ian McFarlane was the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia. Former Prime Minister John Howard described him as "the standout economic official in my government" He presided over the beginning of the longest expansion in Australia's history. In his retirement, Ian has turned his hand to writing biography. We discuss Ten Remarkable Australians delving into the lives of three of his characters. And we then embark on an economics masterclass that sees us travel through the boom and bust of the 1980s to today's housing market.