On Wednesday 28 January 2009, The Sydney Institute held an early evening seminar to discuss the causes of the Global Financial Crisis then unfolding. The speakers were Mark Johnson, a former Chairman of Macquarie Bank, Dr John Edwards, Chief Economist with HSBC and Dr Timo Henckel, a Research Fellow with the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis at the Australian National University. The function attracted a capacity audience and The Sydney Institute announced further discussion seminars on the GFC would be organised throughout 2009.