20 Martin Parkinson

Treasury boss Martin Parkinson is steering Australia through the murkiest global economic conditions seen since the Great Depression. It helps that he's one of the most well-credentialed purse string holders we've ever had. 

With a PhD from Princeton (where he studied under current Fed chief Ben Bernanke) and degrees from the University of Adelaide and Australian National University, Parky certainly has the smarts to provide frank and fearless policy advice to Wayne Swan.

And having inherited the keys to the coffers from Ken Henry, whose work during the GFC prompted Julia Gillard to laud him as "one of the greatest", he's also got a hard act to follow.

But it'll be how Parkinson deals with the fresh economic turmoil which dictates how his era ends up being judged. As the fallout flows from the eurozone debt crisis and the US continues to stutter, Treasury must be keeping all their fingers and toes crossed that the little economy that could keeps on powering along.

Because Australia's numbers are good. Unemployment is the envy of the developed world at 5.2% (despite a small recent rise), inflation is 1.6% and growth is 4.3%. That picture has led Parkinson to urge Australians to shake off their "boom with the gloom" mentality and realise we're not Greece.

Still, a lot of Australia's prosperity depends on resources and demand within our region. If, as numbers are starting to suggest, China slows down, Parkinson could be in for a few sleepless nights.