There has been a stark decline in the size and diversity of the Year 12 Economics student population in Australia since the early 1990s. This paper asks: first, which school and individual characteristics are most strongly associated with choosing Economics? Second, what are students' perceptions of Economics? And third, what differences in perceptions of Economics exist by sex and socio-economic background?

With the Federal Government planning a Women’s Security Summit in September, Women in Economics NSW is drawing together an exceptional panel to explore the critical issue of women’s economic security. The focus of the Panel will be on what the experience of a working life facing workforce inequality, a gender pay gap, part time work and interrupted work patterns means for women approaching and over the course of their retirement.

Ross Garnaut delves into the economic impact of the pandemic, by exploring the challenges Australia carried into the pandemic, identifying alternative paths forward for our nation in the post-pandemic world, and demonstrating how Australia can reset its economy and build a successful future. 

Raising productivity growth is essential to sustain further improvements in living standards, given headwinds from population ageing and the decline in Australia's terms of trade. Take a deep dive into recent research on productivity with Jonathan Hambur, Senior Research Manager at the Reserve Bank of Australia who will take us through research utilising a novel dataset to explore the factors driving productivity differentials.

Take a deep dive into debt and deficits with Professor Bill Mitchell - the founder of modern monetary theory – about modern monetary theory, its application to the current economic climate and what it can tell us about the future as we emerge from the pandemic

Aged care reform in Australia. Giving competition a chance to improve quality

The Royal Commission on Aged Care Quality and Safety concluded that residential aged care was delivering poor care quality, had little accountability, was devoid of quality information, and lacked consumer choice. The Australian Government responded in 2021 announcing 29 reforms to be implemented between 2021-25.  

China’s economic growth is facing both headwinds and great potential. With per capita income level reaching US$12,000 in 2021, China is projected to become a high-income country soon.

Australia’s history is sprinkled with tax reform attempts – some successful, some not. This seminar explores that history through three phases. First, the establishment of the Constitution at Federation in 1901 and the 1942 unification of income tax. Second, the seminal Asprey review in 1975 that set up the major tax reforms of 1985 and then 2000. Third, the mixed efforts at tax reform, at both the Commonwealth and state levels, this century.

The seminar will examine the roles of foundational reviews, that establish the case for reform, and determinative reviews, that implement reform. It will assess both the political economy issues of policy making and the quality of the tax reforms that have been achieved in Australia. What makes a reform exercise work (or not)? How do we assess the quality of Australia’s tax reforms? What lessons are there for future tax reform exercises?

All people in NSW expect safe reliable drinking water and wastewater services at a fair price. However, the environment in which monopoly water businesses plan and deliver services is changing. Population growth, climate change, economic shocks, digital technology and new government water strategies all present challenges that water businesses need to plan for and manage.

The Great Depression is still recognised as the worst economic crisis the world has faced.  Australia was hit particularly hard. Possibly one in three Australians were unemployed at the depths of the Depression.  

The conventional economics curriculum does not address the problems economists should be addressing. This is the view driving CORE Econ – Curriculum Open-access Resources in Economics.

Mike Smart, Chief Economist at IPART, discusses "Discounting the future re-examined: how climate change makes us think differently about the time value of money, and what that means for economic regulation".

With the release of ChatGPT—a ground-breaking AI-powered chatbot—automation has progressed from dull and repetitive tasks to complex and creative ones. The world is again being amazed by the speed at which artificial intelligence (AI) is developing.

The Commonwealth Productivity Commission’s 5-year Productivity Inquiry Report – Advancing Prosperity - was released in March. In this report, the Productivity Commission gives particular attention to the challenges Australia faces from the shift towards service industries. Almost 90% of Australians now work in service industries, including education, health, hospitality, retail and finance. It has traditionally been difficult to lift productivity in these sectors. Productivity in these areas can be hard to measure and achieve. In many cases, the goal will be to improve quality rather than reducing cost, but it remains important that we pursue productivity improvements in these areas.

A talk by Richard King, author of Here Be Monsters: Is Technology Reducing Our Humanity? (Monash University Publishing)

Technology is a constant in human affairs. The use of stone tools predates the emergence of humanity by some three million years, and helped to shape the beings we are now. We are Homo faber – ‘man the maker’ – the tool-using animal par excellence.

In this lunch-time seminar, three leading economists - Professor Tom Kompas from the University of Melbourne, Emma Richardson from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Nicki Hutley, Independent Economist discuseds the economic impacts of climate change, what it looks like in Australia and how it affects regions, industries and policies. The session covered issues such as economic damages, what the economic modelling tells us in Australia and abroad, and implications for policymakers and businesses.

The NSW ESA Branch, together with the NSW WEN Branch, are pleased to welcome Dr Lilla Csorgo, Chief Economist of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), to the ESA lunchtime seminar series. In this session, Dr Lilla Csorgo will present on the topic Competition Economics: Is It Broken?.

The Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector faces a host of problems from supply shortages, worker shortages and inflationary pressures. Ensuring parents are able to secure accessible and affordable childcare options is key to supporting women’s workforce participation, promoting productivity growth and assisting children’s development. Critical to addressing the problems plaguing the ECEC sector is understanding what parents want from ECEC services.

For 650 days, the author and economics professor was unjustly incarcerated in a Myanmar jail on a trumped-up charge of being a spy. When he was imprisoned alongside Myanmar’s democratic leadership following the military coup in February 2021, Professor Turnell was an economic policy advisor to Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

This will be a compelling and insightful talk as Sean reflects on his deep commitment to using his economic expertise to promote social justice.