A number of prestigious awards were bestowed upon worthy economists at ACE2026, which this year was held in Canberra during July. 

John was one of Australia’s most distinguished economists, with an international reputation. He made outstanding contributions and pioneering work across numerous fields, including developing the first econometric model of the Australian economy, making significant contributions to our understanding of fiscal policy and of growth theory, as well as his fundamental insights into labour markets and into the causes of and cures for unemployment. 

ACE 2026 was held in Canberra, ACT from 7-10 July 2026 at University of Canberra and covered a full range of topical economic issues. It was targeted at economists in academe, government and business and covered Climate change and environmental externalities; Challenges in social policy; How government can best implement policies in an environment of declining trust and misinformation; and Contemporary economic issues such as raising productivity and tax reform. The conference featured plenary sessions with international speakers and concurrent sessions with domestic presenters.

Poll 69  

'Skills, competition, infrastructure': top economists tell Chalmers what belongs in his productivity package.  Top economists want Treasurer Jim Chalmers to spend his 12 May Budget fixing the supply side of the Australian economy.  

Thinking about taking time out to pursue a PhD but concerned about the financial commitment? If so, you may wish to consider the Ken Clements PhD Scholarship for studies commencing in 2027.

A Centennial History of The Economic Society of Australia, Alex Millmow

This centennial history of the Economic Society of Australia is much more than an administrative record. It’s the story of how the Society has evolved since 1925 against a background of rapidly changing trends in the Australian economics profession and profound changes within the economy.

Book Reviews: Paul Oslington  |  Leonora Risse

Poll 68

Australia's top economists overwhelmingly believe there’s no better way to boost productivity than to boost skills.  Offered a choice of seven measures identified by the Economic Society of Australia as candidates for achieving the Treasurer’s aim of boosting Australia’s historically low rate of productivity growth, 26 of the 45 economists polled picked boosting skills and workforce capability, almost twice as many as picked the next most-popular option: promoting innovation and research and development.

The Economic Society of Australia (WA) held its Annual General Meeting and Annual Dinner on 27 August 2025 at the University Club of Western Australia.

On 3 September 2025 the Economic Society of Australia (WA) and UWA Economics Department co-hosted the 60^th annual Shann Memorial Lecture.  The Speaker was Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock, and her lecture was titled “Technology and the Future of Central Banking at the RBA”. 

On 18 July the Economic Society of Australia (WA Branch) teamed up with the 2025 Annual Conference of the History of Economic Thought Society of Australia to host a presentation by Dr. Alex Millmow titled “An Evolving Record: A Centennial History of the Economic Society of Australia”.

The ESAWA hosted a successful breakfast on 11 March 2025 with the first in a new series of events titled Economics on the Swan. The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP was keynote speaker and addressed the topic "Why Competition Reform Is More Fun Than It Looks – and More Significant Than You Thought". 

The Economic Society of Australia (WA) had the pleasure of co-hosting the 2024 Shann Memorial Lecture on 16 October 2024.  The lecture was delivered by Chris Richardson at the University of Western Australia and was titled “Australia: Why we are where we are...”.

We are delighted that Professor Kenneth Clements of the UWA Business School was presented with the 2024 Distinguished Fellow Award by the Economic Society of Australia at the Annual Conference of Economists in Adelaide on 11 July.

Alison Preston, Professor in the Department of Economics at the UWA Business School and Vice President of the Economic Society of Australia (WA Branch), was awarded the prize for the Best Paper in Economic Papers for her article on “Financial Literacy and Self-Employment” co-authored with Robert E. Wright.

The WA Department of Treasury has kindly advised that it has released a discussion paper on international trade that is of some importance to the Western Australian economy.  The paper reviews the gains from trade and considers recent developments in global trade.  In particular, the paper considers the implications for Western Australia of the current US-China trade dispute.

Applications for the 2023 Mannkal Student Scholarship Program are now open.

Participation in a one year Mannkal Scholarship Program includes 10-12 local seminars and events, entrepreneurship training, employability skills development, conference opportunities and an invitation to apply for internships both domestically and abroad. Mannkal covers the full cost of these opportunities.

The Economic Society of Australia’s WA Branch has established a new podcast series ‘Economics Supplied on Demand’.

Episode 3 in our podcast series - Economics Supplied on Demand -  is about the importance of studying economics.  Click here to listen.