We are delighted to announced the launch of the Butlin Brothers Lecture Series, a new annual event honouring two of Australia’s most influential economic historians, Sydney James (“Syd”) Butlin and Noel George (“Noel”) Butlin.
The Butlin Brothers’ Lecture Series will bring leading scholars and policymakers together to explore themes central to the brothers’ work, including long‑run economic development, public policy, and the role of historical evidence in shaping Australia’s future.
The inaugural lecture will take place on Thursday 3 December from 6pm till 7pm at the Australian National University, Canberra. Professor Tim Hatton will provide his lecture Human Capital and the Australian Economic Miracle, 1840-1870 (register now)
Poll 70
"Targeted to those who genuinely need it' - Top economists pick the best cost-of-living supports, by Isaac Gross, Monash University.
Australia's leading economists have picked help with school costs, rent and dental care as the most meaningful cost-of-living supports the federal government could offer.
Responses (52)
A number of prestigious awards were bestowed upon worthy economists at ACE2026, which this year was held in Canberra during July.
The 2026 Australian Conference of Economists (ACE) was held at the University of Canberra from 7–10 July 2026. The conference attracted over 400 delegates and featured more than 160 presentations, including keynote lectures, special policy panels, contributed sessions and poster sessions. Participants included researchers from universities across Australia and overseas, as well as economists from government departments, central banks, consulting firms and the private sector. ACE provided an important forum for disseminating frontier research, discussing contemporary economic and public policy challenges, and fostering interaction between academic economists and economists working in policy and industry.
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.
Responses (46)
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.
Responses (43)