Media contact

Kate Bettes
UNSW Business School
+61407701034
k.bettes@unsw.edu.au

On October 25, the Australian government is scheduled to deliver an updated 2022-23 Australian federal budget. The following UNSW experts are available for comment:  

UNSW Business School – School of Economics 

  • Dr Tim Neal, Senior Research Fellow, School of Economics, UNSW Business School can comment on climate change and its role in budget. He can be reached at timothy.neal@unsw.edu.au

  • Dr Nalini Prasad, Senior Lecturer, School of Economics, UNSW Business School can comment on Reserve Banks and inflation. She can be reached via Kate Bettes at k.bettes@usw.edu.au.  

  • Dr Evgenia Dechter, Senior Lecturer, School of Economics, UNSW Business School can comment on the labour market. She can be contacted at e.dechter@unsw.edu.au.  

  • Richard Holden Professor, School of Economics, UNSW Business School can comment on any aspect of the budget, the economic impact of the budget. He can be reached at richard.holden@unsw.edu.au. (Please note: Prof. Holden will be in the budget lockup).  

  • Gigi Foster, Professor, School of Economics, UNSW Business School can comment on the general impact of the budget, micro/macro-economic perspectives, debt, productivity and economic growth. She can be reached at gigi.foster@unsw.edu.au.   

UNSW Business School – School of Accounting, Auditing & Taxation 

  • Dr Rodney Brown, Senior Lecturer, School of Accounting, Auditing & Taxation, UNSW Business School can comment on taxation, and the Tax Avoidance Taskforce. He can be contacted at rodney.brown@unsw.edu.au

  • Dr Alexandra Evans, Senior Lecturer, School of Accounting, Auditing & Taxation, UNSW Business School, can comment on tax; electric car discounts - electric car economy (tax perspective); innovation and climate change (tax perspective); climate change and its role in budget (tax perspective). She can be reached via Kate Bettes at k.bettes@usw.edu.au 

  • Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor, School of Accounting, Auditing & Taxation, UNSW Business School can comment on most tax matters and tax avoidance, excluding international tax measures. He can be reached at d.boccabella@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Business School – School of Risk & Actuarial Studies 

  • Katja Ignatieva, Associate Professor, School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW Business can comment on energy markets. She can be reached via Kate Bettes at k.bettes@usw.edu.au. 

  • Dr Katja Hanewald, Senior Lecturer, School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW Business School and Director of Research of the Ageing Asia Research Hub, which is hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR). She can comment on Home Equity Access Scheme, superannuation, pensions, reverse mortgages and longevity, retirement planning and policy recommendations, population aging. She can be reached at k.hanewald@unsw.edu.au

  • Michael Sherris, Professor, School of Risk & Actuarial Studies at UNSW Business School, Chief Investigator and Director of Industry Engagement of the Ageing Asia Research Hub, which is hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR). He can comment on aged care; retirement and superannuation. He can be reached at m.sherris@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Business School – School of Information Systems and Technology Management 

  • Barney Tan, Professor and Head of School, School of Information Systems and Technology Management, UNSW Business School can comment on use of tech to improve the transparency of supply chains and compliance with new modern slavery laws; upgrading the NBN; the use of technology in aged care; deployment of IT systems to support telehealth consultation. He can be reached at barney.tan@unsw.edu.au 

  • Dr Yenni Tim, Senior Lecturer, School of Information Systems and Technology Management, UNSW Business School, can comment on cybersecurity; effective design and use of digital technologies to anticipate, absorb, and adapt to major disruptions; tech skills in the budget. She can be reached via Kate Bettes at k.bettes@usw.edu.au 

  • Dr Eric Lim, Senior Lecturer, School of Information Systems and Technology Management, UNSW Business School can comment on cryptocurrency, blockchain innovations, Web 3 economy and innovations. He can be reached at e.t.lim@unsw.edu.au. 

UNSW Business School – School of Banking and Finance 

  • Kristle Romero Cortés, Associate Professor, School of Banking and Finance, UNSW Business School can comment on climate change and the economy; The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA); the economy generally. She can be reached via Kate Bettes at k.bettes@usw.edu.au.  

  • Mark Humphery-Jenner, Associate Professor, School of Banking and Finance, UNSW Business School can comment on the RBA and interest rates; the economy in general including cost of living; housing (if capital gains tax or negative gearing arises); superannuation (i.e., if there are announcements about using super for national priority projects); taxation, including stage three tax cuts; the global 15% tax rate plan. He can be reached at m.humpheryjenner@unsw.edu.au

  • Jerry Parwada, Professor, School of Banking and Finance, UNSW Business School can comment on mortgages, cost of housing and Reserve Bank issues. He can be reached via Kate Bettes at k.bettes@usw.edu.au

  • Peter Swan, Professor, School of Banking and Finance, UNSW Business School can comment on cost of living – food costs, house costs, insurance costs; the economy; The Buy Australia Plan; National Reconstruction Fund; taxation; Tax Avoidance Taskforce; mortgages and cost of housing; debt; the Reserve Bank. He can be reached via Kate Bettes at k.bettes@usw.edu.au

UNSW Business School – School of Management and Governance 

  • Rob Nicholls, Associate Professor, School of Management and Governance, UNSW Business School can comment on cybersecurity in the context of small businesses and regulation, stimulating the digital economy (including NBN and capacity building), media regulation and platform businesses, and competition policy changes. He can be contacted on r.nicholls@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Business School – OTHER

  • Dr Gaoyun (Sophie) Yan, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at CEPAR, UNSW Sydney​, can speak on people's behaviour in labour and health economics (policy evaluation); Childcare and its economic impact; Women in the workforce; Aged care and health economics, Medicare. She can be reached via Kate Bettes at k.bettes@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Engineering 

  • Iain MacGill, Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications can comment on energy and climate policy and techno-economic aspects of the hydrogen supply chain. He is available via i.macgill@unsw.edu.au.  

  • Professor Renate Egan, CEO of UNSW Energy Institute, is available to comment on solar energy markets and technology, sovereign manufacturing capability in renewable energy and on general aspects of the cost of energy and the energy transition. She is available on 0408 223 653. She can be contacted on budget night (Oct 25) up until 9pm and all of Wednesday Oct 26. 

UNSW Science 

  • Gail Broadbent, post graduate researcher with UNSW's Digital Grid Futures Institute, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences. Gail's research includes overcoming socio-technical inertia to enhance Australian electric vehicle uptake: creating a positive environment to encourage EV adoption - case study New Zealand. She can be reached at g.broadbent@unsw.edu.au.  

  • Kaarin Anstey, Professor at the School of Psychology. Kaarin’s research programs focus on cognitive and mental health resilience, and the consequences and prevention of cognitive ageing and dementia. Kaarin also conducts research into older driver safety, wellbeing, and evaluates interventions to promote mobility and healthy ageing. She can be reached at k.anstey@unsw.edu.au

  • Andy Pitman, Professor at School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, can discuss the Budget and how it will need to incorporate the changing climate. He can be reached at a.pitman@unsw.edu.au and has limited availability on October 25. 

  • Professor Veena Sahajwalla is the Director of the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, and the inventor of polymer injection technology, known as Green SteelTM, an eco-friendly process for using recycled tyres and other wastes in steel production. Veena was also named the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year. Veena is available to discuss recycling science, industry collaboration and sustainability for materials. She can be reached via s.snell@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Medicine 

  • Tuly Rosenfeld, Associate Professor, School of Medicine and the School of Public Health & Community can comment on aged care; dementia and capacity; elder abuse – financial and care; residential care; community care services – aged care at home; rehabilitative and safety issues in aged care at home. They are available via t.rosenfeld@unsw.edu.au

  • Dr Uday Narayan Yadav, School of Population Health can comment on primary health care; chronic disease. They are available via 0405846602 or u.yadav@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Arts, Design and Architecture 

  • Professor Christopher Pettit, Director, City Futures Research Centre can comment on major infrastructure funding, including high-speed rail. He can be reached at 0422 301 832 or c.pettit@unsw.edu.au. Available after hours. 

  • Professor Hal Pawson, Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre can comment on funding for affordable housing, housing affordability and first homebuyer assistance. He can be reached at 0421 335 628 or h.pawson@unsw.edu.au. Phone business hours. Email after hours. 

  • Dr Chris Martin, Senior Research Fellow in the City Futures Research Centre can comment on housing affordability and rent controls. He is available via 61 (02) 9065 750, 0407 065 760 or c.martin@unsw.edu.au. Please phone in business hours, and email after hours. 

  • Natasha Cortis, Associate Professor at the Social Policy Research Centre can comment on women's employment. She can be reached at n.cortis@unsw.edu.au

  • Bruce Bradbury, Associate Professor at the Social Policy Research Centre can comment on living standards, cost of living, poverty, inequality, unemployment, welfare. He can be reached at 0425222052 or b.bradbury@unsw.edu.au. Phone business hours. Email after hours. 

  • Mark Diesendorf, Honorary Associate Professor, School of Humanities & Languages can comment on the transition away from fossil fuels, climate policy and transition to electric cars. He can be reached at '0402940892 or m.diesendorf@unsw.edu.au. Phone business hours. Email after hours. 

For any further information, please reach out to Kate Bettes at k.bettes@unsw.edu.au