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 will be held in Canberra, ACT from 7-10 July 2026 at University of Canberra and will cover a full range of topical economic issues. It is targeted at economists in academe, government and business and will cover 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 will feature 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.
Responses (46)
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.
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)
A number of prestigious awards were bestowed upon worthy economists at ACE2025 which held in Sydney during July.
ACE 2025 was held in Sydney from 6-9 July 2025. Economics is essential to many of the pressing issues of our time including climate and the energy transition, aging population, inequality, geoeconomic competition, resource management and circular economy, healthcare, water and food security, poverty employment and livelihoods. It is with this in mind that Australian Conference of Economists (ACE) 2025 explored Economics for a Changing World, illustrating the practical and solution focused contribution of economics to these challenges. An acceleration in the availability, use and scale of data and experimental techniques has transformed our approach to these challenges.