The Pacific COVID-19 Fiscal Budget Support package provided AUD498 million to Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste over a three-year period (2020-2023). The aim was to help countries mitigate the risk of fiscal crisis, maintain essential services and protect the vulnerable through targeted and temporary support.

The evaluation assessed the effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, gender equality and disability inclusion of the package across 12 countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu and Timor-Leste. The findings will be used to inform the next Pacific direct financing package. 

There is no single or simple way to measure equity in Australia. In economics, we often revert to measures of inequality to determine how people are faring in terms of distribution of income and wealth. Unfortunately, these measures aren’t heading in the right direction if our goal is to improve outcomes and opportunities for all Australians.

Despite major advances in opportunities for women, significant new funding for people with disabilities, and our enviable (though increasingly inadequate) social safety net, inequity remains and is widening by many measures. This paper explores inequity in Australia and considers what we need to do if we want to see fairer outcomes across Australia.

Despite making commendable development progress since gaining independence in 2002, Timor-Leste’s economic performance and potential have been hampered by slow and volatile economic growth, driven by the oil and gas sector.

This growth has been lower than all ASEAN members except Brunei (another oil and gas exporter). The last LNG shipment from Bayu-Undan left in November 20231. With no alternative revenue source in the short-term (until any future oil and gas developments come online), the Government of Timor- Leste’s (GoTL) revenue shortfall will be significant, highlighting the urgent need to diversify the economy.

Australia is experiencing a housing crisis.

There are insufficient homes available in locations that people wish to live, at prices people can afford to rent or buy.

To address this challenge, governments at all levels have made major new commitments to boost and accelerate the supply of housing, with a commitment to delivering 1.2 million houses over five years from 2024

As part of its upcoming report ahead of the 2024-25 Budget, Members of the Committee are seeking advice on the housing, and related infrastructure, needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and on the data needed to inform targeted government investment decisions. Equity Economics have been engaged to provide advice on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing data.

Across Indonesia and Australia, ageing populations and rising incomes are driving growth in aged care, together with the favourable policy environment enabled by the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA).

Equity Economics and the ACT Alliance for Evidence-Based Education have submitted a joint submission to the 2024-25 ACT Budget process, proposing a $92 million investment over four years to allow the ACT public education system to become a work leader in implementing evidence-based literacy and numeracy practices.

Equity Economics worked with Katalis to produce this market insight which digs deep into the nuances of Indonesia’s booming fintech industry and how it can forge a connection with its neighbour Australia.

Equity Economics worked with Katalis to produce this market insight which digs deep into the nuances of Indonesia’s booming fintech industry and how it can forge a connection with its neighbour Australia.

This paper outlines the findings from an initial feasibility study for a new, Aboriginal-led, independent statutory accountability entity to strengthen oversight of Victorian Government programs for Aboriginal people – a Victorian Aboriginal Authority (the Authority1 ).

A national study into Australia’s literacy standards by Equity Economics has found that four in ten 15-year-old students are not meeting reading benchmarks. The cost of lost lifetime earnings for those who fall behind is estimated at over $12 billion alone. This doesn’t even begin to account for the emotional costs to individuals or costs to our economy in terms of lost productivity and poorer health and wellbeing outcomes.

Equity Economics is pleased to have supported the Paul Ramsay Foundation with a new report on Place-Based approaches to Tackling Community Challenges in Australia. The report brings together the growing evidence base for place-based approaches and will hopefully support more effective programming to ensure social services and community support reach the most in need and are effective.

A new report by Equity Economics has found that children in ACT classrooms are not being taught to read in a way that aligns with the science and research on literacy instruction.

Equity Economics have produced a submission to the Treasury’s ‘Measuring What Matters’ Framework, proposing that children need to be front of mind when developing and implementing our wellbeing framework.

A Mid-Term Review of the ASEAN-Australia Digital Trade Standards (DTS) Initiative, a AUD 5 million (2018-2024) program to support greater implementation of digital trade standards by ASEAN Member States (AMS) and to increase digital trade for regional prosperity and security, was conducted in early 2022 by an independent consultant.

Equity Economics, in partnership with the Code REaD Dyslexia Network, have produced a joint submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into the National School Reform Agreement, which calls for early and continuous screening in schools to support struggling readers and lift literacy outcomes.

Indonesia has one of the fastest growing digital services industries in the world. Home to over ten digital unicorns – digital companies valued at over $1 billion – and with over 100 million internet users, the digital economy is an important driver of Indonesia’s growth and development. The Katalis Market Insight series provide an overview of the digital skills landscape in Indonesia and presents way to close any existing gap by connecting Indonesian businesses with Australian Technical Vocational, Education Training providers.

Equity Economics, in partnership with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), undertook an analysis of the gap in health expenditure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In order to calculate the gap, we accounted for the burden of disease, which is more than twice the rate for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population than for the non-Indigenous population.

Australia’s first nationally coordinated effort to address rare diseases—the National Strategic Action Plan for Rare Diseases —called for the development of a national rare disease workforce strategy that responds to current and future demands, including the impact of genomics. This White Paper is an initial step to progress that priority.

The purpose of this evaluation is to examine the impact and effectiveness of the Kokoda College Flexible Open and Distance Learning Education (FODE) program in supporting pathways for people into formal, second-chance education and then onto tertiary training and careers in teaching and health work.