Federal budget 2025-26: UNSW experts available for comment

UNSW has academic experts available to comment on March's federal government budget announcements.

On 25 March, the Australian government will deliver the 2025-26 federal budget. 

The following UNSW experts are available for comment on relevant themes.

Experts who are available for comment on various federal budget topics 

Gigi Foster, Professor of Economics, School of Economics, UNSW Business, is available to comment on any aspect of the budget. She can be reached at gigi.foster@unsw.edu.au.  Prof. Foster says, “I am an economics professor and independent commentator, committed to ensuring that Australian policies and budget allocations should align with the long-term interests of the Australian people.”

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

Peter Swan, Professor of Finance, School of Banking and Finance, UNSW Business, is available for comment. He can be reached at peter.swan@unsw.edu.au. Prof. Swan is available to speak about housing, cost of living, energy and the environment.

Mark Humphery-Jenner, Associate Professor of Finance, School of Banking and Finance, UNSW Business, is available to comment on any aspect of the budget, including Debt and Deficit, Taxes, Housing Affordability, Cost-Of-Living, Childcare Support and Australian Medicare. He can be reached at m.humpheryjenner@unsw.edu.au.

Cost of living

Dr Nalini Prasad, Senior Lecturer at the School of Economics, UNSW Business, is available for comment. She can be reached at nalini.prasad@unsw.edu.au. Dr Nalini says, “Inflation in Australia has started to slow. If the government gives more money to households there are concerns that inflation could rise again.” 
 
Bruce Bradbury, Associate Professor at the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) at UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture, is available for comment. He can be reached at b.bradbury@unsw.edu.au.  A/Prof. can speak to poverty and inequality, the measurement of living standards, income support and labour market policies.
 
Dr Gonzalo Castex Hernandez, Senior Lecturer at the School of Economics, UNSW Business, is available for comment. He can be reached at g.castexhernandez@unsw.edu.au. Dr Hernandez says, "The upcoming federal budget is crucial in ensuring fiscal discipline, avoiding expansionary policies will help keep inflation under control and align with long-term economic stability."

Dr Tim Neal, Senior Scientia Fellow at the School of Economics and Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Business,  is available for comment. He can be reached at timothy.neal@unsw.edu.au. He can comment on climate change and its role in the current cost of living crisis. Dr Neal says, “I research the economic impacts of climate change. I will be able to speak to the initiatives in the budget that relate to the environment and how they may interact with cost of living, the economy, and future livelihoods.”

Housing

Dr Chris Martin, Senior Lecturer at the City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture, is available for comment. He can be reached at c.martin@unsw.edu.au. His research interests are in rental housing and housing affordability.

Hal Pawson, Professor and Associate Director at the City Futures Research Centre UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture, is available for comment. He can be reached at h.pawson@unsw.edu.au. His main area of research is housing policy governance and strategy. Prof. Pawson says, “Despite Rent Assistance increases in 2023 and 2024 that will have significantly eased financial pressures for inflation-hit tenants, a further hike in maximum receivable amounts is called for to offset the payment’s long-term devaluation compared with actual rents in the market.”

Dr Yuvisthi Naidoo, Senior Research Fellow at UNSW's Social Policy Research Centre, is available for comment. She is a social policy researcher with expertise on the measurement and understanding of living standards, with a focus on poverty, inequality, deprivation, social exclusion and wellbeing. She can be contacted at ynaidoo@unsw.edu.au. Dr Naidoo, contributed to the 2025 Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee report.
“The findings are stark - minimum wage earners and people on income support payments fall far below the minimal level of expenditure to satisfy basic needs. In remote communities, core expenses are even higher, deepening financial hardship,” she says.

Health

Dr Michael Wright, Associate Professor at the International Centre for Future Health Systems, Faculty of Medicine & Health is available for comment.  He can be reached at Michael.wright2@unsw.edu.au.  His main research interests relate to health funding, general practice, and health system design and can speak to the Australian Medicare System.  A/Prof. Wright says, "The most efficient way to fund our health system is to better resource high-quality comprehensive primary care. By accessing early care and preventative health advice, people keep well in the community rather than needing to use expensive hospital services.  I hope we particularly see more support for patients with chronic and complex health conditions through increased Medicare rebates for longer consultations."

Jason Abbott, Professor and Director of the Gynaecological Research and Clinical Evaluation (GRACE) group at UNSW, is available for comment. He can be reached at j.abbott@unsw.edu.au. His main area of research is endometriosis, pelvic pain and heavy menstrual bleeding. Prof. Abbott says, “Non-cancer conditions in women's health have been largely ignored in terms of research investment, yet their impact on women, society and the economy is well established. The Federal Budget 2025 could significantly increase research funding that provides greater support for the scientific basis of these conditions, so we can better target treatments that improve outcomes for all Australians.”

Debt and Deficit

Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Tax at the School of Accounting, Auditing & Taxation, UNSW Business, is available for comment. He can be reached at d.boccabella@unsw.edu.au. A/Prof. Boccabella’s expertise lies in most areas of the income tax system, including taxation of partnerships, trusts and companies, capital gains tax, fringe benefits tax and fundamental structural aspects of the income tax system.

Green Energy

Dr Edward Obbard, Associate Professor at the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW Engineering, is available for comment. He can be reached at e.obbard@unsw.edu.au. A/Prof. Obbard can comment on researching nuclear materials, nuclear engineering education, nuclear safety, and nuclear power/propulsion technology.  

Dr. Wesley Morgan, Research Associate at the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response, is available for comment. He can be reached at w.morgan@unsw.edu.au. His main focus is the intersection of climate change policy and international relations, particularly within the Pacific region. Dr. Morgan says, “Australia’s climate commitments and clean energy investments in the Federal Budget will not only shape domestic policy but will also influence the nation’s diplomatic standing, especially in the Pacific, where climate change is a pressing security issue.”

Katja Ignatieva, Associate Professor, School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW Business, is available for comment. She can be reached at k.ignatieva@unsw.edu.au. A/Prof. Ignatieva can comment on factors impacting prices and volatilities in energy markets; supply and demand imbalances, geopolitical events impacting prices; forecasting market trends and integration of renewable energy sources.

Import Tariffs

Maggie Dong, Professor at the School of Marketing, UNSW Business, is available for comment. She can be reached at c.dong@unsw.edu.au. Prof. Dong can speak to tax imports, particularly on tariffs/trade agreements and supply chain resilience. “It’s crucial to strategically implement reciprocal tariffs to protect local manufacturers while also exploring alternative trading partnerships,” she says. 

Lisa Toohey, Professor at the School of Private & Commercial Law, UNSW Law & Justice, is available for comment. Prof. Toohey teaches and researches in international trade law and the impact of international law on the commercial sphere. She can be reached at l.toohey@unsw.edu.au.