On 12th\u00a0May 2026, the Australian government will deliver the 2026-27 federal budget.\u00a0The following UNSW experts are available for comment on relevant themes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Experts who are available for comment on various federal budget topics\u00a0<\/p>\n
Richard Holden, Professor of Economics\u00a0at the\u00a0School of Economics, UNSW Business,\u00a0is available to comment on any aspect of the budget, including its economic impact. He can be reached at\u00a0richard.holden@unsw.edu.au.<\/a>\u00a0(Please\u00a0note:\u00a0Prof.\u00a0Holden will be in the budget lockup).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Peter Swan, Professor of Finance\u00a0at the\u00a0School of Banking and Finance, UNSW Business,\u00a0is available for comment. He can be reached at\u00a0peter.swan@unsw.edu.au<\/a>. Prof. Swan is available to speak about\u00a0cost-of-living, tax\u00a0reform\u00a0and intergenerational fairness.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Cost-of-living\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Nalini Prasad, Senior Lecturer at the School of Economics, UNSW Business, is available for comment. She can be reached at\u00a0nalini.prasad@unsw.edu.au<\/a>. Dr Nalini says she can talk about\u00a0\u201chow cost-of-living measures are implemented and their effects on the overall economy. Measures to improve productivity are important for generating long-run growth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Chris Martin, Associate Professor at the City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture, is available for comment. He can be reached at\u00a0c.martin@unsw.edu.au<\/a>. His research interests are in rental housing and housing affordability.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hal Pawson, Emeritus Professor and former Associate Director at the City Futures Research Centre,\u00a0UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture,\u00a0is available for comment. He can be reached at\u00a0h.pawson@unsw.edu.au<\/a>. His main area of research is housing policy governance and strategy. Prof. Pawson says, \u201cDespite 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 would be apt to offset the renewed rent spike emerging in 2025-26, as well as RA’s long-term devaluation compared with actual rents in the market.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Tax Reform\u00a0<\/p>\n Jeff Coulton, Associate Professor at\u00a0the School of Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, UNSW Business,\u00a0is available for comment. He can be reached at\u00a0j.coulton@unsw.edu.au<\/a>. He can comment on matters relating to dividends and imputation (franking) credits. A\/Prof.\u00a0Coulton\u00a0says,\u00a0\u201cI research the economic impact of taxation measures on the value to investors of dividends and associated imputation credits.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Ann Kayis-Kumar,\u00a0Professor at the\u00a0School of Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, UNSW Business,\u00a0is available for comment. She can be reached at\u00a0a.kayis@unsw.edu.au<\/a>.\u00a0Prof. Kayis-Kumar can comment on Tax Reform, specifically any changes that may come through on \u2018coerced\u00a0directorships\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Tax at the School of Accounting, Auditing & Taxation, UNSW Business, is available for comment. He can be reached at\u00a0d.boccabella@unsw.edu.au<\/a>. A\/Prof. Boccabella can speak to debt, deficit, tax\u00a0policy\u00a0and intergenerational fairness.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Productivity\u00a0<\/p>\n Petr Sedlacek,\u00a0Professor at the\u00a0School of Economics, UNSW Business,\u00a0is available for comment. He can be reached at\u00a0p.sedlacek@unsw.edu.au. He can comment on productivity and business dynamism. Prof. Sedlacek says, \u201cI research how business dynamism \u2013 the process of firm entry,\u00a0growth\u00a0and exit \u2013\u00a0impacts\u00a0the macroeconomy, especially through productivity growth. I will be able to speak to how initiatives in the budget may influence business dynamism and productivity growth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Sue Keay, Director of\u00a0UNSW\u2019s AI Institute, is available to comment on how artificial intelligence can\u00a0help improve\u00a0domestic\u00a0productivity. She can be reached on sue.keay@unsw.edu.au\u00a0<\/p>\n Industry and Manufacturing\u00a0<\/p>\n Chun Wang,\u00a0Professor and\u00a0Head of the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing, UNSW\u00a0Engineering and the Director of the ARC Research Hub for Connected Sensors for Health, can comment on advanced manufacturing. He can be contacted\u00a0at\u00a0chun.h.wang@unsw.edu.au.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Sami Kara,\u00a0Professor at\u00a0the\u00a0School of Mechanical and Manufacturing, UNSW\u00a0Engineering, can comment on sustainable manufacturing and life cycle engineering. He can be contacted on\u00a0s.kara@usnw.edu.au.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Health and Aged Care\u00a0<\/p>\n Julian Trollor,\u00a0Scientia Professor and\u00a0Director\u00a0of the\u00a0National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health,\u00a0UNSW Medicine & Health,\u00a0is available for comment.\u00a0\u00a0He can be reached at\u00a0j.trollor@unsw.edu.au<\/a>.\u00a0Prof. Troller can comment on changes to the NDIS and their impact on health and wellbeing for people living with disabilities.\u00a0His research is focused on addressing the health inequalities experienced by people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Prof. Trollor says, ‘for people with intellectual or developmental disability, the NDIS enables engagement with critical supports and services essential to their needs and participation in society. Reform must be grounded in inclusion, human rights, evidence and improved access to integrated supports.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Green Energy\u00a0<\/p>\n Katja Ignatieva, Associate Professor\u00a0at the\u00a0School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW Business, is available for comment. She can be reached at\u00a0k.ignatieva@unsw.edu.au<\/a>. A\/Prof. Ignatieva can comment on factors\u00a0impacting\u00a0prices and volatilities in energy markets; supply and demand imbalances, geopolitical events\u00a0impacting\u00a0prices; forecasting market trends and integration of renewable energy sources.\u00a0<\/p>\n Global Supply Chains\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Tim Neal, Senior Scientia Fellow at the School of Economics and Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Business,\u00a0is available for comment. He can be reached at\u00a0timothy.neal@unsw.edu.au<\/a>. He can comment on climate change,\u00a0its role in the current cost-of-living crisis and the fragility of global supply chains. Dr Neal says, \u201cI 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 the cost of living, the economy, and the fragility of global supply chains.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Maggie Dong, Professor at the School of Marketing, UNSW Business, is available for comment. She can be reached at\u00a0c.dong@unsw.edu.au<\/a>. Prof. Dong can speak\u00a0to global supply chain pressures, resilience, and how budget measures may affect trade flows,\u00a0logistics\u00a0costs, business productivity, and inflation.\u00a0<\/p>\n