Kenneth Leong
Senior Research Fellow
Qualifications
PhD (UWA)
Telephone+61 8 9266 1593
Research Fields
Regional economics, macroeconomics, public policy, housing affordability
Biography
Dr Ken Leong is a Senior Research Fellow at the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and leads the Centre’s research on regional disaggregation of the Western Australian economy and its industrial composition. He also works on WA regional economic indices, Australian state and federal government financing and public policy and participates in projects involving housing affordability in Western Australia. A macroeconomic modeller by training, Ken has also held roles at Rio Tinto Iron Ore, the Western Australian School of Mines, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Bank of Finland. Ken completed his PhD in Economics at the University of Western Australia.
Projects
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Westen Australia’s International Education Sector – Performance and Prospects
Despite being an early innovator in international education, WA’s market share of international students onshore has steadily fallen over the past decade, from 9.9 per cent of national enrolments in 2002 to 7.8 per cent in 2015. Other States and... Read article
Regional Indicators
There is a pressing need to better understand the economic and social circumstances experienced by households in different regions of Western Australia. This project is based on the need for a base range of measurable indicators for tracking the economic,... Read article
Housing Affordability: The Social Dimension
The research project delivered a survey of 1,800 Western Australian’s examining their perceptions of housing affordability. Combined with secondary data analysis and interviews with 20 Western Australian’s the project published a report in 2014 delivering a comprehensive picture of housing... Read article
Housing Affordability – Land supply and new housing in WA
This project examines housing market structure and affordability in WA at high levels of disaggregation through use of individual property transaction records (micro data). Methodology focuses upon allocation efficiency of affordable housing options across income and spatial classifications, through analysis... Read article
Publications
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Housing affordability: Land supply and new housing in Western Australia
This Feature report addresses the topic of land supply, new dwelling construction and housing affordability, a major economic and social issue facing West Australian households. This report complements the BCEC Housing Affordability (2014 and 2016) reports through analysis of similar broad regional... Read article
The Price is Right?
The Western Australian economy has experienced something of a roller-coaster ride over the last decade. Unprecedented economic growth over the course of the resources boom has been followed by a post-boom period during which activity has cooled. Despite a reduction in demand in... Read article
Scenarios for Western Australia’s International Education Sector
International education is a key sector for the Australian and Western Australian economies. It is now the country’s principal services export and our third largest export industry overall. It has been identified in many government and other studies as an... Read article
The Engine Room for Growth?
The 2015 Federal Budget referred to small businesses as the ‘engine room’ of the economy. Australia’s changing economic landscape means that governments are placing greater emphasis on the important role of small businesses for growth and employment. This is not... Read article
Western Australia’s International Education Sector: Performance and Prospects
Australia has been a leader in international education for many years, and it is now the country’s principal services export and our third largest export industry overall. It has been identified in any government and other studies as an industry... Read article
From Paddock to Plate: WA’s potential in agriculture and agribusiness
There has been a collective nervousness following the decline in the resources sector in Western Australia and its associated grim headlines. Agriculture has historically been an important industry for the state. With an expanding middle class in China and a rising population in... Read article
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre team acknowledges the Wadjuk Nyungar people as the traditional owners of the land on which the Centre is situated.