Media & Commentary
Media Items
Study finds Indigenous culture boosts children’s outcomes
Indigenous children who are taught about their traditional culture by their parents are better equipped to overcome stress and more likely to thrive later in life, new Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre research has found. The research, published in the International... Read article

Rise in migrant workforce boosts wages for Australian workers
Eliminating the skills mismatch of qualified migrants in Australia through improved jobs matching and better education and training could deliver $6 billion to the Australian economy each year, a new report released by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) today... Read article

New report identifies 163,000 new jobs for WA workers
Diversifying the State’s economy to develop emerging new sectors including defence, lithium, big data and tourism would create more than 163,000 new jobs in Western Australia within the next five years, a new report released by the Bankwest Curtin Economics... Read article

Fall in ageing Australians’ home-ownership rates looms as seismic shock for housing policy
Outright home ownership has long been regarded as a supporting pillar of Australian retirement incomes policies. A report released today by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) raises concerns that rising mortgage debt and falling home ownership rates... Read article

Greater support needed for women pursuing careers in STEM, study finds
Women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are facing barriers that require attitude changes and additional support – such as scholarships and tax breaks – in order for Australia to truly benefit from more women in the... Read article

Housing stress easing for home owners but still an issue for renters
— Rents not falling in line with WA’s softening housing market — — Policy intervention is required to generate a sustained supply of affordable housing — Low-income earners and single parents are among the Australian households who are regularly struggling... Read article

Housing affordability has improved slightly, but people on lower incomes will continue to struggle
The re-election of the Morrison government has delivered an Australian housing policy platform based on home ownership. The recently announced First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and the existing First Home Super Saver Scheme complement first home buyer grants and stamp... Read article

Aussie students impacted by inequality of their family’s origins: study
The gender stereotypes and cultural norms of a child’s family heritage impacts their academic performance in Australian schools, research led by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre shows. The research, published in The Australian Educational Researcher, compared 2015 Programme for International... Read article

More hospitals will not cure Australia’s ailing health-care system. There’s a more efficient way
The federal government has just promised to increase spending on public hospitals from A$21.7 billion in 2018 to A$26.2 billion by 2023. Expect more hospital promises in coming weeks. There is a long history of parties at both state and... Read article

Gender equity. The way things are going, we won’t reach true parity until the 22nd century
The good news this International Women’s Day is that women are now moving through the ranks into management roles faster than men. If things continue at this rate it will take just two more decades for women to hold the... Read article

Equal share of female managers on the horizon, but next century for CEOs
— Women breaking through the glass ceiling earn $162k less than men — — Employer-paid parental leave a key driver in mothers returning to work — The highest paid men in Australia are being paid at least $162,000 more than... Read article

More than 50% of rural West Australians are volunteers
— Shortage of volunteers in rural WA and further decline to come — — Volunteer burnout a real risk to regional organisations relying on volunteers — Western Australia’s rural communities are more actively engaged in volunteering than their city counterparts,... Read article
