Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC)

📣 NEW RESEARCH RELEASED! 📣 Youth in Focus: Navigating wellbeing in a changing world is out now! Download 👉 https://bit.ly/BCECYouth25 Our new research found: - Youth mental health concerns on the rise, particularly among young women 🧒🧠 - Cost of living pressures now the top issue for young Australians 💸🏠 - Growing frustration over political inaction on climate change and education reform 🌏🎓 Read the full report here 👉 https://bit.ly/BCECYouth25 Read the executive summary here 👉 https://lnkd.in/g2VwtGE7 Read the media release here 👉https://lnkd.in/gRrNFKpS Authors: Mike Dockery, Alan Duncan, Astghik Mavisakalyan, Valentina Sanchez, Chris Twomey, Lili Loan Vu #YouthInFocus #YouthMatters #YoungPeople #YoungAustralians #NewResearch #Economics #SocialPolicy

Can Aussies really ditch US products? BCEC's Dr Daniel Kiely shares his expert perspective with Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News. Find out how challenging this might be: https://ab.co/42s3a5W

Young Australians are growing up in a world where diversity and inclusion are not just tolerated but expected, writes Astghik Mavisakalyan in her latest piece for Business News. So what does this mean for Australian businesses? Read the full op ed here 👉 https://bit.ly/428JSBz

A note from Professor Mike Dockery, Principal Research Fellow with Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, on the education announcements in last night's Federal budget. "Yesterday’s Federal budget confirmed the government’s pre-announced commitment that outstanding student debts (HELP loans) will be cut by 20 per cent with effect 1 June 2025. By that time, the average outstanding debt will be close to $30,000, meaning students with a loan will, on average, have around $6,000 wiped from their debts. This arbitrary adjustment can be seen as an admission that the current HECS-HELP settings place a growing and unfair cost burden on higher education students. But it does nothing to address the ongoing, fundamental inequities highlighted in BCEC’s recent Youth in Focus report. Key among these is that many students are paying almost the full cost of their courses – up to 93 per cent and accumulating $17,000 in debt per year of study. This compares to a 20 per cent share of course costs when HECS was introduced, and some in selected courses now paying just 13 per cent. The rationale for the existing discriminatory pricing across courses is unfounded and unjust. Those who have just cleared their student loan, or paid down the vast bulk of it, could rightly feel aggrieved come 1 June. Current students will typically receive a much smaller benefit, which will quickly be forgotten as, for many, another $17,000 for the year will have been added to their accumulated debt."

Our latest report, Youth in Focus, shows a growing share of young Australians are suffering from poor mental health. The HILDA panel survey tracks the social and economic circumstances of people over almost a quarter of a century – including well-established measures of mental health. This allows us to compare the trajectories of mental health by age for different generations. For both males and females, recent generations display a higher incidence of poor mental health compared to prior generations at the same age. This is most apparent for young women, with figures for the most recent Generation Z showing that up to 30% suffer from poor mental health. Read the full report 👉https://bit.ly/BCECYouth25 Read the executive summary 👉 https://lnkd.in/g2VwtGE7 Read the media release 👉 https://lnkd.in/gRrNFKpS #YouthInFocus #Economics #SocialPolicy #MentalHealth #YoungPeople #Research

A note from Professor Alan Duncan, director of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) on what to expect in tonight’s Federal budget. “The main task facing Treasurer Jim Chalmers in the upcoming Federal budget is to convince voters that the government has a plan for employment and wages growth as cost-of-living pressures recede, and that there exists sufficient productive capacity to deliver urgently needed growth in the national housing stock. Then there is the challenge of how best to respond to global economic uncertainty, led by erratic and ever-changing trade and tariff mandates from the US under Trump. We should also be on the lookout for any signals in tonight’s budget on energy strategy and the strength of the government’s commitment to meeting its net zero emissions goal by 2050, and whether Australia is on track to hit the 2035 interim targets for emissions reduction. This will be a key focus for what promises to be a fierce debate once the Treasurer sits down this evening.”

Celebrating our PhD candidate Rachma Indah Nurbani's latest step in her journey! Rachma recently showcased her significant research on bodily autonomy, women's health, and reproductive health in Indonesia at the Curtin University Gender Research Network's Research Rumble. Keep up the great work, Rachma! #Research #PhDJourney #WomensHealth

The Valuing Children Initiative continues to raise the alarm that more WA children are falling below the poverty line, missing out on meals, and simply not thriving. Through our End Child Poverty campaign https://lnkd.in/gnFbgfPC, we have been calling for urgent action to ensure every child has the essentials they need to grow and thrive. Last year, we released the Child Poverty in Australia 2024 report in partnership with the BCEC, shining a light on the reality too many children face. No child should be living in poverty. Yet, the number of children experiencing hardship continues to rise. Commissioner Jacqueline M. is standing firm—holding the line that none of us should accept. 📖 Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/gnFbgfPC Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) Commissioner for Children and Young People WA

The BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update for February 2025 is out now. Read 👉 https://bit.ly/MLMUFeb25 This month a surprising jobs fall goes against the grain. - 52,800 drop in the number of persons employed. - Unemployment rate remains at 4.1% thanks to big drop in participation. - Direction of labour market difficult to read amidst volatility and revisions to previous estimates. Read the full MLMU for February 2025 now 👉 https://bit.ly/MLMUFeb25

Findings from our new Youth in Focus report reveal that cost of living, school problems, and mental health rank among the top issues facing young people. More than a third see the cost of living – mainly related to housing and the costs of education – among their most pressing personal concerns, with over half rating cost of living as one of the most urgent challenges facing Australia. Mental health is another growing concern, with the share of young people regarding it as a major personal issue rising 8 ppt to 28% over the past decade. More than a quarter of young people rank climate change among the priority national issues, but this has dropped from 40% in the past decade. But while the intensity of concern for climate change and the environment may be dimming for young people, three-quarters still rate environmental protection ahead of economic growth. Read the full report: https://bit.ly/BCECYouth25