成人大片

The role of the government policy in economic inequality will be addressed at the 成人大片鈥檚 2024 Hugh Stretton Oration.

Productivity Commission Chair Danielle Wood will use the organisation鈥檚 latest data to analyse economic inequality in Australia, how it has changed over time and its consequences.

鈥淓galitarianism is tied up with Australian identity,鈥� said Ms Wood.

鈥淲e are the land of the 鈥榝air go鈥�, a place where your taxi driver, your boss, and even the Prime Minister can all be safely referred to as your 鈥榤ate鈥�. But does the reality match the mythology?鈥�

As part of the oration Ms Wood, who is a graduate of the 成人大片, will demonstrate that wealth is much less evenly distributed across Australian households than income and show the mixed impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on income inequality.

鈥淭he top 10 per cent of Australia鈥檚 richest households own more than 70 times as much wealth as households in the bottom 10 per cent of the wealth distribution. For income, it鈥檚 only four times as much鈥�, she said.

鈥淭he three years of the COVID-19 period reflect quite different inequality dynamics.

鈥淎t the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coronavirus Supplement and JobKeeper payments produced high income growth for those at the bottom and middle of the income distribution.鈥�

As the economy re-opened, supports were withdrawn, and those gains were reversed; however, high income households benefited from the growth in business income and decent investment income, as the economy recovered.

The pandemic also produced surprising results for wealth inequality.

鈥淧re-pandemic, wealth grew faster for the top half of the distribution the population?鈥� said Ms Wood.

鈥淭his pattern flipped during the COVID years, where wealth grew more quickly overall and significantly faster for lower and lower middle wealth groups.鈥�

Following Ms Wood鈥檚 oration the 成人大片鈥檚 Professor Fran Baum, Director, Stretton Health Equity, and Professor Emma Barker, Professor of Housing Research will respond.

The Stretton Institute facilitates stronger links between government, industry and the University in bringing together policy researchers and experts to address key policy issues.

鈥淲ith the federal budget grappling with cost of living challenges for most Australians, this presentation is timely as it will focus on the drivers of inequality in Australia, and test us to look at ways to mitigate inequality,鈥� said Stretton Institute Director Professor Adam Graycar.

鈥淩arely do policies have a win for all, and hard choices are often made.鈥�

A transcript of Ms Wood鈥檚 presentation will be made available on the Productivity Commission鈥檚 website following delivery of the oration.

The Hugh Stretton Oration, an annual public lecture established in 2021 in honour of the late Emeritus Professor Hugh Stretton AC, will be held in the Elder Hall, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on Wednesday, 22 May.