Per Capita Australia

02/10/2026

There is a shift underway that is easy to feel and hard to name. As AI, automation and data-driven decisions become the engine of growth, advantage moves to those who can create, organise and apply intelligence well. The useful question is no longer whether the technology is coming, but where the thinking in your organisation comes from, how well you look after it, and what an ethical path forward actually looks like.

The Intelligent Economy is new podcast series where each episode takes one part of that story and works through it carefully, with people who are doing the work rather than commentating on it. No hype, no doom, just clear thinking about what is changing, what it asks of us, and how to get it right. Your host is Dr Michael D'Rosario, who works across economics, AI, public policy and data science as Head of Research at Prosper Australia, Director of Econometric Research and Analysis at Per Capita, a lecturer on the Adelaide University MBA, Executive Education Lead for Evidence in Public Policy at Oxford, and an Industry Facilitator on the LSE AI Accelerator.

Check it out at

Conversations about the economy taking shape around us, where AI, automation and data are quietly changing how value gets made. We look at where intelligence really comes from, whether people, processes, platforms or machines, and search out an ethical path forward.

01/10/2026

Our research suggests that the gap between what TAFE is expected to deliver and what they are funded to deliver is widening, which places structural constraint on workforce development, service delivery, and long-term economic capacity. Victoria funds the lowest per-hour VET delivery of any state in the country.

The consequences of underfunding are already being felt, however the worst is yet to come in five to ten years, when infrastructure projects hit skilled-labour constraints and care quality deteriorates due to staff shortages. Public support is on the side of reform. Backing for increased government spending on education has risen across Per Capita’s 2023 and 2024 tax surveys. Properly funding TAFE is a prerequisite for nearly every Victorian Government strategic objective.

Victoria’s chronic underfunding of TAFE is not simply an education policy problem. It limits economic development, infrastructure delivery, workforce resilience, and social equity. What is needed is not just another tweak to enrolment subsidies, but a genuine rethink of how public vocational education is funded, governed, and protected. What the evidence calls for: fund the actual cost of delivery, fund the hours students are entitled to, sustain the workforce, and enforce delivery.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-18/per-capita-research-reveals-victorian-tafe-funding-problem/107161038

Full report here: https://percapita.org.au/our_work/saving-tafe-properly/

A new report has found Victoria's TAFE system receives the lowest "per hour" funding in the country, prompting fears the growing state will fail to meet critical skills requirements.

28/09/2026

Our Place: How to Solve the Housing Crisis and Rebuild the Australian Dream

Australia has faced a housing crisis before – and solved it. We can do it again.

In Our Place, leading policy expert Matt Lloyd-Cape argues we need to think bigger – much bigger. Our Place shows how a bold national housing plan could:

- End homelessness by 2045
- Provide the next generation with appropriate rental standards and an affordable path to home ownership
- Create thriving urban centres away from the capital cities
- Place housing at the heart of an ambitious plan for a fairer and more prosperous Australia.

Join us for lunch on Oct 21 and hear from author and Per Capita research fellow Matt Lloyd-Cape about how to fix the housing crisis.

Tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/john-cain-lunch-october-our-place-with-matt-lloyd-cape

24/09/2026

Applications extended! Due to popular demand we have extended the application deadline for the ASEAN Emerging Thought Leaders Fellowship to Sunday 27 September, 11pm AEST.

If you are a mid-career policy professional of Southeast Asian background wanting to develop your leadership and advocacy skills, build your professional networks and strengthen connections between Australia and ASEAN member countries, this program may be for you.

More information and application form available here: https://thoughtleadersfellowship.com/

The ASEAN Emerging Thought Leaders Fellowship is proudly supported by the ASEAN-Australia Centre.

21/09/2026

Applications for the ASEAN Emerging Thought Leaders Fellowship close this Friday 25 September! If you are a mid-career policy professional of Southeast Asian background wanting to develop your leadership and advocacy skills, build your professional networks and strengthen connections between Australia and ASEAN member countries, this program may be for you.

More information and application form available here: https://thoughtleadersfellowship.com/

The ASEAN Emerging Thought Leaders Fellowship is proudly supported by the ASEAN-Australia Centre.

10/09/2026

Applications are now open for the ASEAN Emerging Thought Leaders Fellowship, a six-month program for emerging policy leaders of ASEAN backgrounds living in Australia. It provides training in thought leadership, cultural diversity, policy analysis, media literacy and advocacy, while building professional networks and equipping a new generation of Australian ASEAN diaspora members to strengthen connections between Australia and ASEAN member countries.

The program runs in Australia from December 2026 to May 2027 in a hybrid format, with most events held online and some held in person.

The ASEAN Emerging Though Leaders Fellowship is proudly supported by the ASEAN-Australia Centre.

More information and applications available here: https://thoughtleadersfellowship.com/

03/09/2026

Australia's future is bigger than the next election. Australia's capacity to govern for the long-term and safeguard the wellbeing of current and future generations requires leaders equipped to think and act beyond immediate pressures, institutions capable of planning for the future and a public mandate that supports long-term decision-making.

Hear from Managing Director of Foundations for Tomorrow, Taylor Hawkins, about building the vision and infrastructure for long-term governance in Australia for a thriving community, environment and economy. Join us for lunch and discussion at Graduate House in Carlton on Wed 16 Sept.

https://events.humanitix.com/john-cain-lunch-september-advancing-a-national-conversation-about-australia-s-future

18/08/2026

"For many workplaces, enterprise bargaining provides the best immediate avenue to move beyond rhetoric about DEI and to ensure tangible, lasting gains."

Per Capita Research Fellow Osmond Chiu shares his thoughts on improving cultural and racial diversity in Australian workplaces and the upcoming round of Australian Public Service (APS) service-wide bargaining

Improving cultural and racial diversity in Australian workplaces is often framed as a question of leadership, cultural reform, and organisational commitment. These things matter, but experience shows they are not enough. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that rely solely on employer

07/08/2026

Join us for lunch and discussion with Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman.

https://events.humanitix.com/john-cain-lunch-august-building-an-inclusive-australia-in-a-divided-world

Australia’s cultural diversity is our greatest strength and has enriched our communities and contribute to our economy.

As Australia considers important national conversations about racism and discrimination, how can we build a stronger sense of belonging for everyone? Australia is currently holding both an Inquiry into Racism, Hate and Violence Directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, and a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. What does the evidence tell us about the experiences of different communities, and what practical steps can help foster trust, inclusion, and mutual respect?

Join Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman for a discussion on respect, dignity and equality in Australia, the barriers that can undermine it, and the opportunities for governments, community organisations, and individuals to foster inclusion, trust and shared purpose.

31/07/2026

Migration is once again at the centre of Australian political and public debate, but claims about migrant numbers, composition and impact are not always borne out by the data.

As net overseas migration, housing pressures and questions of social cohesion continue to dominate headlines, how well does political and public discourse reflect the underlying facts? And how are Chinese-Australian communities, often a focal point in these debates, represented within it?

The Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS:ACRI), in partnership with the Chinese Australian Forum (CAF) will host an interactive forum exploring these questions. Tuesday 18 August at UTS Ultimo

The forum will feature Professor Wanning Sun, Deputy Director of UTS:ACRI; Dr Abul Rizvi, former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration; and Osmond Chiu, Research Fellow at Per Capita. It will be chaired by Associate Professor Vanessa Chan, President of CAF.

Migration is once again at the centre of Australian political and public debate, but claims about migrant numbers, composition and impact are not always borne...