Deakin experts available for analysis and commentary on Victorian Budget

ECONOMY

Professor Gill North – Deakin Law School research fellow

Professor North is a chartered accountant and experienced financial analyst. She has worked in senior executive positions at multinational corporations and investment banks in the major financial centres (London, Tokyo, New York and Sydney). She is also the co-owner of Digital Finance Analytics, and has published more on responsible lending and financial advice than any other Australian academic.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Budget fairness and efficiency, household financial stress.

Professor Sandeep Gopalan – Deakin Law School Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Innovation)

Professor Gopalan worked as an investment banker on Wall Street, and is an expert on commercial law, international law, and corporate governance. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio shows as an expert commentator on a variety of legal issues.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: How the budget will impact competitiveness and innovation in the corporate sector, as well as potential international impacts.

ENVIRONMENT

Associate Professor Euan Ritchie – School of Life and Environmental Sciences

Dr Ritchie is an Associate Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Deakin’s Centre for Integrative Ecology, within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. He is a passionate and prolific science communicator. He believes governments need to better value and invest in the environment and species conservation, as this will not only provide ecological benefits, but substantial net economic, cultural and social ones too.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Government investment in the environment and conservation.

Professor Brett Bryan – Researcher in Global Change, Environment and Society

Professor Bryan is a senior member of Deakin’s Centre of Integrative Ecology, in the School of Life Environmental Sciences. His expertise is in finding solutions for sustainability in land systems considering cross-cutting issues such as climate change, food security, nature conservation, water resources, energy, land degradation, and ecosystem services.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Public spending on environment, renewable energy, climate change and sustainability.

HEALTH

Professor Anna Peeters – Director of the Institute for Healthcare Transformation

Professor Peeters is Professor of Epidemiology and Equity in Public Health, and Head of Obesity and Population Health, in Deakin’s School of Health and Social Development. In 2017, Professor Peeters spearheaded the release of the Tipping the Scales Report, calling for urgent government action to address Australia’s serious obesity problem. With less than one in four Victorians at a healthy weight Professor Peeters believes it’s important the State Government prioritises action on obesity prevention and treatment.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Public investment in obesity prevention and treatment

Professor Cathy Mihalopoulos – Deakin Health Economics

Professor Mihalopoulos is a senior health economist in the Centre for Population Health Research at Deakin’s School of Health and Social Development. Her research interests lie mainly in the economic evaluation of mental health and psychosocial care within an Australian context.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Government spending on mental health.

INFRASTRUCTURE & TRANSPORT

Dr Hermione Parsons – Director of the Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics

Dr Parsons is an Industry Professor at Deakin’s Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics. She has more than 20 years executive management experience in public and private sector organisations with responsibility for: port landside logistics, multimodal infrastructure, competition, regulation, supply chain reengineering, perishable food supply chains and industry government relations.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Freight infrastructure developments (ports, roads, rail), urban logistics, agrifood, food exports, food waste and recycling.

Dr Trevor Thornton – Lecturer in Hazardous Materials Management

Dr Thornton is an expert in recycling and waste management at Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences. He previously worked at Victoria's Environment Protection Authority and has consulted widely in waste management within Australia and overseas, with recent projects based on identifying recycling contamination and educating for waste management.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Waste management, recycling, and the fallout from China's decision to ban imports of Australian paper and plastic waste.

LAW & ORDER

Peter Norden – Honorary Fellow with Deakin’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Mr Norden has a career long history working with communities across Australia and the region with a particular interest in issues around social justice. He has expertise in the areas of criminal justice policy, juvenile justice, high security prisons, police accountability, crime prevention, drug and alcohol treatment programs and the death penalty.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Law and order, crime prevention and prisons.

Dr Emma Ryan – School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr Ryan researches policing and criminal justice and has recently commented on the need for better policies rather than building more jails to turn around that crime rates and prison overcrowding.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Prisons, crime

POLITICAL ANALYSIS

Dr Geoffrey Robinson – School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr Robinson is senior lecturer in politics and Australian studies and an experienced media commentator. His areas of expertise cover broad aspects of politics and social policy.

RELEVANT SUBJECT AREAS: Politics, social policy