?? What you can achieve as an economic consultant in 13 years ??

Today marks a significant milestone in my journey at PwC Australia - after 13 years of fantastic opportunities, growth and success, my time as an economist with PwC comes to an end. As I reflect on the incredible time I've spent here, I am filled with gratitude for the many experiences, challenges, and accomplishments that have shaped me both personally and professionally.

Throughout these years, I've had the privilege of learning from some of the most talented economists and consultants in Australia and working on a diverse range of projects that have meaningfully impacted society and community in this country.?

I’m incredibly grateful to the clients who I’ve been able to work with - from small charities through to Australia’s largest businesses and with government agencies at all levels from councils to states to the national level. I've completed over 100 projects in this time. I’ve been lucky that many of these were for overseas projects including in the United States, India, China, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Papua New Guinea.

While there are too many projects to highlight some of the ones that I’m most proud of include leading and developing the analysis for business cases such as:?

• the $15+ billion the North-South Corridor River Torrens to Darlington project, which will complete Adelaide’s first cross-city motorway and save drivers 20 minutes and enabling city-shaping opportunities in the city’s vibrant inner city suburbs by removing many cars and trucks from surface roads and putting them in tunnels. The road is expected to be completed in 2031.
• the $2+ billion Yanchep and Thornlie rail line extensions in Perth, which will connect 20,000 people to new train services via 5 new stations as part of the broader METRONET program - the single largest investment in public transport Perth has seen. These projects are expected to open in 2024-25.
• the $5+ billion West Gate Tunnel in Melbourne, which will ease congestion on the West Gate Freeway and West Gate Bridge, and reduce the number of trucks on residential streets. This project is under construction and due to open in 2025.

I’ve also had the privilege of working on over 50 economic impact assessments in this time, which have included quantifying the effect on GDP, jobs, industry output and living standards on the topics of:?

• Inland Rail, a 1,700km rail line from Brisbane to Melbourne
• Parramatta’s $10 billion construction boom
• the value that the digital advertising sector provides
• the energy transition in Australia’s electricity market?
• Australia’s offshore wind pipeline?
• Glencore's economic contribution to Australia
• a new NSW-SA transmission line
• a Monash University research hub specialising in concrete and construction innovation
• and many more.

I’ve been able to work on analysing the economic merits of significant policy reforms including in the areas of:?

• expanding aviation liberalisation to a further 9 of Australia’s markets?
• adjusting the wholesale investor test
• stating the case for transforming Australia agriculture and how policy makers can assist in the transformation
• reforming the trading mechanisms in Australia’s east coast gas market?
• reviewing the level of regulatory intervention in the gas pipeline sector??
• improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Australia’s infrastructure sectors.?

We've also completed numerous rewarding projects that have made a significant impact to the community including:

• on the economic cost of Indigenous incarceration
• on the value of early childhood education
• on the returns from investing more into Indigenous eye health

We've also made an impact in the LGBTIQ+ community with particular highlights including:?

• Developing the business case for the Victorian Pride Centre, which led to funding from the Victorian Government for the first purpose-built centre for Australia's LGBTIQ+ communities.
• Preparing the feasibility study for ACON’s Health Centre, to unlock funding for Australia’s first health centre dedicated to the LGBTIQ community.
• Developing PwC’s report on Marriage equality in Australia: The cost of holding a plebiscite. This became the most ever read report by PwC at the time and provided significant input into the national discussion on the process of change.?

I am incredibly proud of the milestones that as a team and firm we've achieved together, whether it's analysing the economics of a problem, pulling together a report, fostering a culture of collaboration and inclusivity or giving back to the community with our pro-bono work. These achievements are a reflection of the hard work, passion, and resilience of our team, and I am honoured to have been a part of it all.

As I look to the future, I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey, from colleagues and mentors to clients and partners.

Thank you everyone for 13 amazing years of growth, learning, and success.