15 July 2026: Over 400 economists from academia, government, business, and policy gathered at the University of Canberra last week to explore and discuss local and global economic challenges, from climate change, to migration, health, domestic violence, illicit tobacco and the undermining of trust.
The Australian Conference of Economists (ACE) 2026, hosted for the first time at UC, in collaboration with the Economic Society of Australia and the Australian National University, offered participants four days of robust discussion, thought-provoking topics and insightful new research.
After a reception on Tuesday night, the conference officially kicked off on Wednesday morning with an opening address from the University’s Chancellor, Lisa Paul AO PSM, followed by pre-recorded remarks from the Australian Treasurer, The Honourable Dr Jim Chalmers, MP.
“This conference couldn’t be more timely,” Ms Paul said. “We’re facing economic challenges that impact every facet of Australians’ livelihoods and happiness.
“It's clear that Australia has much to benefit from high-quality economic debate. We’re delighted so many fine economists from around Australia and many other countries are joining us here.”
Professor Stephen Bartos, who served as conference convener, credited fellow program committee members Professor Uwe Dulleck and Senior Lecturer Dr Benjamin Vu for their roles in bringing the program together – the result was a three-day lineup of keynotes, plenaries and panels featuring distinguished national and international guests.
One highlight – a panel discussion featuring leading Australian economics journalists on the topic of how to communicate economics research to the public – was chaired by Professor Bartos, and included The Conversation’s economics editor, Victoria Thieberger; Peter Martin, host of ABC National’s The Economy, Stupid and Shane Wright from The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age.
Other thought-provoking topics included “Do Labor’s tax changes make sense?”, debated by the Australian National University’s Professor Robert Breunig, Matt Nolan of the e61 Institute and Richard Holden, Scientia Professor of Economics at the University of New South Wales.
And a closing panel on Friday “Is economics still relevant for public policy?” featured Maathu Ranjan, Sir Roland PhD Scholar at the Australian National University, Productivity Commissioner Angela Jackson and Aruna Sathanapally, Chief Executive Officer at the Grattan Institute.
The University of Canberra’s contributions to this high-profile event were hard to miss – many Business, Government and Law academics presented papers or chaired sessions, including Professor Xiadong Gong and Dr John Hawkins and out of an impressive field of economics PhD students from across Australia, UC’s Tempa Gyeltshen’s research on the "Impact of Climate Change on Inflation and Financial Stability in South Asia" was voted best poster.
Professor Bartos acknowledged the work of his colleagues and collaborators in creating an unforgettable experience for ACE 2026.
“It was a great opportunity to deliver an excellent event for the economics profession in academia, public service, and business – we certainly did that,” he said.
“The University showcased its excellence as a conference venue, from the AV services, to outstanding catering provided by Chef Roulan and the UCX team, and the wonderful team of student volunteers, who helped shepherd conference delegates to the right rooms.
“Two things people remember most about a conference are the quality of the ideas and the quality of the food – ACE and the University of Canberra delivered on both fronts!”
