A Council is elected each year to provide voluntary administration and organisation of the Society. The Council is responsible for
We are always looking for members to involve themselves in the running of the organisation. Please contact us on admin@esasa.org.au to express your interest in becoming involved.
The 2026 South Australia Council was elected at the Annual General Meeting held in March 2025.
Assoc. Prof. Duygu Yengin is an economist at Adelaide University and President of the Economic Society of Australia (SA Branch). She is a co-founder and current Deputy Chair of the Women in Economics Network and has held senior leadership roles in advancing gender equity in academia and the economics profession. Her research focuses on how economic outcomes are shaped when bargaining power is unequal and property rights are incomplete, with applications to housing, land markets, and public policy design. She is widely known for her research on fair and efficient negotiation processes and fair compensation determination, particularly in contexts involving compulsory land acquisition and Native Title rights. She also has strong expertise in GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion), which informs both her research and institutional leadership. She has contributed to policy discussions in Australia and internationally, including work cited by the World Bank and submissions to parliamentary inquiries on land acquisition reform. More recently, she has been working with Aboriginal organisations on the economic implications of the energy transition, with a focus on land use, consent, and equitable participation in renewable energy development. Assoc. Prof. Yengin regularly publishes in The Conversation and give interviews for media such ABC.
Rui is a Research Fellow at Adelaide University, specialising in housing economics and behavioural economics. She brings together strong quantitative expertise with skills in communication and engagement. She is Director of the Young Economist Network, supporting collaboration and development among early-career economists.
Farhana is the current Secretary of the South Australian branch of the Economic Society of Australia and has contributed to the Society since 2010. She previously served as a representative of Young Economists South Australia, a member of the Executive Committee, and Administrator. Currently, she works as a course developer, teaching assistant and a PhD candidate at Adelaide University. Her research focuses on macroeconometrics, international macroeconomics, and macro-financial analysis, with a focus on trade finance and global macro-financial linkages. She has worked on policy-oriented projects for the Asian Development Bank, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Government of South Australia.
Dr. Ayasha Akter is an applied Economist currently working as a Senior Research Analyst in the Office of South Australian Productivity Commission under Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Government of South Australia. Her current role involves delivering high‑quality outputs to support complex inquiries and research projects by undertaking thorough policy analysis and research. She monitors productivity and economic indicators at local, state, and national levels to assess their impact on South Australia's economy, including identifying potential issues and sectors for future examination. She received her PhD in Economics from the University of Adelaide in 2022. She also holds Master of Applied Economics degree from the University of Adelaide. Prior to joining the South Australian Productivity Commission, she was a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
Mark Henley is an Economics Graduate of the University of Adelaide with a career focussed on social policy and advocacy. He has written over 300 submissions to public inquiries on issues including housing, taxation, unemployment/labour market, gambling, mental health and essential services and has been a regular media commentator. He retired from Uniting Communities in 2024 and is a life member of both the SA Council of Social Service and Youth Affairs council of SA. For the last 25 years he have been actively involved in energy regulation. Mark is a Past President of ESA (2 terms) and has been on the committee for about 15 years.
Dr Jacky Southcott is an economist with a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Adelaide, where her pioneering research on the economics of trust garnered recognition with a Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. With a career spanning over two decades, Jacky has extensive experience working across government and academic institutions, both in Australia and overseas. Her expertise lies in conducting economic impact evaluations, applied economic research, and providing advice to senior government officials.She previously served as Chair of the Women in Economics Network South Australia Branch, where she supported efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the economics profession.
Qazi Haque is a macroeconomist and an Associate Professor at Adelaide University. His research combines economic theory with advanced econometric and structural modelling to analyse monetary policy, inflation dynamics, and broader macroeconomic fluctuations. He has published in leading economics journals and has received research funding from organisations including the Australian Research Council and the CSIRO. He is a Principal Investigator and Australian Lead Economist in the Global Hydrogen Production Technologies (HyPT) Centre, an international research collaboration spanning five countries, and a Research Associate at the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA) at the Australian National University. He previously worked as an economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia and has been a visiting researcher at renowned academic and policy institutions including the University of Oxford, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and De Nederlandsche Bank.. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Economic Society of Australia (SA Branch), is the Secretary of the Australasian Macroeconomics Society, the Co-Chair of the Scientific Program Committee for the 2026 Econometric Society Australasian Meeting (ESAM), a non-voting member of the Australasian Standing Committee of the Econometric Society, and an Exam Vetter for Economics at the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE).
Dr Dessie Ambaw is a Senior Lecturer in Economics in the School of Economics at Adelaide University and Program Director for the Bachelor of Economics program. His research focuses on international trade, development economics, and applied econometrics, with particular interests in trade policy, foreign firm entry, industrial policy, exchange rate movements, firm productivity, and structural transformation. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals including The World Economy, Oxford Economic Papers, Review of Development Economics, Asian Economic Journal, and Stress and Health. Dessie holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Adelaide and has previously held academic, research, and policy-related roles at the University of South Australia, the University of Adelaide, the World Bank, and Statistics Denmark.
Namrata is an applied economist driven by questions of inequality, labour market dynamics, and the delivery of essential public services. She is currently completing her PhD in economics at Adelaide University, where her research focuses on the intersection of infrastructure, social outcomes, and crime. Alongside her research, she works as a Senior Economist with South Australia’s Department of State Development, where she contributes to understanding labour market shortages and skills demand through policy-relevant economic analysis. She has also worked across government sectors in insolvency and bankruptcy in India. Her teaching experience spans India, the United Kingdom, and Australia, where she has delivered courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and development economics. She currently serves as Director of the Mentorship Programme (2026-2027) at the Women in Economics Network, SA, reflecting a strong commitment to supporting students in building professional networks and developing a solid foundation in economics.