Budget Panel Discussion

Cost of living pressures, housing affordability, and economic uncertainty are front of mind for many Australians. The upcoming Australian Federal Budget 2026–27 will play a central role in shaping how these challenges are addressed.

Join us for a timely and engaging discussion as we unpack what the budget means for households, businesses, and the South Australian economy.

We are especially pleased to welcome students to this event and acknowledge our collaboration with the Adelaide University Economics Student Society in supporting student engagement with contemporary policy debates.

Event Details:

Date: Thursday, 21 May

Time: 5:15pm – 7:30pm (Panel discussion starts at 5:30).

Cost:

• Free for ESA SA Members
• Free for Students
• $10 for non-members

Our panel features Professor Susan Stone, an internationally recognised economist with extensive experience at the OECD and UNESCAP, and Anders Magnusson, Chief Economist at BDO, with expertise in Australia’s structural economic transitions across key sectors.

The evening will begin with short presentations from the speakers on key budget measures and their economic implications. This will be followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A, encouraging active engagement on both national priorities and local impacts. The event will conclude with light refreshments and networking.

Speaker Bios:

	Susan Stone is the Credit Union SA Chair of Economics at Adelaide University, where she provides expert analysis and new thinking about South Australia’s economic position and how global economic factors impact the local economy. Prior to joining Adelaide University, Ms Stone was a division head at the OECD, a Director for the UNESCAP, a Senior Research Fellow at the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo, and a Research Manager at the Productivity Commission in Melbourne. Ms Stone is a frequent guest on radio and television, and her opinion pieces have been published in InDaily, The Conversation, The Australian Financial Review and The Australian. Ms. Stone holds a PhD in Economics from Drexel University in the United States.
	Anders is BDO’s Chief Economist, responsible for leading the firm’s macroeconomic analysis with a commitment to helping clients navigate the key transitions shaping Australia’s next decade. Anders is highly curious and has a passion for the natural world, focussing much of his career on the economic opportunities of Australia’s oceans, forests and regional landscapes. He is equally concerned with communities and followed his Bachelor of Economics with a Master of Health to better understand the social links between economic events and wellbeing. He works with an ever-expanding range of sectors, specialising in fisheries and aquaculture, agriculture, forestry, infrastructure and healthcare assignments for both government and private clients.
Moderator:
	Assoc. Prof. Duygu Yengin is an economist at the University of Adelaide and President of the Economic Society of Australia (SA Branch). Her work 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, particularly in contexts involving compulsory land acquisition and Indigenous land 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 Indigenous 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 other outlets. She is a co-founder of the Women in Economics Network and has held senior leadership roles in advancing gender equity in academia and the economics profession.