Home > September 23′ Conference Information

Australian Economic Forecasting Conference

Register now for Oxford Economics Australia’s annual Economic Outlook Conferences, taking place this September in Sydney, Melbourne, and online.

Upcoming Events

Venue: The Mint, 10 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000

    • 9:00 – 9:30 am  | Arrival, Registration and Coffee

    • 9:30 – 10:15 am | Session 1: Australian & Global Economic Outlook

    • 10:15 – 11:00 am | Session 2: Skills Shortage Panel  Discussion

    • 11:00 – 11:30 am | Intermission and Morning Tea

    • 11:30 – 12:15 | Joint Session 3: Australian Infrastructure Construction Outlook

    • 12:15 – 1:00 | Joint Session 3: Australian Building Construction Outlook

    • 1:00 – 2:00 | Networking Drinks & Close
Register here

Venue: The InterContinental, 495 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000

    • 9:00 – 9:30 am  | Arrival, Registration and Coffee

    • 9:30 – 10:15 am | Session 1: Australian & Global Economic Outlook

    • 10:15 – 11:00 am | Session 2: Skills Shortage Panel  Discussion

    • 11:00 – 11:30 am | Intermission and Morning Tea

    • 11:30 – 12:15 | Joint Session 3: Australian Infrastructure Construction Outlook

    • 12:15 – 1:00 | Joint Session 3: Australian Building Construction Outlook

    • 1:00 – 2:00 | Networking Drinks & Close

Register Here

Venue: Virtual Event, hosted on GoToWebinar – see system requirements

Session 1 | Economic Session | 9:30 – 11:00 am

    • Australian & Global Economic Outlook

Session 2 | Construction Sessions | 11:30 – 1:00 pm

    • Australian Infrastructure Construction Outlook

    •  Australian Building Construction Outlook
Register here

Conference Sessions

The Australian economy is facing a challenging period ahead. The global economy has been remarkably resilient over the past few quarters. But the inflation battle has not been won. With policy rates set to stay higher for longer, a more marked slowdown is coming. Domestically, the strong rebound from the pandemic has run its course, and left the economy in reasonably good shape. But there is a lingering inflation problem.

Cost of living pressures are weighing on consumer confidence and household spending. Fortunately, the RBA is close to the end of its rate hike cycle, but higher rates are dampening growth and increasing the risk of recession. The strength of the labour market and strong migration remain important bulwarks against recession, but growth will be slower over the next few years.

Click below to register for:

Sydney Melbourne Online

With closure of Australia’s borders during the pandemic and strong growth in demand, skills gaps across many industries have become broader, chronic and a clear risk to economic growth. This panel session highlights the work done by Oxford Economics Australia in modelling and forecasting workforce skills gaps whilst also discussing underlying causes, current trends and solutions that can be implemented now and over the medium to long term. Meeting the skills challenge will involve rethinking Australia’s usual approaches to education and training, skilled migration and achieving stronger productivity in labour-intensive industry sectors.

Topics of discussion:

  • How has Oxford Economics Australia led the analysis of skills gaps in Australia

  • Which industries and occupations are experiencing the greatest skills gaps now… and in the future

  • Will reopening of borders solve Australia’s skills challenges?

  • What are the critical solutions to meeting Australia’s skills challenges?

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Sydney Melbourne 

The Australian construction sector is facing a challenging period ahead as residential building activity slows sharply. Publicly funded activity continues to recover, however, as large investments in transport and social building ramp up. With governments and households under pressure to reduce spending elsewhere, can growth in overall construction activity help keep Australia out of recession?  What is happening to construction costs from here? Longer term, is Australia setting up for another strong construction cycle

In this conference we will discuss the outlook for building, engineering, mining and maintenance activity. We will highlight the states and sectors that have the most promising outlooks from here over the next few years, as well as discussing the broader medium to longer-term issues facing the construction sector, including industry sustainability, capacity and capability, construction costs and funding, and investment activity.

Topics of discussion:

  • Why is residential construction falling against a backdrop of such strong housing demand pressure? When can we expect activity to turn?
  • When do we expect to see a peak in total construction work? And is a sharp decline in prospect given tighter financial conditions and an infrastructure review?
  • Will supply chain challenges continue to be a drag on construction activity, and what are other key risks to the outlook?
  • What are the longer-term prospects and how should firms position themselves to benefit?
  • How is public policy shifting to tackle challenges currently facing the construction sector and deliver on future asset requirements?

Click below to register for:

Sydney Melbourne Online

Speakers

Ben Udy

Lead Economist, Macroeconomic Forecasting, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4200

Ben Udy

Lead Economist, Macroeconomic Forecasting, Oxford Economics

Sydney

Emily Dabbs

Head of Macroeconomics Consulting, Oxford Economics

+61 2 8458 4202

Emily Dabbs

Head of Macroeconomics Consulting, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Emily leads Oxford Economics Australia’s Macro Consulting team. She has over 10 years of economic analysis and consulting experience, focusing on macroeconomic forecast and analysis. Emily regularly provides strategy support and briefings, and presentations to clients and key stakeholders to support a broader understand of the economic environment and the impact on their business.

Sean Langcake

Head of Macroeconomic Forecasting, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4236

Sean Langcake

Head of Macroeconomic Forecasting, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Adrian Hart

Director, Infrastructure Construction, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4233

Adrian Hart

Director, Infrastructure Construction, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Katie O’Malley

Group Corporate Affairs Manager, BESIX Watpac

Katie O’Malley

Group Corporate Affairs Manager, BESIX Watpac

Katie joined BESIX Watpac in 2021 as Group Corporate Affairs Manager where she leads a team of specialists focused on sustainability, bid support, marketing, media, communication and events. As part of the BESIX Watpac Group Leadership Team, she is involved in business strategy and planning, sits on a range of internal committees and leads the BESIX Watpac Community Fund.

Alongside BESIX Watpac CEO Mark Baker, Katie is an Australian Contractors Association Board Member and is actively involved in the Attract Working Group Committee which is focused on building an industry strategy to support recruitment of women and blue-collar workers. She is also part of the CSQ Queensland Women in Construction Advisory Committee working on a proposal for QLD Govt to support increasing diversity in the construction centre.


Katie has a degree in Visual Communication and Design from Victoria University in New Zealand, a Post Graduate Certificate in Marketing from Griffith University, a Diploma of Management and Marketing with the Australian Institute of Management and has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors Foundation Course.

Adam Boyton

Head of Australian Economics, ANZ Bank

Adam Boyton

Head of Australian Economics, ANZ Bank

Adam leads the Australian Economics team at ANZ. He was previously the National Skills Commissioner, leading an organisation of around 150 people that provided analysis and advice on labour market developments and skills needs to the Australian Government.

Prior to taking that role he was the Chief Economist at the Business Council of Australia. Adam has also worked at Deutsche Bank, where he was a Managing Director and held a range of positions, including the Australian Head of Fixed Income Research and Chief Economist.

He started his career in the Australian Treasury and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.  Adam has also served on a number of Government boards (including on the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust and the NSW Skills Board).

Robert Sobyra

Head of Policy, Australian Constructors Association

Robert Sobyra

Head of Policy, Australian Constructors Association

Robert Sobyra is Head of Policy with the Australian Constructors Association. Responsible for driving ACA’s policy agenda, Robert is a leading voice for a more sustainable and progressive construction industry. He writes and talks regularly on Australian construction trends and is a postgraduate researcher at the University of Queensland with a special interest in regional economic growth.

Brett Schimming

CEO, Construction Skills Queensland

Brett Schimming

CEO, Construction Skills Queensland

As the CEO of Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) Brett initiates and leads partnerships with industry, government, employers, unions, educators, trainers and associations to develop initiatives and programs to grow the skills base and capacity of Queensland’s building and construction industry workforce.

Brett is passionate about ensuring the workforce meets the demand of employers, and he is active in national and state policy discussions and initiatives to predict and grow the skills base.

Brett brought to CSQ extensive experience in the leadership and management of training and education organisations, earned working in a range of industry sectors including RTOs, professional services firms, and other industry bodies. 

Brett has qualifications in Education, Business and Public Policy and many years of experience managing training and education organisations. He has served on multiple State and National Committees, and Company Boards and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Brett is Queensland’s representative to the Australian Industry Skills Committee.


Nicholas Fearnley

Head of Global Construction, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4262

Nicholas Fearnley

Head of Global Construction, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Dr Nicholas Fearnley is the Head of Global Construction Forecasting, based in Sydney. Nicholas oversees the teams that produce the various construction, mining, and maintenance studies. He works over the full construction spectrum, and regularly presents and provides commentary for both the construction and mining industries.

Nicholas joined Oxford Economics in 2019 after working at Macromontor, where he was responsible for producing regular Australian building construction forecast reports, and bespoke cost escalation and material demand forecasts. |

Prior to joining Macromonitor, Nicholas completed a PhD at the University of Sydney with a thesis titled: “A Critical and Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship between Informal Institutions and Economic Development.” He was awarded the Walter Noel Gillies Prize for best PhD thesis in Economics, and his thesis was accepted without edits.

Nicholas has undergraduate degrees in both Accounting and Applied Finance from Macquarie University, and a first class honours degree in Accounting from the University of Sydney with a thesis titled: “Culture and the Measurement Decision Offered by Investment Property”.

Timothy Hibbert

Head of Building & Property Forecasting, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4270

Timothy Hibbert

Head of Building & Property Forecasting, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Timothy Hibbert leads the property, building, and demographic forecasting at BIS Oxford Economics. He has over 15 years of experience as an industry economist, working across government, consultancy, and subscription services.

Maree Kilroy

Senior Economist, Construction & Property Forecasting, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4283

Maree Kilroy

Senior Economist, Construction & Property Forecasting, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Register Now

SydneyMelbourneOnline
The Mint
10 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000		InterContinental Melbourne
495 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000		GoToWebinar
Live and On-Demand
Thursday 14th September 2023Tuesday 19th September 2023Thursday 21st September 2023
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