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Glenn Withers

Professor of Economics, Australian National University

Professor Glenn Withers AO is Professor of Economics at the Australian National University and President-Elect of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. He has chaired various public Inquiries and has headed bodies such as the Economic Planning Advisory Commission and the National Population Council. He was chair of the Expert Working Group for Australia’s Comparative Advantage, a report for the Australian Council of Learned Academies

He was founding CEO of Universities Australia. Prior to that he was Professor of Public Policy at ANU and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. He is a Monash and Harvard graduate and has held academic posts in Australia and overseas including at Harvard and Cambridge and at La Trobe and Macquarie Universities.

He has produced a significant number of books, academic papers and government and consultancy reports. He has worked in and for government, including as chair of various Australian government bodies such as the National Population Council and the Economic Planning Advisory Commission, and he has chaired public inquiries regarding population issues, immigration, and infrastructure financing and was a member of the Faulkner inquiry into child care and Co-Commissioner of the Productivity Commission's Stocktake of Micro-economic Reform. He is a Board member of CEDA and Chair of CEDA's Council on Economic Policy.

Professor Withers helped to establish the Productivity Commmission, the Crawford School, ANZSOG and Universities Australia. He has been an adviser to private sector and community sector organisations in Australia and overseas, ranging from the North West Shelf Consortium and the Business Council of Australia to the OECD and UNDP. Professor Withers was awarded an Order of Australia for services to applied economics, including for design of the Australian immigration points system.

Higher education pays for itself many times over

Jul 01, 2016 08:59 am UTC| Insights & Views

The relative neglect of higher education investment in political debate is a missed opportunity. The economic evidence is that not only does higher education build the economys skills and knowledge, but that it pays for...

Economy

Trump Escalates Canada Trade War With 50% Tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of Canada on Wednesday, saying it was time to teach Canada you cant do this anymore after trade negotiations between the two neighboring countries collapsed and...

US PCE Inflation Holds at 3.7% as Fed Rate Decision Looms

The Federal Reserves preferred inflation gauge remained elevated in July, reinforcing concerns over persistent U.S. price pressures ahead of the central banks September interest rate decision. The Personal Consumption...

Dollar Rises as Hotter PCE Inflation Lifts Fed Rate Hike Bets

The U.S. dollar strengthened on Wednesday after hotter-than-expected inflation data modestly increased expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike ahead of this weeks Jackson Hole symposium. The Personal...

Qatar LNG Exports Plunge 96% as U.S.-Iran War Disrupts Gulf Energy Trade

Qatar has emerged as one of the biggest economic casualties of the six-month U.S.-Iran war, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports plunging 96% as the conflict severely disrupts energy shipments through the Gulf. The...

Gold Prices Hover Near Three-Month High as Oil, Treasury Yields Fall

Gold prices slipped slightly on Wednesday but remained close to a three-month high as falling oil prices and lower U.S. Treasury yields eased inflation concerns ahead of key Federal Reserve signals. Spot gold, or XAU/USD,...

Politics

US Raises Concerns Over Chinese Artist Gao Zhen’s Prison Sentence

The U.S. State Department has expressed significant concerns over Chinas sentencing of Chinese artist Gao Zhen to three years in prison, citing questions about freedom of expression and the application of a law enacted...

CIA Chief Ratcliffe Holds Talks With Russian Intelligence in Moscow

U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Russian intelligence officials during a visit to Moscow on Tuesday, marking a rare high-level security contact between Washington and Moscow as bilateral relations remain deeply...

Trump Floats ‘Lake America’ Rename as US-Canada Trade Tensions Deepen

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is considering renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America, as tensions between the United States and Canada escalate following the collapse of bilateral trade...

Trump Administration Pauses Visa Appointments Worldwide

President Donald Trumps administration has temporarily paused or rescheduled visa appointments at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide as the State Department launches a global training program for consular officers. A...

U.S. Caribbean Vessel Strike Kills Four in Latest Anti-Drug Operation

The U.S. military said four people were killed in a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean on Tuesday, marking the latest attack in Washingtons campaign against suspected drug-trafficking operations at sea. U.S. Southern...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

SoftBank Eyes $20 Billion Bond Sale to Refinance OpenAI Loan

SoftBank Group is reportedly considering a bond offering worth between $10 billion and $20 billion as the Japanese technology conglomerate looks to refinance borrowing linked to its massive investment in OpenAI. The...

OpenAI Data Center Chief Chris Malone Exits Ahead of Planned 2027 Listing

Chris Malone, OpenAIs head of data centers, left the artificial intelligence company last week, marking another senior departure as the ChatGPT maker prepares for a planned 2027 listing, according to the Wall Street...

Meta, U.S. States Discuss Settlement in Teen Addiction Trial

Meta Platforms and attorneys general representing several U.S. states have held discussions over a potential settlement as the Facebook and Instagram parent faces a federal trial over allegations that its social media...

Google Expands Gemini Enterprise With AI Tools for Legal Sector

Google has expanded its Gemini Enterprise artificial intelligence platform with new tools designed for lawyers and law firms, intensifying competition among major technology companies seeking a larger share of the growing...

Luxshare Shares Rise as First-Half Profit Jumps 18%

Luxshare Precision Industry shares gained on Monday after the major Apple supplier reported strong first-half earnings and projected double-digit profit growth for the first nine months of the year, supported by expanding...