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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

Dollar Set for Fourth Weekly Loss as Tariff Worries and Safe-Haven Demand Grow

The U.S. dollar is poised for its fourth straight weekly loss as investor concerns over tariffs and trade uncertainty drive a shift away from U.S. assets. Despite a slight rebound from a seven-month low against the yen,...

Bank of Korea Holds Rates Amid Trade Tariff Threats and Weakening Won

South Koreas central bank kept its key interest rate steady at 2.75% on Thursday, aiming to stabilize the Korean won as global trade tensions escalate. The decision by the Bank of Korea (BOK) aligns with expectations from...

Singapore’s March Exports Rise 5.4% Amid Tariff Concerns and Growth Forecast Cut

Singapores non-oil domestic exports (NODX) rose 5.4% year-on-year in March, according to Enterprise Singapore data released Thursday. The increase was driven by gains in both electronics and non-electronic shipments....

BOJ to Cut Growth Outlook Amid Trump Tariff Risks

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to lower its economic growth forecast at its upcoming April 30May 1 policy meeting, as escalating tariff risks from U.S. President Donald Trump threaten Japans export-driven recovery....

China and Japan Boost U.S. Treasury Holdings Despite Tariff Tensions

Speculation that China and Japan were dumping U.S. Treasuries was challenged on Wednesday after the U.S. Treasury Department reported a 3.4% rise in foreign holdings of Treasuries in February, reaching $8.82 trillion....

Politics

Trump Aides in Paris for Ukraine Ceasefire, Iran Nuclear Talks

Two top U.S. national security officialsSecretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoffare set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday, aiming to align U.S. and European efforts on...

U.S.-France Talks to Focus on Ukraine, Iran, and Middle East Tensions

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris on Thursday to discuss key global issues including the war in Ukraine, Irans nuclear program, and tensions in the Middle...

Ukraine and U.S. Near Minerals Deal Amid Progress in Bilateral Talks

Ukraine and the United States are nearing the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on a minerals agreement, signaling substantial progress in bilateral talks, according to Ukraines First Deputy Prime Minister...

Macron Vows Justice as French Prisons Face Wave of Attacks

French President Emmanuel Macron pledged swift justice following a third consecutive night of violent attacks targeting prisons across France. At least nine correctional facilities and related institutions, including a...

U.S. Senator Denied Access to Deported Salvadoran Held in Notorious Prison

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) was denied access to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man mistakenly deported from the United States, during a diplomatic visit to El Salvador. Abrego Garcia, who lived in Maryland,...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

Tencent, Douyin Launch Domestic Sales Initiatives Amid U.S.-China Trade Tensions

Chinese tech giants Tencent and Douyin, TikToks sister app in China, have launched new initiatives to support local exporters affected by the intensifying U.S.-China trade war. These efforts aim to help export-reliant...

Stargate AI Megaproject Eyes UK Expansion Backed by OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle

The $500 billion Stargate data center project, backed by OpenAI, SoftBank (TYO:9984), and Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), is exploring expansion opportunities in the UK as it seeks overseas sites for scaling artificial intelligence...

U.S. Imposes New Export Curbs on Nvidia and AMD AI Chips to China

The U.S. Commerce Department announced new export licensing requirements on Tuesday targeting Nvidias H20 and AMDs MI308 artificial intelligence chips, along with equivalent models, restricting their shipment to China. The...

NVIDIA Stock Dips on $5.5B Hit From China Export Controls

NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) shares fell 6% in after-hours trading to $105.42 after the company announced it expects up to $5.5 billion in charges related to U.S. export restrictions on its AI chips to China. The charges will be...

Japan Orders Google to Halt Anticompetitive Smartphone Practices

Japans Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has issued a cease and desist order to Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) for engaging in anticompetitive practices, marking the countrys first formal crackdown on a U.S. tech giant for market...