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Rachel Ong

Deputy Director, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin University

Rachel Ong is Deputy Director of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin University.

Her main research interests are in housing and labour economics.

Her housing research addresses a range of issues, including the use of mortgage products and property transactions to release housing equity for consumption, the dynamics of housing affordability, housing pathways of marginal home owners, the links between housing and child development, and the effects of housing tenure on wellbeing outcomes. She also conducts research into the impacts of the tax and welfare system on work incentives, and factors influencing the employment decisions of older Australians.

Rachel's research has been supported by nationally competitive grant funding sources such as the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and Australian Research Council. She has also completed projects for policy and industry organisations, including the Commonwealth Treasury, WA Council of Social Service and WA Department of Housing.

Rachel is a member of the Steering Committee for the Asia Pacific Network for Housing Research (APNHR), which aims to promote housing research in the Asia Pacific region and comprises membership from Hong Kong, China, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. She has been appointed to several research expert panels including the Gender Research Panel of the Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing, Communities Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Commonwealth Treasury’s Housing Research Panel and AusAID's Research Advisory Panel.

Can the private rental sector provide a secure, affordable housing solution?

Oct 19, 2016 10:42 am UTC| Insights & Views Real Estate

Despite a relatively healthy supply-side picture for the general housing market, the expected trickle down of housing opportunities to low-income households in Australia has failed to materialise. The UK Department for...

Economy

U.S. Stock Futures Steady as Iran Reviews U.S. Ceasefire Proposal

U.S. stock index futures held relatively steady on Wednesday evening after Iran signaled it was reviewing a ceasefire proposal put forward by Washington aimed at ending the ongoing Middle East conflict. The cautious market...

Oil Prices Climb as Iran Reviews U.S. Peace Proposal Amid Middle East Tensions

Oil prices edged higher during Asian trading on Thursday as conflicting signals over potential Middle East de-escalation kept energy markets on alert. Brent crude futures for May delivery rose 0.8% to $103.02 per barrel,...

Gold Prices Climb as Middle East Ceasefire Talks Stir Market Optimism

Gold prices edged higher on Wednesday as cautious optimism surrounding potential U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations lifted sentiment across global markets. Spot gold climbed 0.7% to $4,504.58 per ounce, while U.S. gold...

Middle East War Rattles Global Markets as Oil Tops $100 and Dollar Surges

Asian equity markets struggled to find clear direction on Thursday as investors navigated a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape in the Middle East. Iran signaled conditional willingness to consider a U.S.-backed...

Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Reduction: Brookings Research Outlines Possible Path Forward

New research from the Brookings Institution suggests the Federal Reserve could shrink its balance sheet through a combination of regulatory adjustments, payment system reforms, and more active market interventions without...

Politics

Taiwan Arms Deal on Track Despite U.S.-China Summit Uncertainty

Taiwans Defense Minister Wellington Koo confirmed Thursday that the next major U.S. arms sale to the island remains on schedule, revealing that Taipei has already received a formal letter of guarantee from Washington...

G7 Foreign Ministers Gather in France Amid Global Tensions and U.S. Policy Uncertainty

Foreign ministers from the worlds top Western democracies have convened in France this week for a high-stakes two-day summit at the historic 12th-century Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, located roughly 40 kilometers southwest...

Russia Strikes Kharkiv and Izmail as Cross-Border Drone War Escalates

Deadly Russian attacks struck Ukraines northeastern city of Kharkiv and the Danube port of Izmail, killing at least two people and wounding several others, Ukrainian officials confirmed. The strikes mark the latest...

Iran Demands Lebanon Be Part of Any Ceasefire Deal With Israel and the U.S.

Six regional sources have revealed that Iran has communicated to intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any potential ceasefire agreement involving the United States and Israel. This condition directly ties an end...

Jay Bhattacharya to Continue Leading CDC as White House Searches for Permanent Director

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention remains under the interim leadership of Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya as the White House continues its search for a permanent head of the agency. A spokesperson for...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Nanya Technology Shares Surge 10% After $2.5 Billion Private Placement from Sandisk and Cisco

Shares of Taiwan-based memory chip manufacturer Nanya Technology soared to their daily limit of 10% on Thursday morning following the companys announcement of a major $2.5 billion private placement deal backed by prominent...

SK Hynix Eyes Up to $14 Billion U.S. IPO to Fund AI Chip Expansion

South Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix has submitted a confidential filing for a U.S. stock market listing in 2026, with sources indicating the move could raise as much as $14 billion. The company intends to offer...

Meta Ties Executive Pay to Aggressive Stock Price Targets in Major Retention Push

Meta Platforms made a significant move this week by granting restricted stock units and stock options to several of its most senior leaders, including Chief Financial Officer Susan Li and Chief Technology Officer Andrew...

SpaceX IPO Filing Expected This Week as Valuation Could Surpass $75 Billion

Elon Musks SpaceX is reportedly moving closer to going public, with plans to submit its initial public offering prospectus to regulators as early as this week or next, according to a report by The Information citing a...

OpenAI Pulls the Plug on Sora, Ending $1 Billion Disney Partnership

OpenAI has officially shut down Sora, its AI-powered video generation tool, in a move that blindsided partners and staff alike and effectively ended a landmark deal with Walt Disney Co. The decision marks a major...