Emma’s
Publications
Social Innovation
September 7, 2023

We have to do more: Examining School Leader Perspectives on Hygiene Poverty within Australian Schools
The benefits of access to hygiene products transcend the notion of hygiene alone, likely conferring significant benefits to reduced absenteeism, reduced presenteeism, improvements in mental health and better engagement with school and civic systems.
Equitable Housing
August 15, 2023

Regulating Rentals in Australia: what works?
This paper examines the data to establish if there is, indeed, a rental crisis in Australia, and surveys local and international research to determine what would work to improve the experience of renting a home in the Australian market.
Progressive Economics
May 28, 2023

The Australian Inequality Index
The Australian Inequality Index is a ground-breaking new tool that provides a multidimensional measure of inequality across a range of economic, social, and demographic indicators.
Work and Workers
April 21, 2023

Sharing the Spoils: A Gender Lens Analysis of the Four Day Week Trial at Our Community
In recent years, calls for shorter working ours without a reduction in pay, in terms of a four-day week (4DW), have become increasingly prominent around the developed world.
Homepage Feature
December 15, 2022

Full Employment in 21st Century Australia: a lode star policy in an age of uncertainty
A submission to the Employment White Paper Consultation
October 27, 2022

Exploring the Benefits of Auslan in Early Intervention Approaches for Deaf Children
This commissioned research report seeks to summarise the benefits of Auslan and early intervention strategies to inform policy and support a deeper understanding of the role of Auslan as a language modality and the benefits of early intervention as a developmental strategy.
Gender Equality
October 5, 2022

A Home of One’s Own: Philanthropic and social sector solutions for women’s housing
Australia is experiencing a housing crisis, and its impact is highly gendered.
Homepage Feature
September 30, 2022

Submission to the Senate Select Committee Inquiry into Work and Care
Consideration of how we might better balance the demands of paid labour with the needs of our families and loved ones is fundamental to creating a more equitable and just society.
Progressive Economics
August 15, 2022

Submission to the Inquiry into the Repeal of the Cashless Debit Card
Per Capita welcomes the vision and policy leadership shown by the current government in its prioritisation of the scrapping of this harmful, degrading and disempowering policy.
Progressive Economics
July 28, 2022

Our Culture, Our Value: The Social and Economic Benefits of Auslan
The value of language is often taken for granted in both research and policy.
Homepage Feature
May 15, 2022

The Way In – Representation in the 46th Australian Parliament
This report explores the path to parliament taken by our current representative members of federal parliament, and considers a wide variety of identity, vocational and experiential factors, building on the previous Per Capita report looking at the 45th Federal Parliament, and published in 2019.
Progressive Economics
April 30, 2022

Our Culture, Our Value: The Costs of Hearing Loss in Australia
Solutions to improve the engagement of Deaf people with gainful employment and service access, will improve both economic and wellbeing outcomes.
Gender Equality
November 30, 2021

Submission to the Review of the Workplace Gender Equality Act
Per Capita welcomes the opportunity to contribute this submission to the Review of the Workplace Gender Equality Act, 2012 (the Act), which sets the scope of work for the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). The Act has not been reviewed since its introduction in 2012, and the public’s understanding of the gender pay gap, and ... Read more
Social Innovation
September 7, 2021

Submission to the Inquiry into Media Diversity in Australia
Per Capita strongly advocates that the Committee recommend to the Senate that the policy to privatise the NBN be reversed, and that the network be maintained in perpetuity as a publicly owned, wholesale communications infrastructure network.
Work and Workers
May 25, 2021

Just Reward: The Case for a Wage Rise After COVID-19
This report outlines the case for a significant increase in the minimum wage, which will flow through to higher take-home pay for the more than 2 million Australian workers who rely on award wages.
Progressive Economics
May 6, 2021

The Per Capita Tax Survey 2021
Now in its 11th iteration, the 2021 Survey comes after perhaps the most extraordinary year in living memory, during which every aspect of life was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession.
Work and Workers
February 12, 2021

Briefing note: the Fair Work Amendment Bill 2021
The provisions of this Bill would not only fail to solve the problems it claims to address, but would actively entrench job insecurity and low wage growth for millions of working Australians.
Work and Workers
October 5, 2020

The Case for a Care-Led Recovery
This paper argues for a significant government investment in the care economy, to create jobs for women, to improve the pay and conditions of essential care workers already in the system, and to improve the quality, affordability and accessibility of care for all Australians.
Progressive Economics
September 15, 2020

The Per Capita Tax Survey 2020
The tenth annual Per Capita Tax Survey provides an unparalleled insight into the views held by Australians of all ages, from across the country, about the role of tax and public services in our national life. For the first time, we have conducted two surveys in 2020 – one in February, immediately before the effects of COVID-19 were widely felt, and a second six months later, in August, when the impact of the pandemic on our society and economy was beginning to be understood.
Gender Equality
August 31, 2020

The ‘Herstory’ of Superannuation
This report looks at the history of superannuation for Australian women, marks its progress towards equity, and identifies what more could to be done to improve the system in order to mitigate women’s vulnerability to poverty in retirement.
Emma’s
Media
Our Media
July 28, 2023

Solving Homelessness Will Save Australia Billions – So What’s the Big Delay? – Emma Dawson
Winter 2020 wasn’t a happy time for most Melbournians. The rapid spread of COVID-19 saw our city locked down as people adjusted to working from home, juggling the needs of fractious kids who were struggling with online learning and playground closures while rationing toilet paper and torturing ourselves trying to master a sourdough starter.
But for Melbourne’s population of rough sleepers, that winter was not one of discontent. Almost overnight, people sleeping rough on our streets were given shelter, as the State Government acquired hotel rooms for emergency accommodation. This measure ensured that people without a roof over their heads could be protected – as were the rest of us – from the virus rampaging through our city.
Our Media
June 19, 2023

Beat inflation without raising interest rates? We can do it, but it’s slow, hard and politically risky
Interest rates have risen at the steepest rate ever, as the Reserve Bank hikes the cost of mortgages and lending to try to stomp down inflation. Is there a better way?
Our Media
June 8, 2023

Tasmania among most unequal places in Australia – ABC Hobart
Emma Dawson from Per Capita says they created the Inequality Index to help Australians see how much less fair the country is becoming. The index shows it is becoming harder to move up through society than it was in the past.
Our Media
May 16, 2023

Happy Mother’s Day! A women-friendly budget
Emma Dawson give a very personal reflection on the Federal Budget in Broad Agenda.
Our Media
April 26, 2023

Overcome NIMBYs and build where people want to live: The tough, but necessary housing solutions
Emma Dawson commented in The Age/SMH/Brisbane Times/WA Today on the need to rethink the tax system and the capital gains treatment of property
Our Media
December 16, 2022

Time for a four day working week?
Is the weekend family time at your place or a work day like any other? In theory , the norm is five days and forty hours but in our 24/7 world work extends around the clock. So is it time for a reset to reduce standard working hours to a four day thirty two hour week?
Our Media
November 25, 2022

Socially Democratic – Ep.169: Post Victorian State Election Review with Emma Dawson (Podcast)
Dunn Street founder and Community Organiser Stephen Donnelly was joined once again by Executive Director for Per Capita, Emma Dawson, and former Federal Member for Batman, David Feeney, for Socially Democratic’s Post 2022 VIC ELECTION review!
Our Media
November 22, 2022

The Drum – 22 November 2022
Kathryn Robinson was joined by Craig Chung, Antoinette Lattouf, Madonna King and Emma Dawson to discuss the findings of an inquiry into the Queensland Police Service’s responses to domestic and family violence, whether it is time to ditch ‘cooking with gas’ and whether NZ will lower the voting age to 16.
Our Media
November 18, 2022

Socially Democratic Ep.168: 2022 VIC ELECTION ELECTION EVE PREVIEW with Emma Dawson (Podcast)
Dunn Street founder and Community Organiser Stephen Donnelly was joined again by Executive Director for Per Capita, Emma Dawson, and former Federal Member for Batman, David Feeney, for Socially Democratic’s 2022 VIC ELECTION ELECTION EVE WRAP!
Our Media
November 11, 2022

Socially Democratic Ep.165: 2022 VIC ELECTION WEEKLY WRAP #1 (Podcast)
Dunn Street founder and Community Organiser Stephen Donnelly was joined by Executive Director for Per Capita, Emma Dawson, and former Federal Member for Batman, David Feeney, for Socially Democratic’s first weekly recap of the 2022 Victorian State election campaign.
Our Media
October 27, 2022

‘The first step’: What the Women’s Budget Statement and a majority female government means in practice
Parliament House’s main committee room was packed yesterday for a celebration of the official Women’s Budget Statement and a government comprised, for the first time, of a majority 52 per cent women.
Our Media
October 26, 2022

More than half of NSW politicians own multiple properties
More than half of NSW MPs own two properties or more, parliamentary documents reveal, and one member owns 12.
October 7, 2022

Without meaningful intervention, the number of older homeless women will double
Emma Dawson quoted in Women's Agenda
September 5, 2022

Emma Dawson on ABC’s The Drum
Panel discussion on the jobseeker rate, the impact of having kids and your income, and industrial relations and climate change.
August 29, 2022

Jobs and Skills Summit is good start to ensuring workers are no longer left behind
An op ed from John Falzon in The Canberra Times
August 13, 2022

How ‘tax bludgers’ are ripping off their fellow Australians
Emma Dawson quoted in The Saturday Paper
July 28, 2022

Emma Dawson on ABC’s The Drum
A panel discussion on Australia’s economic outlook amid rising inflation, and a Sydney council caught mixing recycling and rubbish.
Our Media
June 23, 2022

Australia’s next parliament has been declared. There’s only one politician with a visible disability
Emma Dawson quoted in SBS News
Our Media
May 5, 2022

To make housing affordable, property prices need to fall, hurting many Australians with big debts
Per Capita's 'Housing Affordability in Australia' report in ABC News
Emma’s
Blog Posts
Blog
March 25, 2020

Capitalism is broken. This crisis is our chance to fix it
To the followers of Per Capita and the readers of our work, This letter is being written at my dining room table, as I and the rest of the Per Capita team are in our second week of working from home to avoid spreading the terrible virus that has upended our world. The devastation to ... Read more
Blog
June 17, 2019

Speech: The Economic Impacts of Ageism
Speech to the COTA Australia National Policy Forum National Press Club, Canberra, 13 June 2019 Emma Dawson, Executive Director, Per Capita I begin by acknowledging that we meet today on the land of the Ngunnawal people, and pay respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This is, and always will be, Aboriginal land, land ... Read more
Blog
June 11, 2019

Per Capita calls on Opposition and Senate cross bench to #StopStage3
MEDIA RELEASE: Per Capita calls on Opposition and Senate cross bench to #StopStage3 Having won the election, the Coalition government will be pushing hard to legislate its tax plan when Parliament sits again in July. That tax plan comprises three stages: Stage 1 increases the low and middle income tax offset (LMITO) from $530 to ... Read more
Blog
April 2, 2019

Per Capita’s 2019 Budget Response
Federal Budget 2019: A Missed Opportunity to Address Inequality in Australia by Emma Dawson, Executive Director Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s first budget fails to grapple with the big challenges facing our nation. The centrepiece of the Government’s pre-election budget is personal income tax cuts aimed at middle-income earners, but real measures to address the growing inequality ... Read more
Blog
July 19, 2018

Emma Dawson’s address to the 2018 ACTU Congress
Address to the 2018 ACTU Congress Panel Discussion: Ending Trickle Down Economics John Kenneth Galbraith once described trickle-down economics as the theory that “if you feed enough oats to the horse, some will pass through to feed the sparrows”. In Australia today, as in so many other developed nations where trickle-down economics has been ascendant ... Read more
Blog
March 22, 2018

On company tax cuts, business actions speak louder than words
As the Turnbull Government pushes hard to secure the votes needed to pass its company tax cut for large corporations, minor party senators would do well to heed the actions of big business when it comes to local investment and wage increases for workers, rather than listening to their well-crafted words. On Tuesday, Pauline Hanson ... Read more
Emma’s
Podcasts
Podcast
September 5, 2023
Re:CAP Ep.10: Glass Ceilings – Gendered Inequality in the Housing System
Welcome back to Re:CAP – Per Capita’s premier podcast where we unpack our latest research and examine the inequalities in Australian society. This week, Emma Dawson is joined by Per Capita’s Andrew Herington Fellow, Lucy Tonkin, to chat about the Centre for Equitable Housing’s second paper from their Australian Housing Monitor – Glass Ceilings: Gendered ... Read more
Podcast
August 16, 2023
Re:CAP Ep.09: Reforming Casual Employment in Australia
Welcome back to Re:CAP – Per Capita’s premier podcast where we unpack our latest research and examine the inequalities in Australian society. This week, Emma Dawson is joined by Research Associate for the Centre for New Industry, Sarah Mackenzie to discuss their latest report: Towards Fairness and Security – Reforming Casual Employment in Australia Read ... Read more
Podcast
July 18, 2023
Re:CAP Ep.08: Four Day Working Week
Welcome to Re:CAP – Per Capita’s premier podcast where we unpack our latest research and examine the inequalities in Australian society. This week, Emma Dawson is joined by Research Economist, Sam Ibrahim, to discuss their report on the Four Day Work trial: Sharing the Spoils: A Gender Lens Analysis of the Four Day Week ... Read more
Podcast
July 5, 2023
Re:CAP Ep.07: Australian Inequality Index
Welcome back to Re:CAP – Per Capita’s premier podcast where we unpack our latest research and examine the inequalities in Australian society. This week, Matthew Lloyd-Cape is joined by Emma Dawson and Sam Ibrahim, to discuss the launch of Per Capita’s latest initiative: The Australian Inequality Index. Together they will detail what the index is, ... Read more
Podcast
June 6, 2023
Re:CAP Ep.05: Workforce Australia Submission
Welcome to Re:CAP – Per Capita’s premier podcast where we unpack our latest research and examine the inequalities in Australian society. This week, Emma Dawson is joined by Senior Research Fellow, May Lam, to discuss their latest submission for Per Capita: Submission to the Workforce Australia Inquiry Read the full report here: https://percapita.org.au/our_work/submission-to-the-workforce-australia-inquiry/ https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/t27u72/ReCAP_Ep5_Workforce_Sub6hs5r.mp3 ... Read more
Podcast
May 11, 2023
Re:CAP Ep.04: 2023 Federal Budget Post Mortem
Welcome to Re:CAP – Per Capita’s premier podcast where we unpack our latest research and examine the inequalities in Australian society. This week, Emma Dawson is joined by Shirley Jackson, Matthew Lloyd-Cape, and Senior Research Fellow, Margaret MacKenzie, to give our 2023 Federal Budget Postmortem.
Podcast
May 3, 2023
Re:CAP Ep.03: 2023 Federal Budget Expectations
Welcome to Re:CAP – Per Capita’s premier podcast where we unpack our latest research and examine the inequalities in Australian society. This week, Executive Director, Emma Dawson, is joined by CNI Director, Shirley Jackson, and Senior Research Fellow, May Lam, to share their expectations for the 2023 Federal Budget. Published May 2023.
Podcast
April 10, 2023
Re:CAP Ep.01: Centre For Equitable Housing
Welcome to Re:CAP – Per Capita’s premier podcast where we unpack our latest research and examine the inequalities in Australian society. In this episode, Per Capita Director Emma Dawson joins Director for the Centre for Equitable Housing, Matthew Lloyd-Cape, to discuss their latest report which outlines Australian experience within the housing market. Read full report ... Read more