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Dr Margaret McKenzie

Chief Economist

Prior to joining Per Capita Margaret held the position of ACTU Economist at the Australian Council of Trade Unions, preparing the submissions to the annual review of the minimum wage. She has held academic positions in Australia and the UK, most recently as lecturer in economics at Deakin University, and as an Honorary Research Fellow at Federation University. She has worked in economic policy in the Australian public service, mainly at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Her research focuses on empirical aspects of macroeconomics, market failure, regulation and economic policy, working within labour economics and industrial relations, privatisation and outsourcing, technology, industry and trade policy, development, housing, and applied econometrics.

She has a PhD and MSc in economics from Birkbeck College London and a BA (hons) in anthropology from Monash. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Australian Institute of Employment Rights. She has presented widely in the media, including on regular economic expert panels for The Conversation and The Age / SMH Scope surveys.

Margaret’s
Publications

Progressive Economics
March 31, 2025

The Lost Decade: How low wage growth stopped young Australians buying a home

This report examines the impact of a Lost Decade, during which real wages barely grew. It explores how this has affected young Australians setting out on their careers, trying to build the financial security needed to buy a home and start a family, and grasp the now elusive great Australian dream of home ownership.
Equitable Housing
January 16, 2024

On Whose Account? Government Spending on Housing

This paper shows the shift away from treating housing policy as a core economic function of the government to a residual element of the welfare system. The absence of a comprehensive federal housing budget means that the distributional impacts of funding allocation and changes in spending on different groups in society remain largely unevaluated.

Margaret’s
Podcasts

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Margaret’s
Media

Our Media
August 30, 2024

Yes, we should nationalise Qantas — this privatisation experiment has been disastrous!

Qantas was fully nationalised in 1947 by the Chifley government, which purchased all private shares in it due to its “greatly increased expansion and capital requirements”. This was “in line with government policy and with previous actions by all other main Empire units” which all owned their airlines. That was another era.
Our Media
June 18, 2023

‘It is a tricky business’: How will we know if we’re in recession?

Economists are increasingly worried Australia will enter a recession in the near future. But millions of Australians were not even alive at the time of the 1990s recession.
Our Media
March 17, 2023

AUKUS submarine money could be better spent in so many ways

Margaret McKenzie provided some "back-of-the-envelope" calculations about what else could be done with just a fraction of the AUKUS submarine money.

Margaret’s
Blog Posts

Blog
October 3, 2023

“The economic benefits of labour law / workplace relations reforms” – A New Work Relations Architecture Book Launch

Senior Economist for Per Capita, Margaret McKenzie, spoke at the launch of the AIER’s latest book, New Work Relations Architecture,  in Melbourne (September 2023).   “I feel like a very privileged interloper as the economist amongst the lawyers – can’t say ugly duckling any more! – in contributing to the New Work Relations Architecture edited ... Read more
Blog
August 11, 2023

You could be homeless – National Homelessness Week 2023

Can’t find somewhere to live? Can’t pay for it? Get out! That means you! Who? As many renters and mortgage holders grapple with rapidly rising housing costs, the thought that you might join the 1 in 200 who are homeless is increasingly on people’s minds: 122,000 of us were recorded as homeless on census night ... Read more
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