The ESSA Exchange

From plummeting renewable costs, energy security concerns, to economic resilience, what are the factors behind Australia’s energy transition? In this episode of the ESSA Exchange, Shneur Groner, Ava Hartnett and Alanna Tran explore the Hunter Valley as a case study, exploring competing policy visions and the real human costs of driving Australia's energy transition. They also look to Germany&#...

In this episode of the ESSA Exchange, Alanna Tran and Chirag Garg sit down with Grace Zhou (ESSA President, 2026) and Viki Gohil (Marketing Co-Director, 2026) to share practical insights on securing internships. They cover how to leverage university society experience, craft strong CVs, navigate interviews effectively, and build lasting confidence throughout the process.

In this episode of the ESSA Exchange, Elly Lau, Jade Truong, and Raymond Wong discuss migration and student opportunities with Deloitte Access Economics manager Ashleigh Hanna. For more information related to this episode, please see the links below. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census: Nearly half of Australians have a parent born overseas ( link ) Centre for Population, Migration betwee...

In this episode of The ESSA Exchange, Samuel Tran and Milena Knight interview Graham Phelan, an experienced economist who specialises in environmental, social, governance (ESG), public policy, and economic regulation on the topics of sustainability, ESG and economics. 

In this episode, Matt Perryman and Raymond Wong chat with current economics and econometrics honours student Daniel Arzhintar in a wide ranging conversation from preparing for an honours degree to opportunities for honours students.

In this episode of The ESSA Exchange, Emily Rowe and Samuel Tran dive into the journey of securing and thriving in graduate roles with insights from a recent graduate. With the help of special guest Anthony Cambria, a Graduate Auditor at BDO, Emily and Sam explore the skills and experiences that set candidates apart, the strategies that help graduates stand out during the application process, and...

In this episode, Milena and Raymond from ESSA Clayton dive into the pressing issues surrounding Australia's economic landscape, from the current cost of living crisis to allegations of price gouging by supermarket giants. With special guest Martin Stirling, Head of Legal at Master Grocers Australia and an expert in employment and industrial law, the conversation navigates the complexities of c...

As one of the top distributors of video games seeks to partner with arguably the most well-decorated creator of successful gaming franchises, this deal was deemed by many to be one that will reshape the present and future of gaming forever...unfortunately including the competition law authorities around the globe. With the deal recently closing on the 13th of October in the UK, join us in retracin...

Do I need to be good at maths? How do I pick my thesis topic? Can I choose what subjects I take?  How will an Honours year help me in the future?  Joel is a current Honours student at UniMelb. And he's writing about a cricket rule change for his thesis – cool, right?! From Friday night drinks with the tight-knit Honours cohort, to trudging through macro algebra, hear him chat with Renee...

Did you know that the education policy team at Deloitte Access Economics has a combination of economists, policy researchers, evaluators, social scientists and former teachers? Hear from William Gort, a Director at Deloitte Access Economics and his career journey which started from choosing to study an Economics Honours degree at ANU (over a career in film industry!!). How do policy makers balance...

Accounting? Consulting? Or even post-grad medicine? These were just some of the pathways Nick Fransen considered before undertaking Honours in economics. Now, he's an economist at the Productivity Commission working on exciting research in water policy, mental health policy, housing policy, and more. Join Ivy and Hachins for an unmissable conversation about moving interstate, the importance of hav...

This episode is oozing with liquid gold advice from Unisuper's State Manager Advice: Derek Gascoigne. Do you need to have your life plan sorted by 3rd year? What's the juicy goss from inside one of Australia's largest superannuation funds? Are soft skills actually the secret key to success in the professional world? Join Ellen and Thanh for an engaging, informative episode you do NOT want to miss!...

Tune in with Renee and David to listen to French-Swedish economist and professor, Yves Zenou, discuss his research and application of network economics. What is a key player? How is research applied to theory – i.e. how can we help the Swedish police target criminal activity? Yves also explores the pros and cons of overseas study, life as a researcher, the importance of having a mentor, and tips f...

Joining us all the way from Pakistan, Shabeeh Haider Raza is a recent Masters of Economics graduate specialising in Development Economics AND an ex-ESSA writer. Join Ivy and David as they chat with Shabeeh about the ups and down of his Masters journey, some fascinating Development Economics research, and why he has decided to relocate to work in Pakistan. Trust us when we say that Shabeeh has some...

In this episode, we interview Jasmine Nguyen who is the Mayor of Brimbank. We discuss the interaction between federal, state and local governments in the formulation of economic policies for the nation, look at the budget constraints faced by local councils, and gain an understanding on how policies are debated and voted upon. We also cover Jasmine's time as a university student and what inspired...

Are Australia's supply chains weak? How has new data and technology shaped the future for debt financing? Do airports have too much market power? These are all the saucy topics that Catherine De Fontenay, Commissioner with the Productivity Commission (and former Associate Professor at Unimelb!) tackles on the day-to-day. In this episode we take a deep dive into the work-life of a full-time economi...

RED LIGHT! GREEN LIGHT! Gaining media traction for his publication on Squid Game, Wayne Geerling returns to the ESSA podcast once more to talk game theory and the new frontier of teaching. Squid Game sheds light on how people act — not always rationally. The series is about 456 contestants, who are in financial debt, competing in a series of deadly games to win a large sum of money. Wayne briefly...

In this episode we interview Rob and Sao about their experiences in the econometrics and economics honours program at Monash University. We demystify the mysterious honours year, the application process, the job prospects after completing honours, and how to get a supervisor. Come join us in this all encompassing episode which may help you decide if honours is for you! For the summary and informat...

In this episode we interview Warwick Davis who is an economist for Frontier Economics. We discuss Warwick’s time as a university student and his experience as an economist in the private sector. He also describes the three main categories of projects taken on in this sector as well as some of the exciting projects he has worked on. This podcast then concludes with insightful advice for economics s...

In this episode, we interview Emma Grey who is the Manager of the Macroeconomic Policy & Forecasting Team at Deloitte Access Economics. Emma speaks about her career journey so far, starting from her studies at Monash University, to being a graduate at Deloitte and working her way up to Manager. She also unpacks what life is like working at Deloitte and more specifically, her role as an econome...

In this episode we interview Anthony Rossiter who is a Senior Economist for the Department of Treasury and Finance, Victoria. Anthony talks us through what work is like in the public sector and the various aspects of his job. Included in this episode, Anthony also describes the challenges of the COVID-19  pandemic and the process of creating public policy. To conclude, Anthony explains what h...

This is the first episode of a 4-part series where we gain insight into a career in economics and where a major in economics could lead you to. For this episode we interview Wayne Geerling who is a senior lecturer in economics at Monash University. From disruptions such as COVID and the increase in connectedness of the world, Wayne speaks about his career and discusses the future of economics educ...

In this episode of Conversations with ESSA, double degree students Orlando and Gabi explore the world of economics from the perspective of a student outside the commerce degree, and how economic skills and thinking can be applied to a multitude of different social, environmental, and political issues. With the goal of allowing you to understand the meaning and reasoning behind using economics to a...

In the last episode of this series, Michelle chats to Suvi an economist at the Productivity Commission. Having started as a grad in 2019 after graduating Monash, we pick Suvi's brain about all things working in economics as a young professional - why she chose economics, what her application process was life, and what a day in her life entails. We also chat about the economics Honours program at M...

What do we wish we knew before applying for internships? In this two part episode on internships, Michelle and Sasha delve deep into everything internship related: what it is, where you can apply, and the application process (start to finish).     In Part 2 we discuss our top tips and tricks for daunting assessment centres, how to approach interviews and finally, we reflect on our i...