Experts available for federal election analysis

The following UTS experts are available for comment on the 2025 federal election. Please contact the UTS Media Office for further advice and information.
 

Social justice, equity and inclusion

Amy Persson  
Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (Social Justice & Inclusion)  
Amy Persson is a public policy expert with extensive experience across private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. She is well-positioned to comment on election policies related to social inclusion, public service reform, and community engagement. She can also speak to higher education's role in advancing social equity and universities as public purpose institutions.
Amy.Persson@uts.edu.au
 
Sonal Singh 
Executive Manager, Student Access and Equity, Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion  
Sonal Singh has over 15 years of experience in student equity, higher education policy, and pathways into post-secondary education. As Vice President of Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia (EPHEA) and a Board Member of the World Access to Higher Education Network (WAHEN), Sonal has deep expertise in student equity. Sonal's work focuses on widening participation, inclusive access, and the role of pathways in supporting diverse student cohorts.
Sonal.Singh@uts.edu.au

Danielle Keenan
Student Equity Research Specialist, Australian Centre for Student Equity Success Fellow 
Danielle Keenan is a researcher and practitioner specialising in regional higher education access and policy. Her expertise includes Regional University Study Hubs, place-based student support models, and addressing the structural barriers affecting higher education participation in regional, rural, and remote communities.
Danielle.Keenan@uts.edu.au

Housing, urban development, and sustainability

Dr Song Shi
Associate Professor of Property Economics at the School of Built Environment
Dr Shi is an expert in housing market dynamics, sustainable real estate, and urban development. He can comment on housing affordability, urban sustainability, and property market trends.
Song.Shi@uts.edu.au

Professor Jua Cilliers
Head of the School of Built Environment, and Professor of Urban Planning
Professor Cilliers has expertise in urban planning, green infrastructure, and youth participation in decision-making. She can provide insights into sustainable cities, climate resilience, infrastructure investment, and civic engagement.
Jua.Cilliers@uts.edu.au

Professor Alan Morris 
Professor, Institute for Public Policy and Governance
Professor Morris is an expert in housing equity, social policy, and urban studies. His most recent book is titled ‘The Private Rental Sector in Australia: Living with Uncertainty’.
Alan.Morris@uts.edu.au

Professor Leena Thomas
Professor, School of Architecture
Professor Thomas specialises in sustainable architecture and design practices addressing climate change and health and wellbeing. Her expertise includes energy efficiency, urban heat mitigation, and social outcomes within the built environment.
Leena.Thomas@uts.edu.au

Climate change, energy policy, and resilience

Dr Chris Briggs 
Research Director at the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures 
Dr Briggs is an expert on climate and energy policy, clean energy jobs, coal transition, offshore wind energy, and renewable business strategies.
Chris.Briggs@uts.edu.au

Professor Martina Linnenluecke
Director of the Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience at UTS 
Professor Linnenluecke has expertise across climate change, energy and the environment. She can comment on the role of government policy in shaping private sector responses to climate change, investor expectations, and broader economic resilience.
Martina.Linnenluecke@uts.edu.au

Professor Elizabeth Mossop 
Professor of Landscape Architecture and former Dean of Design, Architecture & Building 
Professor Mossop is available to discuss infrastructure planning and resourcing, disaster mitigation and recovery, urban revitalisation, and the role of planning and landscape design in building resilient communities in the face of climate change.
Elizabeth.Mossop@uts.edu.au 

Dr Elizabeth Humphrys 
Head Of Discipline, Social And Political Sciences
Dr Humphrys is available to discuss labour, wages, and industrial relations. She has particular expertise in the impact of climate change on workers and industry. 
Elizabeth.Humphrys@uts.edu

Politics, economics, and international relations

Professor Andrew Jakubowicz
Emeritus Professor of Sociology at UTS 
Professor Jakubowicz is a political sociologist and is available to comment on the politics of multicultural Australia. 
Andrew.Jakubowicz@uts.edu.au

Professor Michelle Baddeley  
Associate Dean (Research) at UTS Business School
Behavioural economist Professor Baddeley is available to discuss behavioural economic perspectives on stimulus measures, and broader macroeconomic insights. 
Michelle.Baddeley@uts.edu.au  

Professor Tim Harcourt
Industry Professor & Chief Economist at UTS Institute for Public Policy & Governance 
Professor Harcourt can comment on international trade, immigration policy, defence strategies (e.g., China, Russia and Ukraine), industrial relations, wages policy, and the business of sport.
Tim.Harcourt@uts.edu.au

Professor James Laurenceson
Director of the UTS Australia-China Relations Institute 
James Laurenceson is an expert on the Australia-China relationship, encompassing economic, political and strategic elements. He is available to comment on how this relationship will form part of the domestic election campaign, as well as how the election result might impact the Australia-China relationship, which is currently at a historic low point.
James.Laurenceson@uts.edu.au

Professor Carl Rhodes 
Dean of UTS Business School 
Professor Rhodes is available to discuss topics related to the role of business in liberal democracy, business ethics and society, the political influence of corporations, masculinity in business and politics, the neoliberal state in Australia, business and progressive politics, and public debates over ‘woke capitalism’. 
Carl.Rhodes@uts.edu.au

Health policy

Distinguished Professor Jane Hall
Distinguished Professor of Health Economics at UTS Business School 
Professor Hall is the former president of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. She is available to comment on health policy, Medicare, research policy. 
Jane.Hall@uts.edu.au 

Dr Nathan Kettlewell 
Senior Lecturer in Economics
Dr Kettlewell is an applied health economist with experience in healthcare financing, especially the role of private health insurance.
Nathan.Kettlewell@uts.edu.au

Disability and social participation

Professor Simon Darcy 
Professor of Social Inclusion, UTS Business School
Professor Darcy is a researcher in the area of disability, diversity and inclusion. He has current programs examining the NDIS, employment and social participation as indicators of disability citizenship. Simon is an insider as a power wheelchair user himself.  
Simon.Darcy@uts.edu.au 

Consumer behaviour & social change

Professor Ross Gordon
UTS Business School, Director of Change for Good @ UTS
Professor Gordon's expertise includes consumer resilience during cost-of-living crises, gambling harm reduction strategies, energy transitions (e.g., electric vehicles), public health behaviour change initiatives (e.g., violence prevention), and policymaking processes.
Ross.Gordon@uts.edu.au

Innovation & not-for-profit sector

Emeritus Professor Roy Green
Special Innovation Advisor at UTS 
Professor Green is an expert on innovation policy, entrepreneurship ecosystems, R&D strategy development, industry policy reforms, and management practices. 
Roy.Green@uts.edu.au 

Professor Bronwen Dalton
Head, Department of Management, UTS Business School
Professor Dalton is available to discuss funding challenges within the not-for-profit sector.
Bronwen.Dalton@uts.edu.au

Labour law & industrial relations

Dr Eugene Scholfield-Georgeson
Senior Lecturer at UTS Faculty of Law 
Dr Schofield-Georgeson is available to discuss labour law and industrial relations policy. His expertise covers the regulation of precarious employment such as casualisation, independent contracting (the gig economy) and labour hire, as well as wage theft, sham contracting, the role of trade unions, collective and industry bargaining, wages policy and the common law employment relationship.
Eugene.Schofield-Georgeson@uts.edu.au