Melbourne Institute 50th Anniversary
1962 - 2012
In 2012, the Melbourne Institute will turn fifty and we will be celebrating with various events during the year. More information will be posted here shortly, but if you would like to receive information and updates about forthcoming 50th Anniversary events, please contact us at melb-conf@unimelb.edu.au and we will place you on our mailing list.
Formation of the Institute
Ronald Henderson was in Melbourne in the early 1960’s on leave from Cambridge University when some University of Melbourne economists asked his advice on how to increase applied economic research in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce. Henderson suggested the formation of a group, similar to the Department of Applied Economics in Cambridge, in which a number of people would be engaged in full time research, with others joining on a part-time basis for particular projects. Henderson submitted his proposal and with no expectation that it would have any further implications for him returned to Cambridge. The University took up the proposal and invited its author to put it into effect.The initiative to set up an economic institute had the support of the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Dr H C Coombs, the leading businessmen and university council members, Sir John Allison and Sir Ian Potter, and the Ritchie Research Professor of Economics, Richard Downing.
1962
Ronald Henderson took up his position as foundation Director of the new Institute of Applied Economic Research on December 15th.
The Institute was located in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce, but was an autonomous body with an advisory board chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and membership drawn from universities, business and government.Funding for four positions was provided for a limited period by the central university, the Department of Economics and the Department of Economic Research (the Ritchie chair).
1963
Henderson chose three areas for research: industry economics, financial economics and social economics. The first appointees to positions as Research Fellows were Peter Stubbs, John Rose, Hugh Goerke, John Deeble and Jean Martin.Richard Downing became associated with many of the Institute’s projects.
1964
John Hutton appointed as a Senior Research Fellow. Ronald Henderson published the first of three articles on Australian capital markets
A study of poverty in Melbourne commenced.
1966
Richard Scotton appointed as a Research Fellow to join John Deeble in studying the health care industry in Australia.
Duncan Ironmonger appointed as a Senior Research Fellow to lead work on short-term forecasting.
Ronald Henderson appointed to a Personal Chair in the University.
1967
First results of Melbourne Poverty Survey were released, soliciting great public interest and placing pressure on government to improve social security arrangements.
1968
The Melbourne Institute produced the first regular issue of the Australian Economic Review. The journal was based on the Economic Review published by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research in London.
Development of a computer-based econometric data bank, probably the first in Australia.
Richard Scotton and John Deeble published an article in the Australian Economic Review, ‘Compulsory Health Insurance for Australia’.The article set out the blue print for what was to become the Whitlam government’s Medibank scheme, a health care model which in broad terms remains to this day.
1969
The Institute of Applied Economic Research amalgamated with the Department of Research in Social Studies and was renamed the Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.
John Stubbs’ book Innovation and ResearchA Study in Australian Industry published.
John Rose published his book Australian Security Markets.
1970
Final results of the Melbourne Poverty Survey published as People in Poverty: A Melbourne Survey. The first print run of 4,500 was sold out in less than three months.
John Rose seconded to work for the Senate select Committee on Securities and Exchange which was set up following the excesses particularly associated with the mining company Poseidon.
Bob Lewis seconded from La Trobe University to a Senior Fellowship.
Commencement of the project ‘Welfare Services and Local Government’.
Richard Scotton seconded for two years to work as a consultant to the Canadian government on health and welfare.
1971
The Institute’s annual econometric forecasting model presented at the conference of economists.
1972
Ronald Henderson appointed to undertake an inquiry into Poverty in Australia for the federal government. He took three years leave of absence, retaining a 20 per cent appointment.Richard Downing was formally appointed as acting director and Duncan Ironmonger had responsibility for much of the day-to-day administration.
1973
In July, the Institute was formally established as a research department within the Faculty of Economics and Commerce but with its own University Statute. The Faculty agrees to fund five academic positions.
The Institute began conducting interviews for quarterly surveys of consumer attitudes and intentions, modelled on the work of the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan. Regular conferences were held where the results were discussed and interpreted.
Number of academic staff increased by 50 per cent to 23.
Peter Brain and Peter Sheehan appointed as Research Fellows.
1974
Commencement of the Long-Term Economic Forecasting Project led by Duncan Ironmonger and Peter Brain.Later relabelled as the Institute Multipurpose Model (IMP) it was a large scale inter-industry econometric model that provided a multi-purpose framework for analysis of the future structure of the Australian economy.The project was funded by industry and government departments.
Medical Care in Australia: An Economic Analysis by Richard Scotton was published; Scotton was on secondment to the Australian Government as Special Adviser to the Minster for Social Services and Chairman of the newly established Australian Health Insurance Commission.
The Senate report, Australian Securities Markets and their Regulation, released under the name of the chairman Senator Ray, was largely the work of John Rose.The report provided clear evidence that self-regulation of securities markets in Australia was not working and it provided the catalyst that led to the formation of a national stock exchange and the National Companies and Securities Commission, the antecedent of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.
Academic staff numbers expanded further to 34 with accommodation spread over four locations.
1975
Two deputy director positions were created: Econometric and Statistical Research (Duncan Ironmonger) and Administration (Bob Lewis).
Richard Downing, the Ritchie Professor and close colleague of Ronald Henderson, died.
Release of the Main Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Poverty chaired by Ronald Henderson.
1976
John Rose resigned to join the personal staff of the Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser.
1977
The book, Who Cares? Family Problems, Community Links and Helping Services by Jean McCaughey, Sheila Shaver and Helen Ferber and others was published.
1979
Ronald Henderson retired from the Melbourne Institute after almost seventeen years as its foundation Director and appointed Emeritus Professor.
Duncan Ironmonger was appointed Acting Director from 1 October 1979.
In response to numerous requests for updated figures for the poverty lines established in 1975 by the Commission of Inquiry into Poverty chaired by Ronald Henderson, the Melbourne Institute began in March to issue a quarterly press statement giving revised poverty line figures.
The first volume of a study on public expenditure and social policy was produced Public Expenditure and Social Policy in Australia Volume I The Whitlam Years, 1972-75, edited by Richard Scotton and Helen Ferber.
Alan Powell appointed as Ritchie Professor and the federal government’s large-scale modelling project with acronym IMPACT moved to the University.
1980
A major two day conference ‘Poverty, Income Maintenance and Welfare in the 1980s’, was held.
The second volume of a study on public expenditure and social policy was produced Public Expenditure and Social Policy in Australia Volume II The First Fraser Years, 1976-78, edited by Richard Scotton and Helen Ferber.
An Institute Publications Advisory Board was formed with the role of advising on all Institute publications other than the Australian Economic Review.
1981
The Institute launched The Welfare Stakes: Strategies for Australian Social Policy, edited by Ronald Henderson. A second volume of Hidden Unemployment: The Australian Experience by Peter Stricker and Peter Sheenan was also launched.
1982
To mark the completion of its second decade of research a 20th Anniversary Dinner was held on 15 December at University House.
An econometric models desk was set up in an attempt to facilitate interaction between researchers working with the two large-scale economic models located in the faculty: IMP and IMPACT.
Peter Sheehan left the Institute to head the newly elected Cain government’s Department of Management and Budget.
1983
Delay and indecision over the choice a new director ended with the appointment of Peter Dixon, effective from March 1984.Dixon had been the principal researcher on the computable general equilibrium component (ORANI) of the IMPACT project.
1984
Following the change of leadership several senior members of the Institute resigned and established the private consulting enterprise, The National Institute of Economic and Industry Research, led by the head of the IMP team, Peter Brain.
The Institute began to engage in much joint work with Alan Powell and the IMPACT project.
A new initiative, the Indicators Projects, commenced. This work was undertaken by Dr Ernst Boehm of the Department of Economics. Dr Boehm, together with associates at the Center for International Business Cycle Research (Columbia University), devised indices capable of giving early warning of turning points in the Australian Business Cycle. Monthly updates of the business cycle were produced.
1985
In June, the Institute, with sponsorship from Westpac, launched a monthly newsletter reporting movements in leading, coincident and lagging indicators of economic activity in Australia and overseas. These indicators were widely reported in the press and attracted many subscribers.
Considerable progress was made in two exploratory endeavours: the modelling of income distribution and the application of formal modelling techniques to medium-term forecasting. The income distribution model was built as an extension of the existing ORANI model.
1986
Regular one-day conferences were initiated, mostly for subscribers to the Institute’s Econometric Forecasting Project.
1987
A new feature was added to the Australian Economic Review the ‘For the Student’ section which consisted of an article on an important economic or social issue of relevance to economics students at senior secondary and tertiary levels.
1987 1990
Throughout 1987 to 1990 the Institute conducted a range of research projects and consultancies on such topics as: the implications for macroeconomic variables and industries of declines in Australia’s terms of trade and of stabilisation of Australia’s foreign debt; the determinants of productivity change in Australia; statistics for the Australian automotive industry; the implications of alternative pricing policies for water; modelling for the Australian dairy industry; the economic mobility of migrants in Australian society; the economic implications of improved fuel efficiency in Australia’s truck fleet; forecasting the claims on a recently established health insurance fund: the relationship between energy usage and urban development; the cause of structural change in the Australian economy since 1970; the demand for freight rail services between Sydney and Melbourne; the economic significance to Australia of tourism; the sources of productivity growth in Australia; prospects for investment in Australia in the 1990’s; the economic impact of the multifunction polis; and, levy and claims forecasting for accident insurance.
Many consultancies used the ORANI Model which underwent a range of developments throughout the period.
1991
Peter Dixon and others left to take up appointments in the Centre of Policy Studies at Monash University.
After review in early 1991 the Institute’s Statute was repealed and the responsibility for management of the Institute devolved to the Faculty of Economics and Commerce through its Dean.
Ian Harper was appointed Acting Director.
1992
Richard Blandy was appointed as Director.
A new Advisory Board chaired by Peter Jonson was formed with wide representation from business, government, non-profit organisations and academia.
The Director and Advisory Board chose as the new research theme of the Institute ‘achieving prosperity with freedom and social cohesion in an internationalising world’.
The Director’s position was now to be styled as the Ronald F Henderson chair.
The Westpac Banking Corporation began sponsorship of the ‘Westpac-Melbourne Institute Centre for Business Cycle Analysis’, which stemmed from the existing relationship the Melbourne Institute had with Westpac through the sponsorship of the Economic Indicators and the Survey of Consumer Sentiment.
1993
Two new research units began operation a unit of the National Institute of Labour Studies (headquartered at Flinders University) and the Australian Centre for Economic Performance (a partnership of the Melbourne Institute, the National Institute of Labour Studies and the Institute for Research into International Competitiveness (Curtain University)).
The Reserve Bank of Australia supported the production of the monthly index of consumers’ inflation expectations.
A ‘Policy Forum’ section was introduced to the Australian Economic Review a collection of short non-technical contributions by noted social scientists on matters of major current policy issues. A new section ‘Neighbours’ also commenced which was devoted to economic change in overseas countries and in particular in the economies of the Asia-Pacific.
1994
The Institute was successful in an Australian Research Council Collaborative Research Grant undertaken with IBIS and the Victorian Department of Business and Employment. This research program explored the reasons why enterprises are born, grow, decay and die.
The ‘Westpac-Melbourne Institute Centre for Business Cycle Analysis’ was awarded an ARC collaborative research grant to fund research on economic cycles (to commence in 1995).
The quarterly publication showing household savings intentions commenced publication.
A new section titled ‘Data Surveys’ commenced in the Australian Economic Review.
Richard Blandy resigned as Director at the end of the year.
Ronald Henderson died; Henderson foundation established the next year.
1995
Peter Lloyd was appointed Acting Director.
Don Harding was appointed Director of the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Centre for Business Cycle Analysis following the retirement of Dr Ernst Boehm.
1996
Peter Dawkins commenced as Director.
The name was officially changed to the ‘Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research’.
In the course of 1996, the new Director along with senior staff and the Advisory Board developed a new strategic plan for the Melbourne Institute. The central theme of the research agenda would be the interrelationship between economic performance and social outcomes.
Peter Dawkins’ inaugural lecture was on “The Distribution of Work in Australia” which foreshadowed a major research agenda on the relationship between the labour market and the tax-transfer system.
1997
An ARC ‘SPIRT’ grant project commenced on ‘Tax Reform: Efficiency and Equity’ in association with CEDA and the Brotherhood of St. Laurence.
Publication and marketing of the Australian Economic Review was moved to Blackwell Publishers.
The Mercer-Melbourne Institute Quarterly Bulletin of Economic Trends was launched.
The Melbourne Institute Business Economics Forum was established.
Two major conferences were held: Business Cycles: Policy and Analysis and Unemployment in Australia: In Search of Solutions.
Research in business cycle analysis was strengthened by the appointment of Adrian Pagan for a three-year period.
1998
A new major project commenced on an ARC grant on the Performance of Australian Enterprises and profit and tax performance of large Australian enterprises.
The Innovation Scoreboard was released for the first time.
A new quarterly publication, the Melbourne Institute Wages Report was launched.
The Australian Social Monitor was launched.
Peter Dawkins was one of the five economists who wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister with suggestions about how to substantially reduce the unemployment rate.
Two major conferences were held, The Asian Crisis: Economic Analysis and Market Intelligence and Getting to Grips with the Tax Reform Debate.
1999
The Melbourne Institute began developing the Melbourne Institute Tax and Transfer Simulator (MITTS), a behavioural microsimulation model of the Australian tax and social security system.
The report The Contours of Restructuring and Downsizing in Australia was released.
The Melbourne Institute Public Economics Forum was launched in Canberra.
Three conferences were held, Policy Implications of the Ageing of Australia’s Population (jointly convened by the Productivity Commission), Forecasting and Business Cycle Analysis: Frontier Techniques, and Big Issues for Big Business which was over one and a half days and also included the launch of the book How Big Business Performs: Private Performance and Public Policy.
2000
Peter Dawkins was a member of the Welfare Reform Reference Group for the Commonwealth Government which produced the McClure Report.
The Melbourne Institute was selected to be the lead organisation responsible for the management and conduct of a major new longitudinal survey known as the survey of Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA), under Mark Wooden who had recently joined the Institute from NILS.
The Melbourne Institute was also selected as one of the preferred tenderers of the provision of social policy research to the Department of Family and Community Services for the period 2001 2004.
A two-day conference jointly hosted with the Department of Family and Community Services was held on Welfare Reform.
2001
Nineteen projects commenced under the Social Policy Research Contract with the Department of Family and Community Services.
The Productivity Commission and the Melbourne Institute convened a Roundtable on Health Policy.
The Melbourne Institute was a major contributor to the successful bid by the University of Melbourne to host the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA) sponsored by IP Australia.
2002
The first joint Economic and Social Outlook Conference with The Australian newspaper, entitled Towards Opportunity and Prosperity, was held in April and opened by the Governor General.
The first wave of the HILDA data was released.
2003
Tony Cole appointed as chair of the Advisory Board on the retirement of Peter Jonson after a decade of service.
Peter Dawkins appointed as Dean of the Faculty for one year.
First of the Biennial HILDA Survey Research Conferences held.
2004
Tony Scott appointed as a Professorial Fellow in health economics.
Guay Lim appointed as a Professorial Fellow and head of the macroeconomics team - the first female economics professor in the Faculty.
An education conference entitled ‘Making Schools Better’ was held featuring keynote addresses by Dame Patricia Collarbone (England) and Eric Hanushek (Stanford)
2005
Revenue of the Institute reached $10 million of which $8.5 million was external research income.
Peter Dawkins left the Melbourne Institute to take up the position of deputy-director of the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance.
John Freebairn appointed Director for a two-year period.
Kostas Mavromaras appointed as a Professorial Fellow and Director of the Labour Economics and Social Welfare Program.
The 150th issue of the Australian Economic Review was published.
2006
Penny Smith awarded the Chancellor’s prize for the best PhD thesis in the social sciences in the University.
Guyonne Kalb was awarded the Best Paper Prize for her jointly authored article in the Economic Record
The Manpower-Melbourne Institute Employment Report was launched.
2007
Stephen Sedgwick appointed as Director.
A team led by Tony Scott was awarded a NHMRC grant of $2.1 million over four years, the key feature of the project was a longitudinal study of doctors, with the acronym of MABEL.
Launch of the PricewaterhouseCoopers-Melbourne Institute Asialink Index.
The Australian Economic Review was included by Thomson Reuters in the Social Science Citation Index of leading journals.
The HILDA survey data was included in the cross-national equivalent file administered by Cornell University.
The IBM-Melbourne Institute Innovation Index of Australian Industry produced.
2008
Total Institute staff numbers exceeded 50.
Administrative responsibility for the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA) moved to the Melbourne Institute with Beth Webster as Director.
HILDA Survey contract extended for a further four years.
Commencement of a program of research relating to vocational education and training undertaken for the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.
2009
Stephen Sedgwick resigned to return to Canberra; Mark Wooden appointed as Acting Director.
Kostas Mavromaras resigned to take up the Directorship of NILS at Flinders University; Guyonne Kalb replaced him as head of the Labour Studies Program.
A conference was held in conjunction with the federal Treasury as part of the Henry Review of Australian tax and transfer policy.
In a return to earlier times, the Australian Economic Review began the practice of including an annual survey of the Australian economy written by the Institute’s macroeconomic team.
The R&D and Intellectual Property Scoreboard launched.
2010
Deborah Cobb-Clark appointed as Director.
Beth Webster, Head of the Industrial Economics Program, promoted to a professorial position.
2011
The Melbourne Institute was awarded a large grant from the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to fund research in the economics of education.Chris Ryan appointed as a Principal Research Fellow and Head of the new research program in the Economics of Education and Child Development.
John Haisken-DeNew appointed as Professorial Fellow and Deputy Director (Research).
Funding for the MABEL longitudinal survey of doctors was extended for a further five years.
Release 10 of the HILDA survey.
2012
The Golden Jubilee of the Melbourne Institute.