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Rachel Ong ViforJ

Professor of Economics, School of Economics, Finance and Property, Curtin University
Rachel Ong ViforJ is Professor of Economics at the School of Economics and Finance, Curtin University.

Rachel’s research addresses a range of important housing policy issues, including housing affordability dynamics, housing pathways in the new millennium, housing wealth as an asset base for welfare, intergenerational housing concerns, and the links between housing and the economy. She has long-standing expertise in the evaluation of housing tax-transfer reforms.

Rachel also has an established research record in the area of population ageing and has conducted extensive research into the role of home ownership within the retirement incomes system, employment decisions of older workers, and workforce vulnerabilities in mid-to-late life.

Rachel has been appointed to several expert panels including the National Economic Panel. She is a Member of the Steering Committee of the Asia-Pacific Network for Housing Research. She is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Economic Papers, one of two journals published by the Economic Society of Australia which features high-quality research in applied economics and economic policy analysis.

Young homeowners are more likely to use their home as an ‘ATM’ than their Boomer parents. Here’s why

Sep 19, 2024 01:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

For many Australians, the family home is their largest financial asset. With an increasing variety of ways to tap into home equity, the temptation to access this wealth is ever growing. Homeowners increase the debt owed...

Our housing system is broken and the poorest Australians are being hardest hit

Apr 25, 2024 06:06 am UTC| Insights & Views Real Estate

Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this weeks Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like never before. In fact, if you...

$1 billion per year (or less) could halve rental housing stress

Nov 02, 2020 09:14 am UTC| Real Estate

COVID has shown us whats possible when it comes to alleviating poverty. For six months JobSeeker payments were doubled and then maintained at a level 50% above normal. When the bonus finishes at year end it is likely...

When falling home ownership and ageing baby boomers collide

Sep 25, 2018 10:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Real Estate

Until now, the majority of older people in Australia have achieved the goal of owning their own home outright. Hence, policymakers have typically shown little concern about the size and budget costs of rental housing...

Economy

Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes

Asian currencies traded in a narrow range on Friday as the U.S. dollar rebounded modestly from a near four-year low, following comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would announce his nominee for the next...

Canada’s Trade Deficit Jumps in November as Exports Slide and Firms Diversify Away From U.S.

Canada recorded a sharp increase in its monthly international trade deficit in November as merchandise exports fell significantly, highlighting ongoing challenges tied to trade diversification and U.S. tariff uncertainty....

U.S. Eases Venezuela Oil Sanctions to Boost American Investment After Maduro Ouster

The Trump administration has eased select sanctions on Venezuelas oil industry, signaling a major policy shift aimed at encouraging U.S. investment following the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro earlier this...

Oil Prices Surge Toward Biggest Monthly Gains in Years Amid Middle East Tensions

Oil prices are heading for their largest monthly gains in years as escalating Middle East tensions fuel concerns over potential supply disruptions, particularly involving Iran, one of the worlds largest OPEC producers....

Indonesia Stocks Face Fragile Sentiment After MSCI Warning and Market Rout

Indonesia stocks are set for a cautious start as investor sentiment remains fragile following a sharp market selloff triggered by concerns raised by MSCI. The Jakarta Composite Index suffered its steepest two-day decline...

Politics

Panama Supreme Court Voids CK Hutchison Port Concessions, Raising Geopolitical and Trade Concerns

Panamas Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional the port concession contracts held by Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings (HK:0001), effectively voiding its rights to operate two of...

Trump Threatens Aircraft Tariffs as U.S.-Canada Jet Certification Dispute Escalates

U.S. President Donald Trump has intensified trade tensions with Canada by announcing the decertification of Bombardier Global Express business jets and threatening steep new tariffs on Canadian-made aircraft. In a...

Trump Warns UK and Canada Against Deepening Business Ties With China

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to the United Kingdom and Canada over expanding business cooperation with China, describing such moves as very dangerous during a recent public appearance. His...

Faith Leaders Arrested on Capitol Hill During Protest Against Trump Immigration Policies and ICE Funding

Dozens of faith leaders were arrested on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., after staging a protest against President Donald Trumps immigration policies and calling for funding restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs...

Democrats Question Intelligence Chief’s Role in FBI Georgia Election Raid

Top Democrats on the U.S. Senate and House intelligence committees are demanding answers after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present during a recent FBI raid on an election facility in Georgia, an...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Apple Faces Margin Pressure as Memory Chip Prices Surge Amid AI Boom

Apple is beginning to feel the strain from rapidly rising memory chip prices, a challenge that is expected to intensify in the current quarter as the global semiconductor market pivots toward artificial intelligence...

Apple Earnings Beat Expectations as iPhone Sales Surge to Four-Year High

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) delivered a strong fiscal first-quarter 2026 earnings report, comfortably beating Wall Street expectations on both profit and revenue, driven by its strongest iPhone sales growth in more than four...

OpenAI Reportedly Eyes Late-2026 IPO Amid Rising Competition and Massive Funding Needs

OpenAI is reportedly accelerating preparations for a potential initial public offering (IPO), with plans to go public by the fourth quarter of 2026, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the...

Sandisk Stock Soars After Blowout Earnings and AI-Driven Outlook

Sandisk shares surged more than 15% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the data storage and memory solutions company delivered a fiscal second-quarter earnings report that significantly exceeded Wall Street...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Explores Merger Options With Tesla or xAI, Reports Say

Elon Musks SpaceX is reportedly exploring potential merger and consolidation options with Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) or artificial intelligence startup xAI, according to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the...