Deborah is a Branch Manager at the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), leading the Culture and Empowerment Branch within the Country, Culture and Connection Group.
Since completing the prestigious Pat Turner Scholarship, Deborah has held significant positions, including Senior Manager of Policy and Strategy at the Northern Land Council and Senior Adviser to Minister Plibersek. Her passion lies in achieving long-term outcomes through impactful policy interventions. With over 20 years of experience in the Australian Public Service (APS), Deborah has sharpened her expertise in policy and strategy roles.
Deborah holds a Master of Public Policy from Charles Darwin University, a program tailored to northern contexts. This education has equipped her with a robust theoretical and practical understanding of public policy design, implementation, and evaluation, particularly in Indigenous, and northern regions.
PhD title: Migration, skills shortages and COVID-19
Cecilia joined the public service in 2011 and is a Director at the Treasury. She has worked across a range of areas, including economic forecasting, health and disability policy, and tax and transfer microsimulation modelling. Most recently, she led the team developing Treasury’s macroeconometric model of the Australian economy and the National Economy and Forecasting Unit. She assesses and advises on the economic challenges facing the Australian Government, including the economic impact of COVID-19 and its implications for the Australian economy.
Through her PhD research, Cecilia will examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigration flows and what this means for emerging skills shortages in Australia. Cecilia aims to characterise the likely skill shortages in sectors heavily reliant on migrant labour. This will inform policy by assessing the extent to which labour markets will adjust themselves or whether government intervention may be necessary.
Cecilia holds a Master’s Degree in Economics of Public Policy from Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, and a First Class Honours degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from The University of Adelaide.
Bullen, J, Conigrave, B, Elderfield, A, Karmel, C, Lucas, L, Ruberl, H, Stoney, N & Yao A 2021, ‘The Treasury Macroeconometric Model of Australia: Modelling Approach‘, Treasury Paper 2021-09, The Treasury, Canberra
The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation is a partnership between The Australian National University, Charles Darwin University and the Australian Public Service.
