Monash University experts are available to discuss the key areas of the Federal budget being handed down on Tuesday 12 May 2026.
Available to comment:
DEFENCE
Professor Yiannis Ventikos, Dean, Faculty of Engineering
Contact: + 61 408 508 454 or [email protected]
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Building the skilled workforce to support Australia’s sovereign capabilities
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What is needed from the budget to support innovation and research
Comments attributable to Professor Ventikos:
"As the federal budget approaches, the National Defence Strategy sets a clear direction around greater self-reliance. The opportunity now is to support a comprehensive ecosystem that brings together the research and development needed to integrate critical technologies for sovereign capability, alongside the training required to address the significant skills and workforce gaps in engineering. Universities play a central role in delivering both."
ECONOMICS
Dr Isaac Gross, Department of Economics, Monash Business School
Contact: +61 490 819 643 or [email protected]
Read more of Dr Gross’s commentary at Monash Lens
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Inflation
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Interest rate increases
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Macro economic impact of the budget
Dr Tamara Wilkinson, Faculty of Law
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
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Tax reform
POLITICS
Associate Professor Zareh Ghazarian, Head of Politics and International Relations, Monash School of Social Sciences
Contact: +61 402 851 224 or [email protected]
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The political implications of the budget for the government and opposition
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What the budget means for the Victorian state election
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How the budget will impact One Nation's election campaign
HEALTH
Professor Anthony Scott, Director of the Centre for Health Economics, Monash Business School
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
Read more of Associate Professor Scott’s commentary at Monash Lens
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Health economics
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Health care labour markets
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Financial incentives
HOUSING
Associate Professor Duncan Maxwell, Monash Art, Design and Architecture Faculty, and Director of the Future Building Initiative
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
Read more of Associate Professor Maxwell’s commentary at Monash Lens
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New reforms in the National Construction Code
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Building homes quicker
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Productivity in the construction industry
Dr Gill Armstrong, Buildings Program Impact Manager at Monash University's Climateworks Centre
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
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Home energy efficiency and cost of living
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Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI)
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Electrification incentives including home batteries
ENERGY/ ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Professor Aamir Cheema, Head of Department of Software Systems and Cybersecurity, Faculty of Information Technology
Contact via: +61 450 501 248 or [email protected]
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Technical aspects of EV adoption
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What we need for the safe and rapid uptake of EVs in Australia
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Support needed for EV charging infrastructure
Helen Rowe, Transport Lead at Monash University's Climateworks Centre
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
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Fuel crisis and transport decarbonisation, including EV transition, electric trucks, public transport, walking, cycling and freight on rail
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Transport infrastructure
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Road user pricing
LAW
Professor Joel Townsend, Director of Monash Law Clinics, Faculty of Law
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
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Legal assistance funding
COST OF LIVING
Ms Emily Singh, Law Academic, Faculty of Law
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
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Cost of living relief
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Tax
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Social security and family assistance payments
Professor Yolande Strengers, Research Director, Monash Energy Institute, Faculty of Information Technology
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
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Cost of living
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Energy
PRODUCTIVITY
Professor Dana Kulić, Director of Monash Robotics
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
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How AI and robotics can reshape productivity across Australian industries
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Human-robot interaction
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Humanoid robotics
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Human motion analysis and mechatronics
Comments attributable to Professor Kulić:
“Productivity has become a focus of this Federal Budget, yet despite Australia’s National Robotics Strategy recognising robotics and AI as critical to economic growth, they are still not being treated as core economic infrastructure.
“Internationally, robotics is seen as a strategic capability underpinning productivity gains across sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure. Australia risks falling behind if investment and policy settings don’t keep pace.
“One of the key gaps is in translating robotics into real-world use. While the underlying technology is advancing rapidly, deploying robots in complex environments, such as hospital wards or construction sites, remains difficult because systems need to operate safely and reliably alongside people, under changing conditions.
“In Australia, this challenge is amplified by the structure of the economy. Most companies are small and medium-sized enterprises, which typically don’t have the capital or in-house expertise to deploy and manage complex robotic systems.
“That means robotics strategies that work internationally in large companies don’t translate directly to the Australian context. If productivity is the goal, policy needs to support approaches that lower the barriers to adoption for companies, making robotic systems easier to integrate, adapt, manage and use without requiring specialised robotics expertise.”
CLIMATE
Alex Veale, Industry Lead at Monash University's Climateworks Centre
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
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Future Made in Australia
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Industrial decarbonisation
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Net Zero Industrial Precincts and regional development
Kylie Turner, Sustainable Economies Lead at Monash University's Climateworks Centre
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
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Economic and emissions impact of middle east conflict
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Emission reduction policies
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Renewable energy planning and pipeline
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Balancing supply and demand in the energy system
For more experts, news, opinion and analysis, visit Monash News.
For any other topics on which you may be seeking expert comment, contact the Monash University Media Unit on +61 3 9903 4840 or [email protected]
