Soaring unemployment rates and economic uncertainty are hangovers from the global financial crisis that will continue to plague the word unless drastic action is taken, economists will tell a Newcastle conference this week.
Top international economic experts will descend on Newcastle tomorrow to discuss these concerns and examine alternatives to austerity measures being adopted by many nations.
The Centre of Full Employment and Equity (CofFEE) at the University of Newcastle will host the international conference The Way Forward – Austerity or Stimulus? tomorrow and Thursday.
The event incorporates the 13th Path to Full Employment conference and the 18th National Conference on Unemployment.
CofFEE Director, Professor Bill Mitchell, said the current global economic climate provided a suitable backdrop for the conference.
“With governments around the world imposing fiscal austerity with damaging repercussions for their citizens and the crisis deepening, it is time to challenge the logic of that approach,” he said.
“The conference will hear from international experts who will outline an alternative approaches to stimulating growth and reducing unemployment.”
The two-day event will cover topics including: alternatives for fiscal stimulus; the impact of the GFC on living standards in Australia; a paper showing net employment gains for the Australian economy from the carbon tax; income verses work guarantees; Labor’s historical stance on full employment and the casualisation of the workforce; and a panel discussion about the management of sovereign debt in the UK under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Key note speakers are Dr John Falzon, CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society National Council of Australia and American employment policy expert, Professor L. Randall Wray.
A full conference program can be viewed at http://e1.newcastle.edu.au/coffee
The conference will be held on 7-8 December, level 4, University House, Auckland Street, Newcastle.
For interviews: Professor Bill Mitchell on 02 4921 5027 or 0419 422 410.
Media contact: Tess Campbell, Media and Public Relations, 4921 8714
