HSIE Industry Partnerships in Economics

The HSIE Department is committed to connecting classroom learning with real‑world experiences to deepen students’ understanding and application of economic concepts. As part of this commitment, on Thursday 26 February Year 11 and 12 Economics students had the opportunity to be addressed by Dr Jonathan Kearns, Chief Economist at a multinational financial company. Dr Kearns previously spent more than two decades at the Reserve Bank of Australia, where he led several key departments. Dr Kearns shared contemporary insights into inflation, economic growth, unemployment and interest rate trends and projections. Engaging with industry professionals provides students with valuable perspectives on how Economic Theory from the classroom operates in practice, strengthening curriculum understanding, enhancing engagement, and supporting higher‑quality examination responses. The Santa Sabina HSIE Department sincerely thanks Dr Kearns for generously sharing his time, expertise, and insights with our students.

Brigida Zagora
Head of HSIE (Humanities and Social Sciences)

Student reflections:

Our incursion hosted by Dr Kearns, a former economist at the RBA and currently an economist for Challenger, was an incredibly engaging experience, rich with lots of economic insight and information. Dr Kearns presented to us on pressing economic issues, explained and analysed trends in the Australian economy, and gave us useful context for our economic studies. It was invaluable to hear from such an experienced and informative presenter, and it reminded us of the importance of engaging with economics in our everyday lives.
Emily Wong
Year 12

It was especially interesting to hear how events like COVID-19 affected inflation and how the Reserve Bank responds through Monetary Policy. Finally, we also learned how Economics applies to real life and what jobs you can pursue in this specific field, resulting in heightening my interest in pathways that are connected to economics. Overall, the guest speaker helped me better understand how Economics works in the real world and why it is important to study.
Audrey Lowe
Year 11

It was interesting to realise that economic decisions made by businesses and governments can affect the wider economy, everyday consumers and inflation. Hearing a real world perspective from Dr Kearns helped me better understand how Economics applies outside the classroom.
Chloe Boustani
Year 11

From Dr Kearn’s presentation, I gained a deeper understanding of how key components of the Australian economy, such as inflation and interest rates, influence the spending and employment decisions of individuals, businesses,  Australia’s overall economic growth and international competitiveness. The presentation was valuable because it connected Macroeconomic Theory with the real impacts of economic conditions on people’s daily lives. It helped me recognise that the economy is not merely a set of statistics, but a dynamic reflection of the ongoing development of countries.
Carol Wang
Year 11