Hello everyone - and thank you for the invitation to speak at the inaugural LGBTQ+ Economists and Allies in Asia-Pacific Summit. Economists are trained to respect marginal change, but this gathering feels closer to a LEAP.
I am recording this message from Canberra, a city that quietly tells an important story about modern Australia. According to the 2021 Census, 1.9 per cent of couples in the Australian Capital Territory are same-sex couples - well above the national average of 1.4 per cent. Anytime you would like to visit and check out our rainbow roundabout, you can be assured of a warm Canberra welcome.
I am also pleased that the upcoming August Census will, for the first time, include questions on sex, gender identity and sexual orientation. For statisticians, this is what progress looks like: fewer caveats and one fewer sentence beginning with 'unfortunately, we don't have data on…'. For policymakers, it means more informed decisions. Good policy begins with good measurement. When important variables appear in the data, they appear in the decisions that shape their lives.
As economists, you hardly need persuading of this point. Ours is the profession that believes if something moves, it is worth measuring - and if it stays still, it may simply require a better dataset.
Australia's National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People rests on exactly this logic. Its vision is straightforward: that LGBTIQA+ people achieve equitable health and wellbeing outcomes with access to safe, respectful, high-quality and inclusive services.
A core principle of the plan is evidence-based continuous improvement - recognising that durable progress depends on reliable data and careful evaluation. And among its key priorities is improving the collection and use of data so that policy and planning are genuinely informed by evidence rather than assumption.
This is policymaking with the lights on - and, ideally, with Stata humming.
My own interest in these questions goes back some time. Many years ago, I co-authored a Sydney Morning Herald op-ed drawing on research by Dan Black, Gary Gates, Seth Sanders and Lowell Taylor, who created a novel way to rank cities. They argued that cities with larger gay populations often signal places rich in amenities - environments where creativity and openness flourish. Economists have many ways of ranking cities, though this one has the advantage of making dinner-party conversation more lively than a discussion of hedonic pricing models. And next time you're debating Australia's best city, don't forget that Canberra has the highest share of same-sex couples of any state or territory in Australia.
LGBTIQA+ economic research has shaped our understanding of inequality in the labour market. In my book The Economics of Just About Everything, I discussed a study by Kristen Schilt and Matthew Wiswall examining earnings before and after gender transition. Holding human capital constant, they found that transgender women experienced a substantial decline in earnings after transition, while transgender men saw modest increases.
The implication is clear. Even when skills and experience remain unchanged, gender shapes economic outcomes.
For economists, this offers a reminder that markets operate within social institutions. Norms matter, expectations matter, discrimination matters. Without good data, these forces remain harder to identify and harder to address.
That is why the forthcoming Census carries such significance. Better measurement will give researchers and policymakers a clearer picture of Australia - enabling decisions grounded in evidence rather than conjecture. Put simply, evidence-based policy begins with evidence.
This commitment to evidence carries particular weight in an era when misinformation spreads quickly and public debate can drift away from verifiable facts. Good data will not eliminate disagreement. Economists demonstrate that daily. Yet it provides a shared starting point for serious analysis and thoughtful policy.
The LEAP Summit embodies that same spirit. By bringing together researchers, policymakers and community leaders from across the Asia-Pacific, you are strengthening the intellectual foundations that inclusive societies rely upon. The program reflects an admirable breadth - from frontier economic research on sexual orientation and gender identity, to practical conversations about what communities most need from researchers, to multidisciplinary discussions on how institutions respond when inclusion is tested. My particular thanks to the LEAP Executive Team - Karinna Saxby, Patrick Devahastin, Jan Kabatek, Victor Sojo Monzon, Andrew Clarke and Ellie Peppa - for designing a gathering that connects rigorous scholarship with real-world impact.
Economic research plays a distinctive role here. Across these sessions runs a shared commitment to understanding inequality with greater precision: improving data, refining methods and asking better questions about how workplaces, health systems and social institutions shape opportunity. The focus on early-career scholars and mentoring is especially encouraging, since the strength of any research field depends on the generation that follows. Just as importantly, the presence of community advocates alongside empirical researchers signals a healthy discipline - one that listens as well as measures, and that recognises the people behind the numbers.
The Asia-Pacific is extraordinarily diverse, with countries at very different stages in recognising and supporting LGBTQ+ communities. That diversity is mirrored in a conference that spans disciplines, geographies and career stages, creating the conditions for ideas to circulate more freely. Collaboration across borders therefore becomes both useful and necessary. When evidence travels, progress often travels with it - sometimes even faster than a referee report.
Let me close with a simple proposition. Better data leads to better understanding. Better understanding leads to better policy. Better policy leads to better lives.
Australia's journey toward equality has taken many forms. Mardi Gras helped expand visibility. Anti-discrimination protections strengthened fairness. Marriage equality affirmed dignity. Initiatives such as LEAP now help ensure that progress is guided by evidence - and that the circle of opportunity continues to widen.
Thank you for the work you are doing to advance knowledge, inform debate and help build a region in which people are seen, counted, and given the chance to thrive.
I wish you a successful - and history-making - inaugural LEAP Summit.
