I warmly welcome you to the inaugural issue of Short Supply, a publication of the Economics Student Society of Australia (ESSA). Short Supply aims to be a vehicle for economic debate and to advance economic literacy among all university students, regardless of academic background. Economics is, after all, ubiquitous in our lives.

This issue—themed ‘Australia’s economy: then and now’—sheds light on the path taken by Australia’s economy thus far and some lessons we can glean from that path. Authors consider contemporary economic matters including: ironing out inefficiencies in the manufacturing industry; weaning Australia off its mining industry; benefits of international trade under the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership; the increased market concentration in the beer-brewing industry; and issues with the business model adopted by the likes of Uber and Airbnb.

Of course, publishing a magazine is a team effort. I sincerely thank Marion, our graphic designer, for working to a demanding timeline; our committee members for their unreserved support in editing, publicising, and securing funds for, this magazine; and our sponsors for their patronage. Equally, I thank our contributors for putting their thoughts to paper to share with us all. If you too would like to share your own thoughts, we are always open to new contributors; specifics can be found on the inside of the back cover.

Oscar Han

Director of Publications (Monash) 2015