Dr J Rob Bray
Biography
Rob Bray joined the ANU in 2010 after a long career in the Australian Public Service.
As an ANU researcher a significant part of his time has been spent undertaking commissioned research and evaluations, in addition to a range of his own research projects and providing guest lectures and seminars.
His research interests range across a wide span of social policy areas, including the interaction of social policy with the economy. This has included work on the interaction of the tax transfer system and the role of the Australian minimum wage which was also the subject of his doctoral thesis. Major projects in his commissioned research activity include evaluation of income management policies in the Northern Territory, and more recently of government changes to child care and the implications of this for early childhood education and care in Australia.
His public service career involved working as a researcher, policy analyst, advisor, program developer and administrator. His work encompassed a wider range of social policy fields including employment policies, the provision of residential care for the aged, housing and urban policy, and income support policy, including working on the 2008-09 Pension Review as part of the ‘Australia’s Future Tax System’ review. In recognition of his work, in particular with regard to the analysis of poverty in Australia, he was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2010.
Publications
- Bray, J Rob & Gray, Matthew 2024, Response to Draft Productivity Commission Report: A path to universal early childhood education and care.
- Bray, J. Rob, 2024, 'Relative income poverty: levels, trends, context and issues HILDA Wave 22'.
- Bray, J Rob 2023, Childcare in Australia: Historical trends in provision and Australian Government Funding. A Statistical compendium.
- Bray, J Rob & Gray, Matthew 2023, 'Submission - Productivity Commission Inquiry into Early Childhood Education and Care'.
- Bray, J Rob & Gray, Matthew 2023, 'Submission - The Early Years Strategy'.
- Bray, J Rob 2023, 'Background Note - OECD Estimates of relative affordability of childcare'.
- Gray, Matthew & Bray, J Rob 2023, 'Submission - Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs, Legislation Committee, Inquiry into the provisions of the Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Income Management Reform) Bill 2023'.
- Bray, J Rob & Gray, Matthew 2022, Evaluation of the 2018 changes to the Australian child care system.
- Bray, J Rob, Gray, Matthew & Nevile, Ann 2022, Quality Indicators for Employment Services. Report provided to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment..
- Bray, J Rob, Carroll, Megan, Baxter, Jennifer et al. 2021, Evaluation of the Inclusion Support Program.
- Bray, J. Rob , Baxter, J, Hand, K et al. 2021, Child Care Package Evaluation: Final Report.
- Bray, J Rob 2020, Inclusion in early childhood education and care: A literature review of best practice.
- Bray, J Rob 2020, Measuring the social impact of income management in the Northern Territory: An updated analysis.
- Bray, J Rob, Gray, M & Stanton, D 2020, 'Performance management and evaluation meets culture and politics: Australia's experience', Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration.
- Baxter, Jennifer, Bray, J Rob, Carroll, Megan et al. 2019, Child Care Package Evaluation: Early monitoring report.
- Bray, J Rob, Gray, M & 't Hart, P 2019, Evaluation and learning from failure and success: An ANZSOG research paper for the Australian Public Service Review Panel.
- Gray, Matthew & Bray, J Rob 2019, Evaluation in the Australian Public Service: current state of play, some issues and future directions.
- Bray, J Rob 2018, Overview of research to inform the Annual Wage Review 2017–18.
- Bray, J Rob 2018, The Australian Minimum Wage and the Needs of a Family.
- Bray, J Rob 2017, 'Book Review: The Seven Dwarfs and the Age of the Mandarins: Australian Government Administration in the Post-War Reconstruction Era, by Samuel Furphy', Economic Record, vol. 93, no. 301, pp. 348-350pp..
- Bray, J Rob 2016, 'Seven years of evaluating income management - what have we learnt? Placing the findings of the New Income Management in the Northern Territory evaluation in context', Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 449-468pp.
- Bray, J Rob & Gray, Matthew 2016, Ageing and Money: Public opinion on pensions, inheritance, financial wellbeing in retirement and caring for older Australians.
- Bray, J Rob 2016, 'Income Management Evaluations -- What do we know? Placing the findings of the Evaluation of New Income Management in the Northern Territory in context', CAEPR, vol. 111, pp. 1-46.
- Bray, J Rob, Gray, M, Hand, K et al 2016, 'Social Worker Assessed Vulnerable Income Management', Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 469-485 pp.
- Hand, Kelly, Katz, Ilan, Gray, Matthew and Bray, J Rob 2016, 'Welfare conditionality as a child protection tool', Family Matters, no. 97, pp. 16-29.
- Bray, J 2015, 'A living wage or a living income - Looking backwards and forwards at the Australian Minimum Wage', 29th annual conference for the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand, AIRAANZ 2015, Conference Organising Committee, Australia, p. 12.
- Bray, J. Rob, Gray, M, Hand, K et al 2015, 'Compulsory Income Management in the Northern Territory - evaluating its impact', Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 373-396.
- Bray, J Rob, Gray, M & Hand, K 2015, 'Compulsory Income Management - Evaluating Its Impact', 22nd Foundations for International Studies on Social Security International Conference, FISS 2015, Conference Organising Committee, tbc, p. 23.
- Bray, J Rob 2015, '100 years of the minimum wage and the Australian tax and transfer system: what has happened, what have we learnt and what are the challenges?', Australian Tax Forum, vol. 30, pp. 819-844.
- Bray, J Rob 2015, 'A Living Wage or a Living Income: The Role of Work and Social Security - The Case of Australia's Minimum Wage', Foundation for International Studies on Social Security FISS 2015, Intersentia, Belguim.
- Bray, J Rob 2015, 'Response to the Draft Report of the Productivity Commission Inquiry into the Workplace Relations Framework'.
- Bray, J Rob 2015, 'Submission concerning the Minimum Wage: Productivity Commission Inquiry into the Workplace Relations Framework'.
- Bray, J. Rob, 2014, 'Income Management', in Klein, Elise (Editor) Academic perspectives on The Forrest review: creating parity Topical Issue 2/2014, pp 16-18.
- Bray, J. Rob, Gray, M, Hand, K et al 2014, Evaluating New Income Management in the Northern Territory: Final Evaluation Report.
- Bray, J Rob, Gray, Matthew, Hand, Kelly et al. 2014, Evaluating New Income Management in the Northern Territory: Summary Report.
- Bray, J Rob 2014, 'Changes in inequality in Australia and the re distributional impacts of taxes and government benefits', in Andrew Podger and Dennis Trewin (ed.), Measuring and Promoting Wellbeing. How Important is Economic Growth? Essays in honour of Ian Castles AO and a selection of Castles' papers, ANU Press, Canberra, pp. 423-475.
- Biddle, Nicholas, Gray, Matthew, Bray, J Rob et al 2014, Indigenous Australians and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, ANU Press, Canberra.
- Bray, J. Rob 2014, 'Australian wage policy: Infancy and Adolescence, by Keith Hancock (University of Adelaide Press, Adelaide, 2013)', The Economic Record, vol. 90, no. 289, pp. 251-253.
- Bray, J Rob 2013, Reflections on the Evolution of the Minimum Wage in Australia: Options for the Future.
- Bray, J Rob 2013, In the Red and Going Grey? Wealth and Debt as Australians Approach Age Pension Eligibility Age and Retirement.
- Bray, J Rob 2013, Young carers in receipt of Carer Payment and Carer Allowance 2001-06: Characteristics, experiences and post-care outcomes.
- Bray, J Rob, Gray, M, Hand, K et al 2012, Evaluating New Income Management in the Northern Territory: First Evaluation Report.
- Vu, H, Gorgens, T & Bray, JR 2012, How did young people fare in the 1990s economic downturn?.
- Bray, J Rob, Chesters, Jenny & Homel, Jacqueline 2011, Financial capabilities, financial stress - resources, behaviours and wellbeing, an approach to measurement.
- Bray, J Rob 2010, 16th Series Australian Consumer Price Index Review: submission.
- Bray, J Rob 2010, 'Book Review "Interpreting Economic and Social Data: A Foundation of Descriptive Statistics, by Othmar W. Winkler'.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Quality Indicators in Employment Services (Secondary Investigator)
- Evaluation and the Australian Public Service (Secondary Investigator)
- Evaluation of the Australian Governments Child Care Package (Secondary Investigator)
- Advice on the jobactive Star Ratings Collaboration Bonus (Primary Investigator)
- Advice on methodology for effectiveness of ES2015 (Primary Investigator)
- Evaluation and Expert advice for the evaluation of Case Coordination Trial (Secondary Investigator)
- Framework to Measure Social Return on Investment into Needs-based Service Delivery Arrangements (Secondary Investigator)
- Official Order 45393458: Analysis for FaHCSIA of the SDAC CURF data regarding national disability demographics, current unmet needs and use of services, and costings (Primary Investigator)
- Design of the NIM client survey (Secondary Investigator)