Sam Gow Email & Phone Number

Melbourne, Vic, Au

Melbourne, Vic, Au

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Using economics and data to create value with public purpose organisations across Australia.Co-delivered a review of a national pregnancy and parenting support and advice service in a way that brought to life the APS reform.Utilised administrative data to estimate the economic value of a national pregnancy and parenting telehealth service in terms of consumers’ time saved and reduced costs of in-person presentations.

Melbourne, Australia

Managed a team providing advice on business taxes and gambling market design, with a strong focus on developing innovative quantitative analysis tools using R.Modernised the design and administration of gambling taxation in Victoria through the implementation of a point of consumption tax framework for wagering and keno, harmonising gaming machine tax rates and progressively bringing collection under the Taxation Administration Act. Designed an $836 million payroll tax subsidy scheme to encourage small and medium sized businesses to re-employ staff, restore staff hours and hire new staff as they recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Advice on the market design of mechanisms for awarding gambling licences more than triple the value generated for the Victorian Government compared to pre-award estimates. Co-authored research that utilised natural experiments created by Victoria’s regional payroll tax rate and the New Jobs Tax Credit to provide the first empirical evaluation of the efficacy of payroll tax rate variations and untargeted wage subsidies in Australia.

Melbourne, Australia

Led work on industry policy, including collaborating with colleagues in the macroeconomic and revenue groups to improve the evidence base for our advice through new data analysis and broader stakeholder engagement. For example, our advice on US trade policy and integrating Australian businesses into global value chains has been informed by engagement with Victorian based businesses and industry associations that I have led. Built a coalition of support across Commonwealth and State agencies for ambitious microeconomic reform of roads, which has led to a reassessment of the end-state for heavy vehicle road reform. This has included advising on the development of a modelling framework for communicating the productivity benefits of reform.

Melbourne, Australia

Led the commission's work to enable competition and encourage innovation to improve outcomes for consumers of commercial passenger vehicle services. Developed and documented data-rich models of driver, operator and industry behaviour and performance to improve the Commission's ability to monitor industry trends and assess the effects of the regulatory framework on industry performance. Developed the Commission's submissions to the Essential Services Commission's 2016 taxi fare review, which advocate for the ESC to provide commercial passenger vehicle service providers with greater fare flexibility to encourage innovation and enable competition that will improve outcomes for consumers.

Melbourne, Australia

Managed a multi-disciplinary team to deliver high-quality strategic advice, data analysis and support for the VCGLR’s performance framework.Drove reform of the VCGLR’s strategic planning and performance framework to guide staff as the commission evolved into a modern regulator. Lead the implementation of the VCGLR’s new role collecting wholesale alcohol transaction data, including developing a collection approach that responds to industry requirements to minimise regulatory burden and peer agency expectations about data quality.Provided authoritative representation to advocate in the interests of the VCGLR to improve the regulatory framework and to educate stakeholders about the VCGLR’s strategic priorities and regulatory approach.

Melbourne, Victoria

Provide policy advice and recommendations to increase participation in women's cycling and improve racing for women.

Melbourne, Australia

Project manager for the Fairer Water Bills initiative, which identified over $1 billion of efficiencies in the water sector, allowing household water bills to be reduced by up to $100 per annum. As well as preparing analysis and advice to the Minister on implementation of the initiative, I have coordinated input from key consultants and ensured central agency concerns about the initiative have been addressed throughout its implementation.Additionally, I managed a team implementing key economic reforms to improve the depth and transparency of water and water services markets, as outlined in Melbourne’s Water Future. My role focuses on coordinating analysis from technical staff, quality assurance of advice to Minister’s and senior executives and negotiating outcomes with key stakeholders. Major milestones achieved include the implementation of trials of market-based approaches to improve waterway health outcomes with Melbourne Water.Member of the management executive group coordinating priority projects and organisational effectiveness improvements across OLV.Responsible for recruitment of staff and engagement of consultants to ensure sustainable delivery of OLV’s outputs in a timely fashion and to continue to build the capacity of the Office over the medium to long-term.

Melbourne, Australia

• Managed relationships with the planning, justice and education departments — guiding them on the development of economic analysis of regulatory proposals and negotiating required improvements to analysis with public servants and consultants.• Revised the Commission’s processes to: better align our advice with our legislative and policy framework; respond to departmental demand for more instructional advice; and manage the risks of operating in a sustainable government environment.• Facilitated the development and adoption of team planning that improved our management of projects and engagement with Commissioners.• Redeveloped the cost-¬benefit module of the Commission’s training to better cater to the audiences’ needs — substantially increasing participants’ ratings of the course.• In 2012, I provided technical assistance to an Asian Development Bank project to establish an Office of Regulatory Impact Assessment in Cambodia, including:- Provided training on regulatory impact analysis for staff at the Office and pilot agencies, including managing logistics and translators for these sessions.- Developed manuals tailored to the capabilities and aspirations of the Office. The project aims toestablish a regulatory review process that improves information for decision makers through quality, but proportionate, analysis and consultation.

Canberra, Australia

- Prepared advice to the Treasurer on federal financial relations, including the GST revenue sharing arrangements and the reform of federal financial relations.- Managed the redesign of Budget Paper No.3 resulting from the reform of federal financial relations, which was widely praised for its clear overview of the framework and improved presentation of federal payments more generally.- Improved, and significantly simplified, the model for forecasting GST payments, providing the Department with the ability to provide considered and accurate quantitative advice on the impacts of policy on horizontal fiscal equalisation for the first time.- Managed the preparation and introduction of the Federal Financial Relations Bill, which implements the Government’s new framework for federal financial relations.

Nuku'Alofa Tonga

- The program places young Australians in developing countries to strengthen mutual understanding between Australia and the Asia-Pacific and make a positive contribution to development.- Contributed to the implementation of the Kingdom’s strategic policy framework by working with local counterparts to improve their policy development skills and design a forward work program of implementation tasks.- Collaborated with UN-ESCAP to facilitate the drafting of a strategic development plan for the island of ‘Eua — worked with the local community to draft a statement of their ten-year vision for the island and to identify short and medium-term strategies that will take them towards their goals.- Advised the Minister on the corporatisation of several agencies to improve public sector efficiency and address the Kingdom’s weak fiscal position.

Melbourne, Australia

Managed the preparation of economic and policy advice to DOI’s Ministers and Executive for their portfolio and Cabinet responsibilities.Authored DOI’s guideline for economic, social and environmental cost-benefit analysis and instructed on the application of the guideline to improve the quality of project appraisal and the ability of project proponents.- Critically appraised the economics of freight transport reform, including infrastructure pricing and access arrangements, in a series of papers presented to the national senior transport officials group that shaped ongoing reforms.Participated in the recruitment, supervision and mentoring of graduate recruits. In recognition of my performance, I was made manager of a small team of staff.- Seconded to the Department of Treasury and Finance for 8 months in 2003, to provide advice and analyses to the Treasurer, the Minister for Finance and executive staff on economic, fiscal and gaming policy.Monitored and advised on major sources of government revenue. Developed models and techniques that improved revenue forecasts and enabled the achievement of DTF’s performance target for forecasting.

Master Of Commerce, Economics

Completed the coursework program with a focus on microeconomic theory.

Bachelor Of Economics, Economics

Studied for a semester at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand.

Bachelor Of Economics, Economics

Recognized in Dean's List for Academic Excellence, with a distinction average.