Tom is Torch’s Economics Lead. He is a strategic economic advisor with nearly a decade of experience across the ‘Big 4’ consultancies, striving to deliver sharp insights and pragmatic solutions that drive real value.

Tom’s expertise in applied economics spans a diverse array of sectors, including transport, infrastructure, ports, resources, education and sport, with a recent focus on steering transformative transport and infrastructure initiatives across Australia. His expertise covers economic analysis, impact and contribution modelling, demand and supply analysis, bespoke forecasting, cost-benefit analysis, and business case development.

Experience highlights

• Led demand analysis and economic appraisals for nationally significant road and rail infrastructure projects, aligning with Infrastructure Australia’s guidelines, contemporary transport literature, and various State and Territory assessment frameworks.
• Produced detailed trade forecasts for Australia’s largest ports – Port of Melbourne, Port Botany, Port Kembla, Port of Newcastle and Port of Brisbane. This required significant expertise in the area of port development, trade flow by catchment analysis, port valuation techniques and econometric-based forecast models.
• Designed and assisted with the implementation of a freight funding package designed to provide cost relief to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the Northern Peninsula, Torres Strait and Gulf region, and the South West Queensland region. Tom conducted over 40 consultations across these regions with transport operators, local government area representatives, regional bodies, retail stores, State government departments, and federal agencies.
• Worked closely with the Murray Darling Basin Authority, conducting a regional socioeconomic analysis of various communities within the Southern Basin. Tom developed a series of region-specific econometric models after extensive consultation with stakeholders in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. This work is related to the development of a community model in the Southern Basin to assess the effects of water recovery for the environment on local economies.
• Delivered an economic analysis of the Australian sports industry to inform the Commonwealth’s Sports Industry Growth Plan. Closely examined the Australian National Accounts and, drawing on methodologies adopted by international statistical agencies, modified the Australian Input-Output tables to produce a unique Australian sports industry satellite account.