STEPHANIE PARSONS

Economist: Reserve Bank of Australia

Whether you realise it or not, the economy impacts everyone.

Most people know that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is responsible for setting the official cash rate in Australia, mainly because interest rates are so often in the news. But many people don’t realise that the RBA has other responsibilities. For example, we have people working to maintain a strong and stable financial system, promote payments system efficiency, provide banking services to the government and produce Australia’s banknotes.

I currently work in the area that is responsible for producing Australia’s banknotes. I’d love to say that I make the money – but my team’s role is actually to provide analytical insights to ensure that the RBA’s policies for managing the nation’s banknotes are effective.

Like many economists, I stumbled upon economics when I was at university. Thankfully it was very early in my undergraduate studies and I was able to change. But I could have just as easily gone down a very different path. You never really know where you might end up so it’s always good to keep your options open and go to your economics lectures.