Duncan Standon Ironmonger AM FASSA, 12 October 1931–3 September 2024

Duncan Standon Ironmonger was a key leader in transforming economic statistics so that the contribution of the household economy could be measured, compared and contrasted with that of the market economy. This was a fundamental shift in economic thinking. The centrepiece of a country's economic statistics, the UN System of National Accounts, provided the foundation to capture the non-market production of goods and services not measured by conventional national accounts. Because of this work, these accounts now recognise that the household economy is a major pillar of the ‘standard of living’, providing not only subsistence in many countries on the globe but also a high standard of living in advanced economies. Ironmonger was also an innovator in the application of time-use surveys to policy questions.

Duncan Ironmonger was born in Orange, NSW, in 1931 and died in Melbourne on 3 September 2024, aged 92. He is described as a household economist, but he started his career as a statistician and was a lifelong significant and innovative user of statistics. He was a long-term member of the Statistical Society of Australia. One of his colleagues said he never considered himself disconnected from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Prior to his starting school, Duncan's family moved to Yass to open a stock-and- station agent business. Duncan went to school locally but finished his schooling at Canberra Grammar School. At the time he commenced university studies, there was a branch of the University of Melbourne in Canberra (later to become ANU). He undertook part-time studies in economics there, supported by a Commonwealth Scholarship, and graduated with a Master of Commerce degree. He also received a scholarship to study at Cambridge University, where he was awarded a PhD in economics (on the Theory of Consumer Behaviour).

His economic and statistical career really began around 1960 in Canberra at the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics (CBCS), now the ABS, although he first started work at the CBCS, around 1950, prior to undertaking his university studies.

On his return to the ABS after finishing his PhD studies, he contributed to the creation of a new system for reporting the national accounts. This was a period of rapid development for the national accounts. At that time, only annual national accounts were published, but during the 1960s, quarterly national accounts were produced (dating back to 1958), constant price estimates were developed, and the first national input–output tables were produced.

Duncan would have contributed to all these developments, helped by his exposure to Richard Stone, the father of national accounts, while at Cambridge.

Duncan left the CBCS (now the ABS) in 1966 for the Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research (now known as the Melbourne Institute) at the University of Melbourne, where he spent 18 years. He was recruited as a Senior Research Fellow and then became a Reader in Applied Economic Research. He became Deputy Director in 1972 and ran the Institute for 5 years from 1979 to 1984. His primary research interest in the 1970s was on consumer behaviour, although he was also closely involved in econometric modelling.

One significant achievement was his development of a new quarterly journal known as the Australian Economic Review, which commenced publication in 1968. The emphasis was on applied economics with a strong policy orientation. He was the Foundation Editor, and remained so until 1975. It is now published by Wiley. A significant statistical endeavour during his time at the Institute was to organise the introduction of quarterly surveys of consumer sentiment in Australia in 1973 with sponsorship from Westpac. These came to provide important leading economic indicators and are still being run to this day.

His continuing research in macroeconomics included 32 years in econometric modelling and forecasting as Australian representative in the UN World Project LINK, and 22 years in business expectations as economic consultant to Dun & Bradstreet Australia. These roles commenced while Duncan was at the Institute. For 5 years from 1986 to 1991, he was Director of the Centre for Applied Research on the Future in the University's Faculty of Architecture and Planning, where he further developed his interest in measuring the household's contribution to the economy.

His next appointment was as Director of the Households Research Unit in the Department of Economics. Subsequently, he became an Honorary Principal Fellow and Associate Professor of the Households Research Unit. His research focus was on preparing input–output tables for the household economy and household satellite national accounts, which included household production and other unpaid work. This was in line with a revision to the System of National Accounts that encouraged the extension of the boundary of production in this way. This research involved extensive use of time-use statistics. He was a strong advocate for the ABS's time-use surveys and had a significant influence on their design.

Duncan's publications were extensive. He received many honours. In 2001, he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (ASSA). In 2013, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to economics as a researcher, author and academic.

Duncan will be remembered fondly for his optimism and vision, his passion for what he believed in and his ability to think outside the square. He was generous in providing time to help others and making them feel welcome. He had many interests including travel, sailing, gardening, tennis and the arts, especially symphony orchestras. He also had a penchant for wearing bow ties. At the time of his death, Duncan had been married to Heather for 67 years. They had three sons and one granddaughter.