As anyone with a stake in social policy change knows well, the media can play a big role in generating the ‘power to persuade’ – making the case for change in a way that moves the public, policy makers, and politicians.
Read MoreThe “business as usual” lobbies are co-ordinated, cashed up and have a highly sophisticated mechanism to spring into action whenever a whiff of reform is in the air, writes Emeritus Professor Robert Douglas from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at Australian National University in this piece from The Conversation.
Looking at "kitchen table" initiatives from the past and present, he asks whether Australia needs a new non-government structure to coordinate debate and act on a range of pressing issues in the public interest.
Read MoreThis innovative advocacy project, documented here by one of the project initiators Denis Nelthorpe of Footscray Community Legal Centre, demonstrates how strategic and collective organization of individual casework can bring about systemic change in the culture of corporate institutions and lay the groundwork for regulatory reforms.
Read MoreThe Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) provides a critical evidence base and statistical analysis of the Australian population, helping to develop policy and strategies for the state and federal governments. In the recent budget, AIHW was ear-marked for merger into a new super agency the 'Health Productivity and Performance Commission' (along with Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, Independent Hospitals Pricing Authority, National Health Funding Body, National Health Funding Pool Administrator and National Health Performance Authority). While details are scant, the absence of 'welfare' from the title of this governing body and inclusion of 'productivity' is ominous.
Read MoreDavid Hayward from RMIT University answers some questions about how to influence policy, the use of research, and the importance of understanding the process.
Read MoreThe role of the academic humanist has always been a public one – however mediated through teaching and publication, argues Tim Hitchcock. As a central means to participate in public conversations, Twitter and blogging just make good academic sense. Hitchcock looks at how these new platforms are facilitating academic collaboration, teaching and public engagement. What starts as a blog, ends as an academic output, and an output with a ready-made audience, eager to cite it.
Read MoreOne of the tasks we set ourselves at PTP was articulating the value each of us sees, from our own sectoral vantage points, of creating a space to talk about policy processes. Today, Dr Kathy Landvogt shares her views on working on process (not just issue or topic) and how PTP has extended the work of her team, while strengthening their original mandate.
Read MoreGeoff Aigner is the director of Social Leadership Australia (@leadership_SLA). As part of the Benevolent Society Social Leadership Australia draws on best practice leadership thinking and techniques with social insights. You can check out their highly regarded leadership program here.
Read MoreResearchers often bemoan the beatups in the media about their work, yet a recent UK study shows that many university press releases exaggerate or hype research findings or made them more determinist. UK scientist and blogger Alasdair Taylor looks at the risks of "churnalism" and asks in the wake of a recent conference: can scientists themselves offer the needed reflection on their research that an investigative journalist might do?
Read MoreJulia Unwin, CEO of the United Kingdom's Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) visited Australia in May 2014 as a guest of the Reichstein Foundation. For the trip, she released a discussion paper on Poverty inequality and a modern social contract relevant for a changing world. We thank her for permission to publish this excerpt from the paper, titled: Achieving social change.
Read MoreIn this legal perspective on the proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act, Rik Sutherland from St Vincent de Paul deconstructs the arguments on both sides and suggests a way to move beyond entrenched positions.
Read MoreA Q&A with Gavin Dufty (@gavindufty), Manager of Policy and Research at the St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria on achieving social change.
Read MoreMoral and ethical arguments sit at the core of public policy. Politics and policymaking is, after all, a contest over ideas and world views.
The evidence-based policy paradigm has encouraged academics and, to a lesser extent, advocates to disengage from the moral dimensions of the arguments they make. But, by disengaging we sidestep the very ground upon which policy arguments are fought and won.
Below, Associate Professor Brent Sasley and Associate Professor Mira Sucharov reflect on the opportunities presented when we combine evidence with a moral stance through social media:
Read MoreIn an increasingly competitive environment, collaboration in the community sector is seen as a way of overcoming some of the challenges involved in market-based approaches. It enables organisations to share risks, gain efficiencies and combine efforts to strengthen the organisations themselves, and improve outcomes for service users.
However, there is a risk of 'mission drift' - that is; in attempts to strengthen our organisations position and secure funding, we drift from the central reasons our organisations exist. This is a real tension that community sector organisations must hold if they are to exist in this new environment. In this post, I reflect on these challenges and pose questions about what these approaches can mean for mission and social justice.
Read MoreWe've seen widespread criticism of the budget (some of it on this blog!), particularly around cuts to social policy and the (potential) removal of the safety net. While critique is important, Prof. Paul Smyth from the University of Melbourne draws our attention to the lack of feasible alternatives put forth in post-budget commentary. In particular, Paul urges us to think wider than individual social policies to begin to (re)image what the Australian welfare state should look like for this century.
Read MorePrevious blog posts have reflected on the severity of the Federal Budget cuts. One of the groups that will be disproportionately impacted is single mothers and their children, with cuts to payments as well as other supports.
In this post*, Tenar Dwyer from the Council for Single Mothers and their Children responds to the budget from her organisations perspective.
Read MoreIt is vital that men be involved and work with women's organisations to end violence against women. It is important, however, that in doing so they recognise the importance of not 'colonising' this space.
This blog post, by Rodney Vlais from No To Violence, discusses the importance of working in a truly collaborative way to end violence against women.
Read MoreIt's been a long week for many working in the public policy space. But as the dust slowly settles on the Federal budget, it is worthwhile reflecting on the capacity for good policy process. In this policy Q & A, Shorna Moore (Senior Policy Lawyer, Wyndham Legal Service) writes about what it takes to gain traction and create change when advocating to governmen
Read MoreIn part two of our budget wrap-up, the CEO of VCOSS and the team at Good Shepherd Social Policy and Research Unit sum up the key societal costs and implications of the Federal budget:
Out of balance: Tanya Corrie, Kathy Landvogt, Susan Maury and Denis Sheehan, Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service
Read MoreYoung people leaving state care are one of the most vulnerable groups in Australia. We know that care leavers frequently transition from out of home care with few of the financial, emotional and social supports they need. Many face significant challenges in accessing housing and jobs, and pursuing educational opportunities.
Following recent out-of-home care policy reforms, such as the Victorian Government Five Year Plan, it is timely to consider this often overlooked aspect of our care systems. Reflecting on more than 15 years of research, Associate Professor Philip Mendes (Director of the Social Inclusion and Social Policy Research Unit (SISPRU) at Monash University) writes about the challenges and signs of change for leaving care policy in Australia:
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