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THIS WEEK’S MODERATOR

Dr Elroy Dearn

Posts in Policy and governance

How the Sustainable Development Goals can help change the way we evaluate Federal Budgets and election platforms

How the Sustainable Development Goals can help change the way we evaluate Federal Budgets and election platforms

Election season is on us again, and Twitter feeds and daily news updates are full of potential elected leaders making policy promises and giving warnings about how the opposing parties won’t be able to bring us the Australia we need.

But how do we know what the Australia we need is? Depending on political leaning and personal values, this is going to vary from voter to voter. But when deciding on which policies to support, it can be useful to try and have a framework by which to evaluate platforms and the societies they are wishing to create. Megan Weier suggests that, if we want an Australia in which there is a ‘fair go for all’ (the classic Australian dream), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a useful benchmark to look to.

Policy and governance, IssuesPower to Persuade18 April 2019Policy making, government, environment, international aid and development, Social Welfare

Let’s be brave about the little things

In today’s post, Professor Catherine Needham argues that low tolerance for public servants to test new ways of working is hampering meaningful change in the way government works with citizens. This post was originally published on the 21st Century Public Servant blog.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade17 April 2019accountability, government

Have your say about the future of national disability policy

Laura Davy (@LauraKDavy) from the Public Service Research Group, UNSW Canberra, summarises the findings of a review into the implementation of the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 and urges readers to contribute to the consultation process for a new national disability policy framework which will begin next month.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade28 March 2019Policy making, disability, Policy Research

View from the Hill: A truly inclusive society requires political restraint

In the aftermath of the attack in Christchurch, the behaviour of some political figures has been laudable while that of others has been appalling. In this post originally published on The Conversation, Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow at ANU, reminds us that for a society to stand together against hate, robust political leadership is required.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade21 March 2019Politics and democracy

To build trust in data, empowering consumers and citizens is key

After a string of data breaches in 2018, privacy and protecting people’s information became a hot issue which shows no signs of abating. Digital privacy made a global 2019 top ten list of technology trends and GDPR was the data privacy acronym of the year.

In the second of a four-part series, The Mandarin explores the online privacy landscape and how building and maintaining trust means empowering consumers and citizens.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade5 March 2019technology, privacy, Ethics

What can employers do to address social wellbeing?

What can employers do to address social wellbeing?

There has been a growing focus on mental health and wellbeing in the workplace in the UK. The role of employers in relation to mental health and wellbeing is becoming increasingly pronounced and the business sector is responding to shifts in both policy and public opinion. As 2019 gets underway, employers may be deciding to scale up their business model, or be making plans to remain agile in difficult and unpredictable markets. In this re-post from employee benefits, Dr Sarah-Jane Fenton and Professor Fiona Carmichael suggest that central to those strategic objectives, and not as an afterthought, needs to be a serious consideration about how to support employees’ mental health and social wellbeing.

Issues, Policy and governancePower to Persuade26 February 2019mental health, economic policy, cross-sector relationships

Financing climate action in the Pacific: Why we need to move past solutions based exclusively on views from the top

Financing climate action in the Pacific: Why we need to move past solutions based exclusively on views from the top

Effective climate change action needs a lot of money. However, in the Pacific it is not just about delivering dollars. Kirsty Anantharajah gives us three key problems with global climate financing approaches, and offers three possible pathways out.

Advocacy, Finance and economics, Policy and governancePower to Persuade22 February 2019climate change, international aid and development, finance

NDIS playing catch up on employment

NDIS playing catch up on employment

The NDIS has failed to live up to expectations in many areas, none more so than disability employment. In a blunt and honest piece, long-term disability employment advocate Jeff Thompson from LEAD tell us why jobs are so important, and three things that would lead to an employment friendly NDIS.

Advocacy, Issues, Policy and governancePower to Persuade21 February 2019disability, discrimination, NDIS, Workforce Reform

Childcare dreaming: a vision for early childhood care

Childcare dreaming: a vision for early childhood care

Childcare policy is always fraught, because so many people want it to be better, but everyone has their own ideas about what is needed. Yarrow Andrew, who worked for 15 years in long day childcare as an educator, before beginning a research career investigating early childhood education gives us some ideas about how to reform the sector.

Advocacy, Innovation, Issues, Policy and governancePower to Persuade20 February 2019Children, Workforce Reform, care work, work, education

Whatever happened to a Law and Order State election?

Sensationalising youth crimes for political gain has been a mantra for politicians. Case in point, the recently conducted elections in Victoria where politicians of all stripes ensured gang violence was an election issue. But given that it is an election year for New South Wales, the lack of political and media voice surrounding law and order is deafening. Today’s blog contributor Dr. Elaine Fishwick (@elbowlass) tackles this issue (or lack thereof) locating it in larger worldwide trends and unravelling the present ‘policy moment’ we find ourselves in. Elaine is an academic scholar researching issues relating to human rights, social justice, access to justice, criminology, youth justice and public policy.

Policy and governance, AdvocacyPower to Persuade14 February 2019young people, law and order, policy problem, policy making

Co-production and innovation - creating better solutions for future public service implementation

The Public Service Research Group at UNSW Canberra (PSRG) recently launched a timely Issues Paper on co-production and innovation by Dr Linda Dewey, Professor Deborah Blackman and Professor Helen Dickinson. The paper is the third in a series produced by PSRG offering contemporary research-based thinking about topical themes for public services and the public administration community. In today’s post, Dewey, Blackman and Dickinson call for more diverse approaches to evaluate whether co-production is either capable of, or actually delivering, anticipated innovation results.

Innovation, Issues, Policy and governancePower to Persuade10 December 2018Public Servants

What can you do when policymakers ignore your evidence? Tips from the ‘how to’ literature from the science community

In this post, Paul Cairney and colleagues distil eight recommendations for promoting the use of evidence in policy making from 78 academic articles. But what if these recommendations are not enough? It’s OK, the authors also provide five additional resources to facilitate research impact in a policy context.

Creating using evidence, Policy and governancePower to Persuade26 November 2018evidence-based policy, government, policy making

A Cooperative-led NDIS? The potential of member-run organisatations

A Cooperative-led NDIS? The potential of member-run organisatations

Gillian McFee, from the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals writes about a quiet yet noticeable revolution shaping the NDIS landscape, which may increase choice and control for NDIS participants, their families and carers. It it the rise of the member-run organisations such as co-operatives. Repost from Disability Services Consulting.

Policy and governance, Issues, InnovationPower to Persuade20 November 2018disability, social services, primary care, quality and safeguards

Trust and Governance: 5 insights from psychology

Trust and Governance: 5 insights from psychology

In an age of increasing concerns about falling trust in our government and democratic institutions, Professor Valerie Braithwaite from the ANU offers five key points about how to understand citizens’ trust in institutions through a psychological lens.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade19 November 2018Ethics, Governance, Research, tax reform, government

Two birds with one stone. How better taxing super could fund aged care

In this post, Ben Spies-Butcher explores the potential role of a levy on superannuation to fund aged care. How might this solution address key issues in aged care funding, such as generational equity and gender equity? The original post is from The Conversation.

Finance and economics, Innovation, Policy and governancePower to Persuade13 November 2018aged policy, superannuation

Before replacing a carer with a robot, we need to assess the pros and cons

Before replacing a carer with a robot, we need to assess the pros and cons

In this article, republished from the Conversation today, Associate Professor Helen Dickson from the Public Service Research Group at UNSW and Dr Catherine Smith from the University of Melbourne discuss their recent research published today by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. The authors discuss the pros and cons of automation and say that the governments need to carefully plan for the inevitable expansion of new technologies to safeguard vulnerable people.

Innovation, Issues, Policy and governancePower to Persuade9 November 2018Policy Research, innovation, Automation, health