Trampolines not traps: Listening to single mothers about what needs to change

Low-income single mothers continue to be caught in the binds of poverty and insecurity, with limited choices and opportunities. Despite some policy changes, including a temporary increase in social security payments and suspension of mutual obligation requirements, the underlying infrastructure of inequality remains. In today’s analysis, Dina Bowman (@Dina_Bowman) and Seuwandi Wickramasinghe, both of the Brotherhood of St Laurence (@BrotherhoodInfo), share a summary of their recently-published report Trampolines not traps: Enabling economic security for single mothers and their children.

Identifying COVID-19 Vulnerabilities: Beyond the Economy

The Covid-19 second wave in Victoria has once again highlighted the economic impacts of the pandemic, however it is important to remember that the economy is inextricably linked to health and social outcomes. While the Federal and State/Territory Governments have instituted a raft of policy measures to address some of the economic impacts, are these responses enough to also address the wider social and health effects of the pandemic? In todays blog post Dr Megan Weier and Isabella Saunders from the Centre for Social Impact examine the policy responses from both federal and state/territory governments to see where vulnerabilities might lie that could worsen the impacts of the pandemic.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade21 September 2020Policy making, policy problem, COVID-19

Who suffers most from Melbourne’s extended lockdown? Hint: they are not necessarily particularly vocal

Who suffers the most from the extended Melbourne lockdown?

Policy and governancePower to Persuade18 September 2020COVID-19

Reducing gender inequality and boosting the economy: Fiscal policy after COVID-19

Australia is facing an unprecedented economic shock. Thus far, much of the targeted stimulus spending has been concentrated in male-dominated industries. In today’s analysis, Elizabeth Hill of University of Sydney (@USydneyEcon) provides evidence for encouraging women’s workforce participation through investing in social infrastructure and subsidising early childhood education and care. This analysis was originally published as part of a series on Labour Market Policy after COVID-19 produced by CEDA (@ceda_news); you can read it in its original form here.

SCALING UP EFFORTS TO TACKLE MALE SELF-HARM

In today’s post, Andrew Trounson from the University of Melbourne discusses suicide prevention among males. Drawing on the research of Jane Pirkis and Zac Seidler, Trunson argues that the stresses related to COVID-19 will likely increase the risk of suicide among males. As such, more attention needs to paid to services that are tailored to the needs of men and boys. Although males are traditionally seen as reluctant to seek help , 60% of people who had taken their own lives had sought help in the previous 12 months, according to Dr Seidler. Masculinity is complicated, therefore initiatives designed to help men and boys need to be nuanced (and wide-spread) rather than based on stereotypes.

IssuesPower to Persuade10 September 2020mental health

The ‘Herstory’ of superannuation: Uncovering the discriminatory traps that disadvantage women

With so many Australians accessing their superannuation accounts early in response to the current economic downturn, there is more attention than ever at how the retirement scheme fails to provide adequate retirement savings for women. A new report - The Herstory of Super by Emma Dawson (@DawsonEJ) and Simone Casey (@SimoneCasey) of Per Capita (@PerCapita) – provides the historic context needed to understand why the system is failing women, and provides recommendations for sustainably supporting women into their old age.

Dear Senators: For many of us the pandemic is a blessing

In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Federal government has provided a temporary $550 supplement to many income support payments. These are due to be reduced on 24 September. For many families who have been reliant on income support, this effective doubling of payments has meant a more stable and healthy life. In today’s important analysis, we republish a lightly-edited letter to Senator Marise Payne, Minister for Women, and Senator Anne Ruston, Minister for Families and Social Services, authored by Terese Edwards (@Terese_NCSMC) of the National Council for Single Mothers and their Children, and Casandra Goldie (@CassandraGoldie), CEO of ACOSS (@ACOSS). The letter puts forward the case for making the supplement permanent because it assists women to leave domestic and family violence, and is interspersed with testimonies from women about the impact of the supplement on the family. This letter has been endorsed by several agencies.

Reimagining child care for an effective, equitable and resilient economic recovery

During the economic slow-down during the pandemic, the childhood education and care (ECEC) sector has been at the receiving end of highly uneven policy approaches, making it difficult to understand how the sector will remain viable and ready to ‘snap back.’ In today’s analysis, Romy Listo (@RomyListo) and Helen Dalley-Fisher, both of Equality Rights Alliance (@ERAAustralia), summarise ERA’s policy position paper on reimagining childcare.

Womens Policy Action TankWomen's Policy Action Tank1 September 2020Children, Workforce Reform, employment, education, COVID-19

Productivity – not the most important ingredient in human services

The Productivity Commission’s 2018 report on the community sector reported that productivity failings within the sector were failing people experiencing hardship. In today’s post, David Tennant of Family Care suggests that this conclusion should be revisited in light of the policy changes instituted in response to COVID-19.

Getting serious about holistic recovery requires gender-responsive budgeting

In a year full of surprises, the delay of the national budget is but a blip on the screen. As pre-submissions to the budget close this week, Policy Whisperer Susan Maury (@SusanMaury) and Jeremy Levine (@_JeremyLevine), both of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, analyse how integrating a process of gender-responsive budgeting could enable Australia’s state and federal governments to identify and address some of the many social and economic hits that COVID-19 has unleashed. This analysis draws on their testimony to the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into Gender Responsive Budgeting. A copy of the tabled document and full transcript is available here.

The kids are not all right: Young women and the impacts of COVID-19

Young women have borne more than their share of the hardship created by COVID-19 and the government response. Young women are more likely to be in precarious employment which was not covered by JobKeeper, for example, and are also more likely to be studying, which has not had an adequate federal response to address hardship. Young women are also the group most likely to become infected by COVID-19, and while the reasons why are unclear, it could be because young women are disproportionately exposed to the virus through their work environment – including in such sectors as health care, care work, education and public-facing employment in cafes and restaurants. In today’s analysis, Brianna Delahunty and Emma Riseley, of the Equality Rights Alliance Young Women’s Advisory Group (@ERAAustralia) and supported by the National Foundation for Australian Women Social Policy Committee (@NFAWomen), provide an analysis of how young women are being left out of critically-needed policy responses.

Multiple Jeopardy: COVID-19 and Indigenous LGBTIQ+ Lives

Strong leadership has been key in the successful COVID-19 response by Australia’s Indigenous communities – for Indigenous LGBTIQ+ communities to thrive, leadership requires more nuance. In this blog post, Péta Phelan calls for a more nuanced understanding and leadership from government, Indigenous health organisations and health professionals.

Issues, AdvocacyPower to Persuade18 August 2020LGBTIQ+ issues, indigenous issues, health

Will it ever end? Holding out for the ‘other side’

Power to Persuade14 August 2020

Where were the pre-mortems for Covid-19?

As we continue to adjust and respond to the COVID-19 crisis, it can often feel like policy responses are buffeted by what the most pressing concerns are at the time; they are made reactively rather than proactively. In this post, Dr Andrew Joyce and Celia Green offer a new way of thinking about how it is that we go about investigating better ways of doing decision making in times of crisis.

Power to Persuade12 August 2020

Teacher well-being and Covid-19

Teachers play an important and influential role in the lives of their students, and in many cases, their families, and the community. Their duties and responsibilities extend far beyond meeting learning outcomes, to caring for the social and emotional needs of their students. But who’s looking out for our teachers? The health and safety of teachers and their families must be a priority during the Covid-19 pandemic as they try and balance the different demands at work and home. In this blog post Dr Meera Varadharajan explores the importance of recognition, acknowledgement and support for teachers in the time of Covid-19.

Advocacy, IssuesPower to Persuade6 August 2020education, teachers, COVID-19, mental health

Opinion: aged care crisis shows a disaster waiting in workplace ‘flexibility’

The second spike of Covid-19 in Victoria which has resulted in a large number of outbreaks in aged care homes is shining a light on the policies and practices of how governments and the private sector manage aged care. In this blog post Bernard Keene discusses challenges within the aged care sector such as casualisation of the workforce that require immediate attention in the wake of the corona virus crisis.

Issues, Policy and governancePower to Persuade6 August 2020Aged policy, COVID-19, government, Policy making

As ‘lockdown fatigue’ sets in, the toll on mental health will require an urgent response

As Victoria enters a period of even stricter stage 4 restrictions to combat the spread of Covid-19 , there is increasing concern for peoples’ mental health. In todays blog piece Professor Ian Hickie discusses who is most at risk of being harmed by the longer and more restrictive lockdown and what policy responses are needed from government that will deliver the most benefit.

Issues, Policy and governancePower to Persuade4 August 2020COVID-19, Policy making, mental health

The NDIA and Victorian Government must prioritise people with disability so they do not suffer in Stage 4 lockdowns

As Victoria enters the unprecedented time of Stage 4 lockdown and a state of disaster is declared in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, disability advocates and academics have come together to highlight the vital importance of state and federal Governments working together to eliminate critical gaps for people with disability.

The situation in aged care homes has already shown a lack of joined up planning and responses can result in preventable harms and risks. In the media release below advocates from the disability sector identify the key areas of concern for people with disability and the urgent need for the NDIA and Victorian Government to implement a plan to ensure people with disability do not suffer through the stage 4 lockdown.

Advocacy, Policy and governancePower to Persuade3 August 2020Disability, NDIS, Policy making

Can a leopard change its spots? behavioural drivers and the jobactive system

The big question about jobactive now, is whether this cashed-up system will actually help people find jobs other than in those contingent jobs that are proving to be problematic for COVID transmission.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade31 July 2020employment, COVID-19, welfare-to-work, welfare reform

Providing the big picture on gender equality and suicide rates

Women have poorer mental health and engage in more suicidal behaviours than men, and all indications are that the Coronavirus and responses to it have exacerabated this mental health gap. Today’s analysis takes a deep dive into global trends to understand whether gender equality may correlate to rates of suicide. Tania King (@TaniaLKing) of University of Melbourne (@unimelbMSPGH), one of the authors of Shifts in gender equality and suicide: An panel study of changes over time in 87 countries, provides a summary of their findings.

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