What to make of the diversity in Australia's 47th parliament

Representation is critical for effective governance and law-making, and the recent election gives Australia its most diverse Parliament yet. But there’s more to true voice and representation than photo opportunities. In today’s analysis, Yasmin Poole ((@YasminPoole) of the World Bank (@WorldBank) expands the metric of ‘diversity’ and challenges the government to ensure marginalised communities are fully engaged. This piece originally appeared in Election Watch (@electionwatch_ @Government_UOM).

What to make of online employment services?

Amid debate about Points-based activation @simonecasey explores the extent it changes what had already been happening the realm of the digital transformation of employment services.

Power to Persuade17 July 2022

What should we make of Workforce Australia?

Explores what the shift to Workforce Australia might mean for scholarship in this area, particularly given all the interest there has been in how it changes the way in which people report compliance with mutual obligation requirements, through a new system called Points-Based Activation.

Power to Persuade12 July 2022

We have an opportunity to hit refresh on refugee policy

It’s Refugee Week; Australia’s peak annual activity to raise awareness of the issues affecting refugees and to celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society, coinciding with World Refugee Day on June 20.

Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor of Law and Director of UNSW’s Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, reflects on the opportunity before the new federal government to reset Australia’s refugee policies. This opinion piece was originally published in The Age on 30 May 2022.

Examining an early intervention policy that could improve education, gender and socioeconomic equity

This week, the NSW and Victorian Governments in Australia announced their plan to introduce an extra year of early education. The plan has implications for education, gender and socioeconomic equity. Dr Rhiannon Parker and Dr Meera Varadharajan consider why this plan is so important and what the Government and policy makers need to consider when implementing it.

Power to Persuade20 June 2022

Who matters at the World Bank?

Dr Kim Moloney (@Global_Academic) of Hamad Bin Khalifa University shares a preview of her new book Who Matters at the World Bank: Bureaucrats, Policy Change, and Public Sector Governance, which tells the story of civil servant influence and the rise of public sector reform at the World Bank (read a sample chapter here).

Caregiving is gendered: Implications for interpretation if our measure of caregiving is also gendered

Jenny Chanfreau (@JenChanf) provides some reflections on gendered patterns of how adults assist their ageing parents, analysed according to sibling composition. This post is based on Jenny’s article in Ageing & Society, and first appeared on the FemQuant blog.

Womens Policy Action Tank, GenderPower to Persuade16 June 2022aged care, gender, social care

Donor-conceived adults are speaking out about their experiences, but will governments listen?

Today’s post is from Giselle Newton (@newtonatron) from the Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney, about her research into donor-conceived people’s experiences, views and support needs in a digital era. She reflects on strengthening policy and legislation in this fraught and quickly-evolving policy area.

The barriers just keep coming: Poor diagnosis and support for victim-survivors of family violence with brain injuries

Victim-survivors of family violence often sustain undiagnosed brain injuries which have a profound impact on psycho-social health and overall cognitive function. In today’s analysis, Phoebe Nagorcka-Smith of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (@GoodAdvocacy) details how acquired brain injuries (ABIs) too often go undiagnosed, and even when they are diagnosed accessing required support remains out of reach for many women.

Reimagining welfare to mitigate violence against women

Family violence has been on the government agenda for several years now, but one issue that is seldom raised is the role of financial insecurity as a driver of violence. In today’s analysis, Phoebe Nagorca-Smith of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (@GoodAdvocacy) explains how the gendered experience of the welfare system increases women’s risk of violence.

Evidence for welfare reform: Generosity may have unforeseen benefits for women and children

The newly-elected Labor government announced during the campaign that they would not be looking at welfare reform in the near term. In today’s analysis, Policy Whisperer Susan Maury (@SusanMaury) of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (@GoodAdvocacy), Elise Klein (@EliseJKlein) of ANU, Policy Whisperer Kay Cook (@KayCookPhD) of Swinburne University, and Kelly Bowey of the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (@CFECFW) share a summary of their research that indicates raising the rate and removing compliance requirements would support women to increase their productivity, both in their paid and unpaid work. This article is drawn from a paper entitled Gendered impacts of changing social security payments during COVID-19 lockdowns: An exploratory study.

What we learned from the pandemic: Simple steps to make inclusive education more accessible

The recent federal election result has delivered a loud and clear message across the country that we want our political leaders to commit to policies that enable equality, fairness, and compassion. That needs to extend to our children and young people, including appropriate support in educational settings. Shorna Moore of Melbourne City Mission (MCM) and Sally Lasslett of MCM and Hester Hornbrook Academy (@MelbCityMission) explain how the incoming federal government can enact simple policy changes to support all students back to the classroom after concerning data shows that a growing number of vulnerable young people have disengaged from their education following the pandemic.

Remote learningPower to Persuade7 June 2022education, Flexible Work, young people, Disability, mental health

Draw a policy: Accessible family violence policies can be life-changing

The Fair Work Commission has stipulated that all employees are entitled to up to 5 unpaid family violence leave days per year. This is a critically important step that increases both the safety and the financial security of victim/survivors. However, effectively communicating those policies, particularly to a diverse work force, can be challenging. In today’s post, Hannan Amin of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (@GoodAdvocacy) provides important guidelines for ensuring employees can understand their leave entitlements when experiencing family violence. This analysis was originally published by the Community Services Industry Alliance and can be read in its original form here.

Advocacy is about adaptation

In this post, Jay Coonan discusses major changes to Australia’s employment services system coming on 1 July 2022, what those changes mean for people caught in the system, and why unemployed people should be at the table when policy is designed. Jay is an operations co-coordinator at the Antipoverty Centre and JobSeeker recipient. Before establishing the Antipoverty Centre with others who rely on welfare to live, he was a policy officer for the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union.

Power to Persuade3 June 2022

Combatting the punishing welfare system

This week, the Antipoverty Centre (@antipovertycent) is highlighting people’s personal experiences of social policy. In today’s article, Sophi talks about how the system of Job Service Providers and mutual obligations robs people of their autonomy and dignity, and calls for solidarity among unemployed workers to support each other and secure their rights. Sophi is a disabled nonbinary person based in Victoria, with over a decade of experience dealing with JSPs.

Power to Persuade2 June 2022

Dear Prime Minister: Single mothers are asking for some hope

Single mothers have been consistently the most poverty-stricken household type for years, and the last Labor government infamously moved thousands onto the (then) NewStart Allowance. With the recent federal election outcome, Terese Edwards (@Terese_NCSMC) of the National Council for Single Mothers and Their Children shares an open letter to Anthony Albanese, who was himself raised by a single mother in difficult financial circumstances. Her letter is interspersed with the messages from single mothers to the new Prime Minister.

Resilience

This week's posts are sourced and moderated by the Antipoverty Centre (@antipovertycent). As Australia’s new federal government swings into action following the election on 21 May, we're highlighting people’s lived experiences of social policy to drive reform. Today's article by Melissa Fisher addresses two important questions. Does poverty really make you a better person or build resilience? Or is this something we tell ourselves so we can ignore the damage that's being done? Melissa is an Adelaide based artist relying on income support through JobSeeker due to disability.

Power to Persuade31 May 2022

The 'Covid Casual' Dress Code - women's clothing choices when working from home

In today’s post, Sulagna Basu (@sulagna_basu) and Briony Lipton (@briony_lipton) discuss the findings of their recent research into work attire and conceptions of professionalism, highlighting the minefield women negotiate on a daily basis.

Gender, IssuesPower to Persuade27 May 2022women and work, COVID-19, clothing, professionalism

The Election Is Over. Now the Work of Implementing a Women’s Plan Begins

The 2022 election results were driven by women looking for real change on the issues that matter to them. In today’s analysis, Kathy MacDermott & Helen Hodgson, of the National Foundation for Australian Women (@NFAWomen), provide a prioritised list of actions that women should advocate for from the new Labor-led government.

Women have spoken: new government urged to prioritise structural reform

Women were the driving force behind the federal election outcome, which sent a reprimand to the major parties and is set to significantly increase the diversity of Parliament, including a higher number of women. What does the electorate want from the new government? In today’s analysis, five of the women’s peak organisations – the Equality Rights Alliance (@ERAAustralia), Women With Disabilities Australia (@WWDA_AU), the National Rural Women’s Coalition (@NRWNetwork), Harmony Alliance (@Aus_Harmony), and the National Women’s Safety Alliance (@NWSAAU) – come together to provide input on key priorities for Australian women. These are five of the six National Women’s Alliances, funded by the Commonwealth Government’s Office for Women.

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