Sue Olney
Building on the post-disaster recovery narratives, today’s piece by Dr Sajal Roy and Oliver Tirtho Sarkar draws insights from the Munda Indigenous peoples' response to climate change in Bangladesh and documents their livelihood-rebuilding strategies to identify lessons which can be replicated in the Philippines in the context of other climate induced disasters like Cyclone Mocha.
Read MoreLast month the Victorian government announced new reforms on poker machines – but is it enough to tackle the harms caused by gambling, particularly in protecting future generations? In today’s article Dr Hannah Pitt (@HannahLPitt), Dr Simone McCarthy (@SimoneNicoleM), and Ms Grace Arnot (@GraceArnot), all from the Institute for Health Transformation at Deakin University (@IHT_Deakin) outline why gambling is an intergenerational justice issue and makes specific policy recommendations to protect communities from harm.
Read MoreNot too long ago a global survey named Australia the ‘drunkest country in the world.’ Meanwhile, studies are increasingly emphasising that there is no ‘healthy’ or ‘safe’ level of drinking. In today’s post, VicHealth (@VicHealth) Postdoctoral Fellow Florentine Martino (@FP_Martino) of Deakin University (@IHT_Deakin) discusses how the Australian alcohol industry influences health policy through its registered charity DrinkWise.
Read Morewhich in turn is driven by the marketing of unhealthy foods. In today’s post, VicHealth (@VicHealth) Research Fellow Alexandra Chung (@Chung_Alexandra) of Monash University (MonashUni) traces the problem to its origins in childhood and explains recent proposals to curb commercial activity that compromises children’s health.
Read MoreExploring the pressing need for trauma-informed care in Australia's National Housing and Homelessness Plan, Research Fellow Chris Hartley sheds light on the deep links between trauma and homelessness while advocating for a unified, comprehensive approach to address the issue in line with global best practices.
Read MoreWhile COVID-19 is no longer considered a global emergency, Chris Hartley discusses its enduring effects on homelessness policy and practice.
Read MoreReposting an excellent blog that was published on the UK social policy blog, because of the insights it offers into the ways in which welfare recipients could be supported to participate in welfare policymaking. Given current interest in stigma power in the wake of the Robodebt Royal Commission the blogs insights are salient to thinking about the ways in which lived experience can be embedded in future policy making in Australia.
Read MoreIn today’s post, Deb Tsorbaris discusses the sobering findings of the landmark Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) released in April this year, and the need for policymakers and the child services sector to respond swiftly. The study reveals that child maltreatment is widespread in Australia and associated with early and persistent harm. Deb is the CEO at The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, (@CFECFW), Victoria’s peak body for child and family services.
Read MoreToday’s post by Brandon Maki was commissioned by the Antipoverty Centre. Brandon is on the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and has written about the income free area and the focus of pushing people into work.
Read MoreThis article by Darren O’Donovan, republished from The Conversation, discusses the findings of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme released on 7 July 2023. Dr O’Donovan has written and spoken widely about Robodebt, and pursued answers to how government was calculating debts, since 2017. You can read and hear more of his work on Robodebt here, here, here and here.
Read MoreToday’s post from the Australian Unemployed Worker’s Union discusses the report of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt scheme released on 7 July 2023. AUWU describes the Royal Commission as “the most significant and damning investigation into our welfare system in decades” and pledges to “stand with victims and fight to extract justice for the mass abuse and denigration inflicted on the poor.”
Read MoreLGBTIQA+ people are more likely to experience marginalisation, stigma, social exclusion, abuse, and violence than the wider community. Philippa Moss, CEO of ACT-based LGBTIQA+ peer-led health service Meridian, and Alison Barclay, researcher and social impact consultant, explain how peer-led services are helping to address this gap, and what more needs to be done.
Read MoreRecent animal cruelty court cases have once again shown that the traditional justice system falls well short for both victims and offenders. Felicity Tepper, senior research officer at ANU’s School of Regulation and Global Governance explores how restorative justice could have better outcomes for humans and animals alike.
Read MoreThe exploitation of migrant workers continues to be a scourge across Australia, according to a new report from the Grattan Institute.
Read MoreMuch attention has been paid to policies and programs to address the needs of people in prison and their post-release experiences, but not many policies recognise the needs of children with a parent in prison (also known as parental incarceration). Dr Caroline Doyle (@CaroDoyle13), Joanna Cui, and Dr Lukas Carey discuss their recent article in the Alternative Law Journal on the experiences of children with a parent in prison and lessons we can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreChristian Eva (@ChristianEva9), Kerry Bodle, Dennis Foley, Jessica Harris, and Boyd Hunter discuss their new research in the Australian Journal of Social Issues on Indigenous owned businesses - to help inform future policy direction for both Indigenous employment and Indigenous business policies.
Read MoreDr Adrian Bazbauers (@AdrianBazbauers) of the Public Service Research Group, UNSW Canberra discusses his new analysis of how multilateral development banks approach gender.
Read MoreJo Townsend weaves her childhood experiences of growing up on a small rural property, with a Masters in Therapeutic Art Practice (Specialising in Community Arts and Health), in her role as Garden Manager and Community Connector for SEEDs Communal Garden, within values-based community organisation Milparinka. In this post, Jo provides a practitioner perspective of the concept of “place” and the potential that it has for fostering community connection and belonging.
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