A plane with half an engine? The NDIS needs to put people at its centre

It has taken many years for Australia to introduce a social insurance scheme to support the needs of people with a disability. One year on into the introduction of the NDIS in trial sites across Australia, a parliamentary inquiry has highlighted a number of implementation challenges. In ensuring that the needs of people with a disability and their families are met by this scheme, it is crucial that the key policy challenges facing the scheme are both recognised and addressed.

In the first of our NDIS themed articles this week, Claire Hjorth Watson, PhD Candidate at the University of Melbourne, reflects on the need to put people and care relationships at the centre of NDIS policy frameworks.

Policy and governance, IssuesPower to Persuade23 June 2014markets in public services, disability

Social Policy Whisperer: Did you know about the ‘Competition Policy Review’?

In a Melbourne School of Government Seminar last week, Helen Dickinson (@drhdickinson) commented on the growth of economic rationalism in Australian policy, and how economic reasoning seems to be expanding into other areas of public and social policy at a much quicker rate than in other countries. In this fortnight's piece, Prof Paul Smyth draws attention to the ways in which economic reasoning is creeping into social policy and social services reform

ACOSS 2O14 National Conference Wrap

Last week was the National ACOSS Conference, held in Brisbane. The ACOSS annual conference is always an important date in the calendar, but this year it was more important than ever to bring the sector together, reinforce values and plan for action. Below, John van Kooy (@jvank00y) provides a wrap up of the key themes and ideas to emerge from the event.

Policy and governanceJohn Van Kooy19 June 2014service and social protection reform

The winds of change - ACOSS Conference 2014

In this post, Kathy Landvogt from Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service (@goodadvocacy) provides another perspective on the 2014 ACOSS Conference.

Trust is the biggest casualty of the budget

Shock waves from the Abbott government’s first budget continue to reverberate. Below, Bruce Duncan provides another lens - that of Catholic social teaching. Analysis at the ACOSS Conference this week is echoing Bruce Duncan’s critique: the harsh measures are neither warranted nor healthy for civil society.

Social Policy Whisperer: The war over (social) services and the voluntary sector

In his latest Social Policy Whisperer column below, Prof. Paul Smyth from the University of Melbourne considers the risk to the social rights of citizenship from the march of marketisation in social service provision in Australia, in the context of an important new book, a shift in international trends and an emerging local debate.

Social Policy Whisperer: Criticism isn't enough, where do we go from here? Reactions to the response to the budget

We'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.

Smaller Government Agenda: Parliamentary Library's Budget brief

The Parliamentary Library's Federal Budget briefs provide a valuable resource each year. Portfolio briefs are currently being added to its Budget Review 2015-16. Here is the review by Philip Hamilton of Budget measures relating to the Federal Government's Smaller Government agenda.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade21 May 2014government

Doing the Heavy Lifting: Federal budget targets those who can least afford it

Previous 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.

Men and mens' services working to end mens' violence against women

It 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.

On how to win friends and influence government

It'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

Budget 2014: the pursuit of small government

The Federal budget has been controversial and divisive. Sold as a measure to manage a ‘budget crisis’ , Joe Hockey’s first budget will come as a hard blow for many disadvantaged, low income and vulnerable Australians. But beneath the rhetoric and justifications, we can see a familiar political goal. In this comprehensive article below, Professor David Hayward (RMIT University) delves into the underlying story shaping the 2014/15 budget:

Wrapping up an unbalanced budget

In 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

Vulnerable Victorians not the main focus in the state government budget

The 2014 Victorian Budget was announced last week. Like its Commonwealth counterpart, both budgets have been preceded by extensive pre-release of information, and much speculation. In the lead up to Treasurer Joe Hockey's announcement of the national budget, Denis Fitzgerald (Executive Director, Catholic Social Services Victoria) takes stock of what is happening in Victoria:

Two steps forward, one step back: young people transitioning from out of home care

Young 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:

Blogging on the policy process: thought from an academic perspective

To get our blog rolling, we at Power to Persuade have set ourselves the challenge of imagining what a cross-sectoral blog focusing on the policy process can offer. Below, I reflect on this from an academic perspective:

Why is everyone so annoying?

Welcome to the Power to Persuade Blog - a new space for open discussion of the policy process. To kick us off, Tim Senior talks about the divides between research, policy and practice in health settings, picking up issues echoed across other areas of social policy. Tim Senior is a GP in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service. He wears his academic and policy hats a little uncomfortably, and at a jaunty angle. He writes regularly for the British Journal of General Practice, and Croakey. He is crowdfunding for a Croakey Column looking at the health effects of government policy, which you can freely donate to here: http://pozi.be/wonkyhealth

Policy and governance, AdvocacyPower to Persuade28 April 2014cross-sector relationships, communication

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