What's at risk in the proposed changes to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare?

Several weeks ago we posted a piece from former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe, who was reflecting on his vision for the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Below, Richard Madden the former director of AIHW reflects on Brian's concerns, and what's at risk if AIHW were to lose its welfare functions.

Richard is a late addition to Power to Persuade 2014 Symposium, joining us for the afternoon session to discuss lessons on working across sectors to advance data collection and monitoring.

Policy and governance, Finance and economicsPower to Persuade10 September 2014government, government budget

Researcher, activist or both?

The influx of academics and researchers into social media platforms, sharing their work, their opinions and interacting with others, challenges us to reconsider the relationships between research and activism. For some, the two cannot be separated. Others are less comfortable with taking normative positions.

ResearchersJulia Olmos, Paul Benneworth and Elena Castro studied researchers’ willingness to include influences from users in the overall research process. Researchers who are more open to external (non-academic) influences in their research are able to more easily share their research with users, stakeholders and partner. You can access the full working paper here. This post was originally published on the LSE Impact Blog.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade9 September 2014cross-sector relationships

Whose mission: the historical role of the church in delivering welfare services and the challenges presented in the contracting era

Welfare services are being reshaped again as governments pursue commissioning policies that blur the boundaries between the government, for-profit, secular nonprofit and faith-based sectors. In this article social policy consultant Wilma Gallet captures this historical movement and the inherent threat to faith-based organisations of being seduced away from their mission by government agendas.

Policy and governanceDr. Kathy Landvogt1 September 2014community sector

Who made ideology a dirty word?

Anna Coote, Head of Social Policy at the UK's New Economics Foundation (NEF) argues that ideology has been declared toxic but needs to be brought back into public discourse, to rehabilitate the notion that that policies can be – and usually are – grounded in systems of ideas and ideals. Thanks to the NEF for permission to republish her original post.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade27 August 2014ideology

Social Policy Whisperer: Which way out? The Abbott Government's social policy alternatives

Prof Paul Smyth examines the similarities between the Australian Government's approach to social policy and the UK's Big Society agenda and warns that rather than emulate this unsuccessful approach to social investment we should be adopting alternatives such as Inclusive Growth.

THE BULK DEBT PROJECT - Achieving institutional policy change for Centerlink recipients

This innovative advocacy project, documented here by one of the project initiators Denis Nelthorpe of Footscray Community Legal Centre, demonstrates how strategic and collective organization of individual casework can bring about systemic change in the culture of corporate institutions and lay the groundwork for regulatory reforms.

Taming the monster: can the third sector distinguish its unique contribution?

In response to a recent speech by Tony Nicholson, several weeks ago Associate Professor Helen Dickinson (@drhdickinson) argued that 'we need to be clear about the specific strengths and skills of the sector' in any discussion about its future and funding. In a followup post, Dr James Rees (@JamesRees_tsrc) from the Third Sector Research Centre examines why and in what ways third sector organisations offer something distinctive. This is the first of three blog posts from James which tackle this issue

Policy and governancePower to Persuade8 August 2014community sector

Homelessness research and the influence of targeted policy

Is it more effective to target interventions at those most in need? Or should we 'act universally', addressing the basic welfare of all? When it comes to addressing the causes of inequality, there is growing evidence to suggest that universal approaches are more effective. Despite this, policymakers find a continuing appeal in targeted social programs, reserving social services for the most disadvantaged groups in society. In taking this road, are policymakers failing to address the root causes of disadvantage? In light of Homeless Persons' Week, Dr Pauline McLoughlin (@PJ_McLoughlin), from RMIT University, and Dr Gemma Carey (@gemcarey) from ANU explore how homelessness research in Australia must grapple with a strong current of highly targeted policy.

Social Policy Whisperer: Andrew Forrest and the Government's welfare nightmare

Years of research neglect have left the Abbott government ill prepared for the challenge of welfare reform. Its first budget disaster arose precisely because it did not understand the post financial crisis policy context. Its calls for economic heavy lifting have not been matched by distributional fairness. Having experienced a period of economic reform when the benefits went disproportionately to the rich, people now simply wont buy an economic reform program which is not also socially inclusive. The question is can the government learn quickly enough on the job to get its social policy agenda on track before the next election?

Targets: dammed if you do, dammed if you don't

Part Two of Professor Christina Boswell's (from the University of Edinburgh) thoughts on the use of targets in public policy. A no win situation?

Collaboration is subversive

Geoff Aigner is the director of Social Leadership Australia (@leadership_SLA). As part of the Benevolent Society Social Leadership Australia draws on best practice leadership thinking and techniques with social insights. You can check out their highly regarded leadership program here.

Politics: boundless win-wins?

Last night, when accepting the John Button Prize, David Marr gave a truly engaging talk on the many faces and facets of Tony Abbott. He eloquently drew out Abbott's (anti)freedom agenda, highlighting discontent on both the left and right of politics with the current state of affairs. Surrounded by "latte sipping lefties", Marr's analysis fell on appreciative ears (my own included). I would be highly surprised if the room contained a single conservative. Upon reflection, I can't help but wonder whether we on the Left are limiting ourselves and our ability to change current politics by lowering ourselves to the 'us versus them' approach. Below, Professor Evelyne De Leeuw (@evelynedeleeuw) challenges us to go beyond oppositional politics for the greater good.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade24 July 2014politics and democracy

Targets in Public Policy: Disciplining or Signaling?

Targets are a popular tool in public policy, held up as a way to promote integration and accountability. Below, Professor Christina Boswell looks at how effective they really are. You can check out her full report here.

Practitioners in the 'art of government' what do policy makers, politicians, lobbyists say about the policy process?

Researchers Dr Gemma Carey (@gemcarey) and Brad Crammond have interviewed a range of politicians, senior past and present bureaucrats, government advisors and lobbyists to find ways to break down barriers between sectors, close research practice gaps and create policy change. Their report was released this week at a research forum hosted by the national Social Determinants of Health Alliance (SDOHA).

Is the strength of civil society declining even as its size expands?

There are more civil society organizations in the world today than at any other time in history. Then why, asks United States writer and activist Michael Edwards*, isn't their impact growing?

Policy and governancePower to Persuade11 July 2014politics and democracy

Costs and benefits to regulation

Regulation and red tape are often held up as barriers to productivity and and innovation. Yet the benefits of good regulation that afford protection for consumers are many. Gerard Brody, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centre, explores the implications of the Federal Government's commitment to reduce the "regulatory burden" on business by $1 billion each year.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade8 July 2014government

Managing Income Management

The McClure report and other research has suggested that income management may be helpful to some, and for others it does not necessarily make things worse. In light of the 'budget emergency,' David Tennant, CEO of Family Care, questions the logic of income management in light of this, and the pitfalls and challenges for the people in his community who are subject to it.

Policy and governanceTanya Corrie4 July 2014service and social protection reform

Back to the future?

Is the McClure report Mark II just another attempt to solve an ideological problem that has never existed? In this post, Professor David Haywood, Dean of the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT discusses the misnomer of welfare dependency and the tendency of history to repeat itself.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade3 July 2014community sector

Extension ladders or parallel bars? The future of the community welfare sector

There is a lot at stake in how the community sector positions itself in response to its changing environment. Many, including Tony Nicholson from the Brotherhood of St Laurence, are concerned that the sector will lose its connection to community because of its increasing professionalisation and contracting to government. This was expressed in a recent speech he made about the future of the welfare sector. However, as Helen Dickenson (@drhdickinson), Assoc. Prof with the Melbourne School of Government notes, this is not a new problem. The sector has grappled with its relationship to the state for some time. In order for the sector to not become ‘policy victims’, they must stop finger pointing to negotiate their role

Policy and governancePower to Persuade1 July 2014cross-sector relationships

NDIS: a cause for social policy celebration or concern?

'Every Australian Counts' is the memorable mantra of the citizens' campaign for the NDIS. It speaks volumes about the public demand for a radical change in the delivery of disability care. The promise of the NDIS is to have an inclusive, person-centred care scheme, capable of redressing the 'lottery' of patchy support systems provided by State and Territory governments. As the first stages of implementation unfold, it is more important than ever that the NDIS is in a position to deliver true policy innovation.

In this article, our social policy expert Professor David Hayward, Dean of the RMIT School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, reflects on two vexed aspects of the NDIS - privatisation and funding uncertainty - that merit attention from policymakers and disability advocates.

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