It can be very difficult to get traction for meaningful policy change that will benefit the Australian public, particularly for marginalised communities. What can make it even harder is the influence of corporate actors, which is often hidden from public view. In today’s post, VicHealth postdoctoral research fellow Jenn Lacy-Nichols (@JLacyNichols) of University of Melbourne (@unimelbMSPGH) and Katherine Cullerton of University of Queensland (@UQmedicine) share their research findings into tracking the lobbying activities of corporations. This article first appeared in the The Conversation on 13 November 20203; you can read it in its original form here.
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Australians consume an average of a ½ kilo of sugar per week, much of it ‘hidden’ in high-sugar foods. For Sugar Awareness Week (13 – 19 November), VicHealth Postdoctoral Researcher Adyya Gupta (@AdyyaGupta) of Deakin University (@IGHT_Deakin @GLOBE_obesity) explains the current policy climate in Australia for regulating free sugars and what policy options are under consideration to create a healthier food environment.
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Chanelle Wilson and Keira Bury explore the risks that online alcohol marketing and fast delivery services pose to those in addiction treatment and recovery, advocating for tighter regulations to prevent potential relapses and safeguard health.
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Ensuring all Australians have a safe, secure and affordable home is an important focus of Anti-Poverty Week 2023 (15-27 October). Here, Professor Stephen Whelan from the University of Sydney School of Economics (@USydneyEcon) and Life Course Centre (@lifecourseAust) examines the current state-of-play in Australia’s housing market, its influence on experiences of poverty, and what can be done to improve the future health, welfare and dignity of all Australians.
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Dr Millie Rooney, co-director of Australia Remade and long-time contributor here at Power to Persuade, has had some great ideas for new reality TV shows, following the success of ‘Alone Australia’. The question is - do we have contestants going it alone to survive, or a team effort to re-imagine a way for everyone to thrive?
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In today’s post, Hyein Cho (@hyein_ellen_cho) and Marie Segrave (@MSegrave) from Monash University (@MonashUni) present a snapshot of their recently launched report on Victorian local councils and gender equality. They detail seven key findings in the report and highlight four of them here.
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Deb Tsorbaris (@DebTsorbaris), CEO of The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (@CFECFW), discusses the recently launched national wellbeing framework, Measuring What Matters, and contends that if we're serious about enhancing the wellbeing of Australians, the first place to start is with our children and young people.
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Policy lessons don’t travel on their own - a lot goes into helping them from their place of origin to new homes (or stopping them from getting there). Drawing on research with disaster management personnel in Queensland, Dr Jenny van der Arend (@JennyvdA) and A/Prof Alastair Stark distil a ‘traveller’s guide’ of practical insights for policymakers who want to help lessons from place to place. The post is based on their new article in the Journal of European Public Policy and is free to read until October 2023.
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Last 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.
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which 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.
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In 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.
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Today’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.
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Today’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.”
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LGBTIQA+ 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.
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