A Q&A with Gavin Dufty (@gavindufty), Manager of Policy and Research at the St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria on achieving social change.
Read MoreLast Friday Paul Smyth encouraged us to think beyond individual policies to begin reimagining the future of the wage earners welfare state. Below Jackie Brady, Acting Executive Director, Catholic Social Services Australia, also calls on social policy advocates to look at the big picture of reform – this time, the tax system. Jackie questions the logic and morality of applying concepts of ‘deservingness’ to the transfer side of the tax system, but not the taxation side.
Read MoreDon Arthur writes for the group blog Club Troppo, His work has also been published in the Australian Review of Public Affairs, the Centre for Independent Studies’ Policy magazine, and by the Evatt Foundation. An earlier version of this post appeared at Club Troppo.
Read MoreMoral and ethical arguments sit at the core of public policy. Politics and policymaking is, after all, a contest over ideas and world views.
The evidence-based policy paradigm has encouraged academics and, to a lesser extent, advocates to disengage from the moral dimensions of the arguments they make. But, by disengaging we sidestep the very ground upon which policy arguments are fought and won.
Below, Associate Professor Brent Sasley and Associate Professor Mira Sucharov reflect on the opportunities presented when we combine evidence with a moral stance through social media:
Read MoreIn an increasingly competitive environment, collaboration in the community sector is seen as a way of overcoming some of the challenges involved in market-based approaches. It enables organisations to share risks, gain efficiencies and combine efforts to strengthen the organisations themselves, and improve outcomes for service users.
However, there is a risk of 'mission drift' - that is; in attempts to strengthen our organisations position and secure funding, we drift from the central reasons our organisations exist. This is a real tension that community sector organisations must hold if they are to exist in this new environment. In this post, I reflect on these challenges and pose questions about what these approaches can mean for mission and social justice.
Read MoreWe'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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MorePrevious 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.
Read MoreIt 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.
Read MoreIt'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
Read MoreThe 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:
Read MoreIn 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
Read MoreThis is the first of our posts featuring 2014-15 budget reactions from policy experts, academics and the community sector. Below, Denis Fitzgerald and The Hon. Brian Howe reflect on critical themes such as health, ageing, and implications for social justice:
‘Solidarity, rather than walls’: Denis Fitzgerald, Executive Director, Catholic Social Services Victoria
Read MoreThe 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:
Read MoreYoung 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:
Read MoreIn the lead up to the federal budget, Gavin Dufty (Manager of Policy and Research, St Vincent de Paul Society, Victoria) and Erwin Jackson (Deputy CEO, The Climate Institute) write on an often overlooked aspect of poverty:
Read MoreTo 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:
Read More
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
Read More