Sue Olney
The Shergold review of social services has put outcomes based funding back on the table. Below, Simon Smith from Wesley Mission Victoria unpacks what lies behind interest in 'outcomes based funding' and what it might mean for program delivery.
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In this legal perspective on the proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act, Rik Sutherland from St Vincent de Paul deconstructs the arguments on both sides and suggests a way to move beyond entrenched positions.
Read MoreOutcomes-based funding gets a lot of flack from the community sector. As Simon Smith from Wesley Mission raised in a post earlier this week, its ambiguity is taken as cause for concern.
Simon's post got us thinking about what some of the upsides of outcomes-based funding might be. So, as we like to do from time-to-time at PTP, we asked some academics to lend a hand.
In this article Dr Fiona Buick (@fibuick) from the University of Canberra, Dr Gemma Carey (@gemcarey) from ANU and Dr Pauline McLoughlin (@PJ_McLoughlin), Lighthouse Institute and Centre for Youth Mental Health affiliate, ask: 'what’s so bad about outcomes-based funding?'
Read MoreShock 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.
Read MoreHow do we influence the decision-makers? Duncan Green, strategic adviser for Oxfam GB and author of ‘From Poverty to Power’, considers a recent study of US national security policymakers through a non-government organisation (NGO) lens. We thank him for his permission to republish his post here.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreA 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:
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