Following on from our post last week, below Jon Altman offers his thoughts on Indigenous Work for the Dole policies. Jon Altman is an emeritus professor of the Australian National University based at the Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet), College of Asia and the Pacific, ANU. From 1990–2010 he was foundation director of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research.
Read MorePolitical slogans and robotic talking points should be of no interest and deliver no benefit to the public, says former federal department head Paul Barratt in this short essay. He calls for a new focus on an authentic notion of public interest, which requires:
Read MorePrime Minister Tony Abbott recently shocked and dismayed Indigenous communities and leaders with his "lifestyle choice" comments supporting the closure of up to 150 remote Indigenous communities in Western Australia - and galvanised the #SOSBlakAustralia protests on Twitter, Facebook and real life.
Legal academic Kate Galloway says his comments should also serve as a wake up call to universities and for academics in all disciplines, and particularly lawyers who are at the frontline of justice and law making.
Read MoreWe've had a sniff of debate in recent weeks about negative gearing and what its abolition could mean to government revenue and housing affordability. Yet at election times, writes Terry Burke, housing problems get no political traction.
Read MoreUnsolicited, door-to-door sales techniques have long been used to push pricey, often unwanted products onto unwary consumers. The latest industry to adopt the tactic are private vocational training providers. Gerard Brody, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centre, explains how the techniques work and lays out the challenges for policy makers and regulators in protecting the public.
Read MoreIn this blog, Dr Monica Thielking, Research Fellow at Swinburne University, takes us through the recently released report, The Costs of Youth Homelessness in Australia: Snapshot Report 1: The Australian Youth Homelessness Experience. This ground-breaking study offers profound insights into the experience of young people in Australia who are homeless and presents clear challenges for policy makers.
Read MoreThinking good thoughts isn’t enough. Chris Mullin, Deputy Director, of the UK Govenrment Cabinet Office’s Implementation Unit, describes how he and his colleagues are working with departments to get things done. This piece was first published on the UK Gov's Civil Service Quarterly blog.
Read MoreToday's post is from Catherine Needham and Catherine Mangan and was first published on the 21st Century Public Servant blog.
The report highlights themes within the research and Catherine and Catherine highlight some here.
Read MoreThe McClure Review provides us with the opportunity to 'upgrade' the welfare policy debate and start to genuinely frame welfare as social investment. Prof. Paul Smyth explores that there needs to be a real understanding of what welfare as investment actually means, with the right social policy nous and frameworks to ensure it is not another punitive measure to individualise social policy problems.
Read MoreSpeeding up the “evolution” of policy could help promote the survival of the fittest in policy solutions, argues Stephen Muers, Director, Sentencing and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Justice, United Kingdom, in this post originally published on Civil Service Quarterly.
Read MorePublic service professions have lagged behind the medical profession in using empirical evidence to guide decision making. David Halpern, National Adviser on What Works & CEO of Behavioural Insights Team, explains how the emergence of ‘What Works Centres’ can change this, and outlines the case for ‘radical incrementalism’.
Read MoreFamily violence is headline news in Victoria these days. The Victorian Labor Government has established a much-needed Royal Commission into the support system, including a review of the justice system, government, service organisations, police, corrections, and child protection, with the aim of decreasing instances, improving victim support, and ensuring perpetrators are held to account. Susan Maury, Policy and Research Specialist with Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, argues that, as the least-understood form of family violence, economic abuse needs to receive significant attention.
Read MoreStrategic participation in international legal processes can be extremely valuable for NGOs undertaking policy and law reform work. The Universal Periodic Review, a process of the United Nations Human Rights Council, is one method by which Australia’s human rights record is assessed on the international stage. Internationally and in Australia, the UPR is proving to be a useful mechanism for NGOs to engage with governments on issues of human rights and related law and policy. Anna Lyons, Senior Lawyer at Justice Connect Homeless Law explains.
Read MoreIn the modern world, time poverty and income poverty can be closely related, particularly for those without the financial resources to outsource tasks of daily living (cleaning,shopping, childcare). Celia Green reports on the impact of being 'time poor' on health.
Read MoreThere is a noticeable shift from purely profit-driven capitalism towards the notion of an 'integrated social citizen.' The founder of Pro Bono Australia, Karen Mahlab, sees it happening in Australia and around the world. This post first appeared on the Open Forum blog.
Read MoreDo we have the 'right' to a job, with decent working conditions, and to be protected from unemployment? In this post, social policy researcher Dr Veronica Sheen explores the humans rights implications of Australian labour market policy and activation schemes.
Read MoreThe future of national urban policy in Australia has been in doubt since the closure of the federally-funded Major Cities Unit in late 2013. In this post, former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe reflects on the contributions of previous federal governments to coordinated policy, planning and infrastructure investment in Australia's cities.
Read MoreLast year we ran pieces by Brian Howe and Richard Madden on the proposed changes to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Below, Richard provides further insight into the challenges facing government statistical agencies in response to a piece in the Sydney Morning Herald. Richard is a Professor at the University of Sydney and has been Director of AIHW and previously Deputy Australian Statistician
Read MoreThe arts are a great tool for connecting the community to policy making processes. Both communities and policy makers find artistic processes fun and engaging. If used correctly, artistic process can help communities manage the way their issues are presented to the wider community. It can also complement more traditional community engagement and research methods, adding depth and shine.
Zoe Dawkins from Storyscape Consulting discusses her experiences in using the arts as a tool to connect communities to people of influence.
Read MoreCivil Servants have significant influence on the lives of the individuals they govern. Yet we have little knowledge as to how Civil Servants themselves are governed.
Mark Jarvis has been conducting research to understand how civil servants are held to account. Whilst there is a lot being done well, Jarvis identifies ways in which civil service accountability could be improved and suggests there is room for improvement in the way we think about accountability.
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