Blog

THIS WEEK’S MODERATOR

Good Shepherd Institute

Listening to the heart: what now for Indigenous recognition after the Uluru summit?

The Referendum Council for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples plans to deliver its final report to the Federal Government on June 30.

It follows the landmark Uluru Statement from the Heart delivered last Friday by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates to the National Constitution Convention at Uluru which, Council co-chair Mark Leibler says, will be given "a great deal of weight" in the final report.

In the post below, first published at The Conversation, Constitutional law and Indigenous rights researcher Harry Hobbs outlines the key components of the Uluru statement and their historic context.

Power to Persuade29 May 2017

Tips for policy success: learn from ‘policy entrepreneurs’ and exploit ‘windows of opportunity’

Policy and governancePower to Persuade25 May 2017

Public Service Research Group takes flight at UNSW Canberra

Last week marked the launch of the new Public Service Research Group (PSRG) at UNSW Canberra. PSRG has been established to partner with organisational clients to produce new insights into effective public service implementation and evaluation. Stephen Easton was at the launch and reports below. This post originally appeared on The Mandarin.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade22 May 2017implementation

On bailing teenagers accused of sexual offences

On bailing teenagers accused of sexual offences

*Content warning: This post contains references to sexual violence.*

A recent Victorian court decision to release a teenager charged with sexual assault on strict bail conditions has prompted an outcry from Victoria Police and the state opposition. Today's post from an anonymous Australian lawyer challenges us to consider a more progressive legal and moral standpoint- from an anti-carceral feminist perspective, imprisonment for the sake of harsh punishment will not lead to the teenager's reform and rehabilitation.

IssuesPower to Persuade19 May 2017law, prisons, crime

APS gender equality strategies: one year on

Are gender equality strategies developed by Australian Government departments robust enough to make the APS an employer of choice for women? In today's post, Sue Williamson and Meraiah Foley explore the exemplar strategies most likely to progress workplace gender equality and achieve real culture change. This article was originally published in The Mandarin.

Power to Persuade12 May 2017

The strange accounting behind the proposed HECS changes

Today's post from Gareth Bryant from the University of Sydney and Ben Spies-Butcher from Macquarie University examines how changes in accounting methods have reshaped the politics of HECS since its introduction in 1989. This article was originally published on The Conversation.

Power to Persuade9 May 2017

Choice, control and the NDIS: Service users’ experiences of the National Disability Insurance Scheme

As we await the release of the Australian Federal Budget, today's post reminds us of the human impact of government decisions and the importance of giving all citizens a voice. Deb Warr, Helen Dickinson and Sue Olney, together with Jen Hargrave, Pan Karanikolas, Vas Kasidis, Georgia Katsikis, Jasmine Ozge, Dave Peters, Cina Wheeler and Michelle Wilcox, have recently completed a study funded by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute, that examines service users' experiences of navigating the NDIS.

Power to Persuade9 May 2017

Out of the shadows: what’s next in transforming the Victorian family violence sector?

Out of the shadows: what’s next in transforming the Victorian family violence sector?

Tuesday’s budget lock-up for the Victorian State budget revealed significant investment not only for direct family violence services but also for the inter-related services which work together to make women and children safer. In today’s blog, Tanya Corrie, of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, breaks down the numbers. Tanya is the Research & Policy Specialist for Financial Security and the acting Head of the Women’s Research, Advocacy & Policy (WRAP) Centre.

Womens Policy Action TankWomen's Policy Action Tank4 May 2017violence against women, family, government budget

Reengaging with the ethic of environmental stewardship to guide conservation funding for private land

The Government recently tabled its State of the Environment Report 2016 Overview in Parliament. While our national parks and other public lands are generally considered the focal point for conservation efforts, the Overview reinforces the continued need for private land to deliver biodiversity conservation outcomes. In this post Drs Benjamin Cooke and Katie Moon explore opportunities to improve policy outcomes through re-engagement with the ethic of environmental stewardship.

Power to Persuade28 April 2017

Why we should be sceptical about the Cashless Debit Card

There has been considerable discussion about the trial of cashless debit cards currently underway in Ceduna and Kununurra. With the Commonwealth apparently ready to announce an expansion of the trials in the May budget, David Tennant explores what that would mean and why is it relevant to regional centres like Shepparton.

Power to Persuade27 April 2017

Welcome to Fantasy Land? A Review of Max Harris’s The New Zealand Project

In this review of Max Harris's manifesto for a new progressive politics, The New Zealand Project, Luke Craven examines tensions between advocates of more radical and pragmatic approaches and asks, in the desired move towards more a values-based polity, whose values are being represented?

Power to Persuade26 April 2017

Online Child Sex Abuse as a Form of Domestic Violence: Implications for Policy

A recent professional symposium held in Melbourne presented research findings on the often hidden toll experienced by women whose partners perpetrate online child sexual abuse. Here Zoë Goodall, a graduate of the University of Melbourne and Media Coordinator for PartnerSPEAK, urges for a policy rethink in the area of family violence and victims of crime.

IssuesPower to Persuade26 April 2017family, gender, health, violence against women

Making the Most of Diversity Lessons from March for Science Australia

Making the Most of Diversity Lessons from March for Science Australia

Over the weekend, thousands participated in the March for Science, both in Australia and globally. Influenced by the Women’s March, the March for Science has struggled with reflecting the highly diverse scientific community. In today’s post, sociologist Zuleyka Zevallos provides a brief history of the controversies, explains why diversity in science is important, and provides practical suggestions for moving forward on stronger footing.

Womens Policy Action Tank, Women's ScorecardWomen's Policy Action Tank24 April 2017gender, exclusion, evidence-based policy

NDIS hiccups are expected, as with any large-scale social reform

From the online portal to enrolment targets to workforce shortages, the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme has been plagued with difficulties. But A/Prof Helen Dickinson (@DrHDickinson) cautions that we don't yet have enough information to make definitive statements about success and failure. We should expect some challenges to arise as the NDIS is implemented, and this doesn’t mean that the idea is fundamentally flawed.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade21 April 2017ndis, Disability, implementation

Program management: let's straighten out our terminology

What's a program? What's program management? Differences in how we use these words matter, argues UNSW Canberra's Dr Raymond Young - and the project management discipline needs to adapt its language use if it wants to help government deliver better results.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade18 April 2017implementation, program management