Post 9/11 Islamophobia and the pathologisation of black people in the UK mental health context should be tackled as part of the ongoing Mental Health Act review, argue former psychiatrist Suman Fernando and researcher Tarek Younis in this post for re-published from Mental Health Today.
Read MoreEverybody wants to improve healthcare in Australia; however, the ways we can do that are as numerous as the drugs that are available to treat disease. Which approach is the most optimal? Is it individuals making lifestyle choices that improve their health? Is it doctors that engage patients in their own healthcare? Or is it hospitals that actively engage stakeholders in a systemic approach to healthcare improvement? In fact the answer is, of course, all of these things and so much more. Underlying all of these is knowledge: its generation; mobilisation; presentation; and discussion. The potential for misunderstanding or misusing evidence, or not using any evidence at all, has significant implications for decision-making, policy development and healthcare improvement.
Read MoreAn increasing number of women in Australia are retiring into poverty and, consequently, experiencing housing stress, housing crisis or homelessness. It is time to demand a national agenda for action to address these appalling realities for far too many older women.
Read MoreSafety and quality are consistently the leading priorities on the healthcare agenda. There is overwhelming evidence of a clear link between healthcare safety, quality and patient outcomes, not to mention the potential financial savings that could be gained through improvements in both. So this leads us to the million dollar question –how do we effectively improve healthcare quality and safety?
Read MoreAshley Baker, General Manager of Werribee Racing Centre in Victoria explores a comprehensive approach to reform implementation and its impact on racing participants.
Read MoreIn 2015, Australia joined 193 other Leaders and Ministers in endorsing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. While non-binding, Australia was an active participant in their negotiation and the government reports on progress voluntarily. In today’s post, Policy Whisperer Kay Cook (@KayCookPhD) summarises the government’s analysis of their progress to end poverty (SDG 1) and achieve gender equality (SDG 5), followed by a critique produced by the Academics Stand against Poverty network Oceania chapter. Anti-Poverty Week is an apt time to reflect on how the government frames the intersection of gender and poverty, and what needs to change in order to see real progress.
Read MoreThe concept of social prescribing has been gaining some traction in Australia recently. The King’s Fund defines social prescribing as a means of enabling GPs, nurses and other primary care professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services [1]. This is a broad definition which implies that social prescribing might refer to a General Practitioner (GP) actively encouraging a patient to participate in Parkrun to help them lose weight and meet new people, through to a chronic disease nurse linking a patient experiencing homelessness to a local housing service.
Read MorePerceptions of both the fairness and impacts of gender equality measures can help to either promote greater equity or, conversely, create barriers to their uptake. In today’s post, Pia Rowe of University of Canberra’s 50/50 by 2030 Foundation shares highlights from their recently-released report From Girls to Men: Social Attitudes to Gender Equality in Austria (co-authored with Mark Evans, Virginia Haussegger and Max Halupka).
Read MoreDoes a specific policy focus on older workers overstate and oversimplify the problems they face? Philip Taylor, Professor of Management at Federation University Australia responds
Read MoreUnpaid work, part-time and interrupted work, and the gender pay gap are only some of the reasons women are poor in retirement. A lot of the time the reasons are far more complex.
Read MoreThe National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) began a full national rollout in July, 2016 based on a fundamental principle to give those with a disability choice and control over their daily lives. Participants can use funds to purchase services that reflect their lifestyle and aspirations. Two years on, how is the scheme faring?
Read MoreAs long as the richest and most powerful have the greatest influence over national policy, the interests of our communities will be poorly reflected in many areas of national policy making, writes Community Council for Australia CEO David Crosbie.
Read MoreAs the Royal Commission into Aged Care begins investigating the failures of the residential aged care sector, it is important such a review also considers the broader socio-political factors that have contributed to this crisis.
Read MoreThe Women’s Policy Action Tank was established to place a gender lens over policies, many of which purport to be gender-neutral, because many policies are never subject to such a specific interrogation of gender blindness and effects. In today’s insightful piece, Lisa Carson (@LisaC_Research) of the Public Service Research Group at UNSW provides an overview of her co-authored piece (with Eleanor Malbon (@Ellie_Malbon) of the Public Service Research Group at UNSW & Sophie Yates (@MsSophieRae) of ANZSOG and UNSW), which provides a practical example of why analysing data and forming policy must be approached from the vantage point of those who are disenfranchised. Specifically, they argue that framing data, interpretation and application within the context of robust feminist theory allows for a more nuanced and complex analysis of policy impacts by taking on the flawed data analysis employed by men’s rights groups. You can read their full open access article here.
Read MoreA new oversight report draws attention to the market stewardship of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. In this article Gemma Carey argues that to prevent market failure we need actions, not just principles.
Read MoreAs the Liberal Party in Canberra debates whether to opt for targets or quotas to boost the number of seats held by women, and the Labor Party proposed public disclosure of gender pay gaps in workplaces over 1000 people, in Victoria last weekend a Citizens’ Jury quietly endorsed gender quotas for senior roles in the public service. The full juror’s report is available in this article.
Read MoreAustralia’s Fair Work Act 2009 provides employees in the national workplace relations system with a legal right to request flexible working arrangements. And while this practice is welcomed by employers, it may be more difficult to implement in practice. UNSW Canberra’s Public Service Research Group academics Dr Sue Williamson and Dr Meraiah Foley, as well as Central Queensland University’s Dr Linda Colley, explain some of the policy’s innovations and challenges experienced by employers when they assist employees in achieving balance between work and their personal lives.
This article was originally published on The Mandarin.
Read MorePublic service workforce reform has been on the minds of public administrators, especially in light of high profile reviews such as the Independent Review of the Australian Public Service. UNSW Canberra’s Public Service Research Group academics Professor Deborah Blackman, Dr Samantha Johnson, Associate Professor Helen Dickinson and Dr Linda Dewey delve into this issue in greater detail from a development and recruitment perspective. They suggest that there are four distinct elements in social learning that can serve as a framework for building workforce capability and supporting change within the public service.
A full version of their thoughts can be found in Reimagining the Future Public Service Workforce.
Read MoreWhat might we expect from former Prime Minister Tony Abbott as Indigenous envoy? Dr Prue Brown of the University of Queensland analyses the discourse in his Closing the Gap speeches to Parliament, compared with those of Rudd and Turnbull.
Read MoreFinding the right levers to influence policies in a complex environment can be very difficult. The Mandarin’s David Donaldson sought and consolidated the views of three academics, including that of UNSW Canberra’s Public Service Research Group professor Deborah Blackman, on policymaking in complex systems.
This article was originally published on The Mandarin.
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