Blog

THIS WEEK’S MODERATOR

Dr. Cadhla O’Sulllivan

Women, rural and disadvantaged Australians may be missing out on care in the NDIS

In many countries social policy has seen a growing concern for citizen control and empowerment which has led to an increase in person centred approaches to social care, referred to a personalisation. The National Disability Insurance scheme (NDIS) is one of the most ambitious personalisation schemes in the world and aims to give choice and control over services and supports for people who acquire a permanent disability, thereby boosting citizen empowerment and improving social and health outcomes. However a new research paper by Gemma Carey, Eleanor Malbon, and Ariella Meltzer suggests that the ability to have choice and control in personalisation schemes can be distributed unequally. They use to context of the NDIS to examine how some Australians with disability may be missing out on accessing the care they are entitled to.

This piece originally appeared in The Conversation and was authored by Eleanor Malbon and Gemma Carey.

Power to Persuade11 July 2019

Economic inequality can deteriorate women’s mental health

Economic inequality can deteriorate women’s mental health

This blog is the second in a four-part series on women’s mental health. As the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System continues its public hearings there is an opportunity to consider the social and economic factors that contribute to poor mental health using a gender lens. This piece by Sarah Squire (@SquireSarah) and Susan Maury (@SusanMaury) of @GoodAdvocacy explores how economic inequality contributes to poor mental health among women, drawing on reflections from practitioners in Good Shepherd services. You can read the first in this series here.

Womens Policy Action Tank, Social Policy WhispererWomen's Policy Action Tank11 July 2019mental health, finance, gender pay gap, Gender Inequity, susan maury

Putting value creation back into public value

While value creation has long been discussed in the private sector, the concept of value creation by the public sector is largely absent. Until recently there has been no clear role for the public sector to create value itself – the term ‘public value’ does not even exist in economics. However a new paper by Mariana Mazzucato and Josh Ryan-Collins at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose proposes ways that public value can be created using a theory of collective public value creation. This article orginally appeared in The Mandarin and is authored by Maria Katsonis.

Policy and governance, Service DeliveryPower to Persuade10 July 2019Public Servants, government, public service

‘Nothing about us without us’: Working cross-sector to make the City of Melbourne more inclusive for people with disability

On the 30th May 2019 the findings from a new project to make the City of Melbourne more inclusive for people with disability were reported at a community forum at Melbourne Town Hall. This project showcases how different sectors and community members can come together to create policies that reflect the views and ideas of those most affected by the proposed policies. People with disability have historically been marginalised from the policy process, with a lack of consultation with people with disability a significant issue in the formation of government policy. This project addressed these issues by using an evidence base coming directly from people with disability in order to inform policy for the City of Melbourne Disability Action Plan. In the blog piece below Dr Jerome Rachele lead investigator of the project talks about its development and how working cross-sector between local government and academia led to a successful outcome.

Power to Persuade9 July 2019

Build to rent could help tackle Australia’s housing affordability issues but only if the Government is on board with major tax changes

Housing affordability stress has been a major talking point for both the public and politicians over the last decade. Yet many people, especially first home buyers , are still finding it difficult to break into the housing market and Australian housing remains some of the most expensive housing in the world. This has seen an increase in the number of people renting long term. However the private rental market in Australia is owned almost exclusively by small scale mum-and-dad investors, and unlike in some other countries, notably European ones where renting has long been the norm, there are few policies to ensure tenants have access to long term stable and affordable rentals in Australia. In today’s blog piece Professor Hal Pawson from UNSW discusses a Build-to-rent housing model that has the potential to address some of the public policy objectives around affordable housing. While not a silver bullet, this type of housing can create stability in an otherwise volatile housing market, and provide an affordable housing fix for many renters doing it tough in the current rental environment. However for this to happen major tax changes are needed.

This piece orginally appeared in The Conversation

Power to Persuade8 July 2019

Feminist theory and Australia’s care and support sector

Feminist theory and Australia’s care and support sector

Australian policymakers will need to take critical action in response to the care crisis revealed by coverage of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and the lead up to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. Laura Davy (@LauraKDavy) from the Public Service Research Group, UNSW Canberra, discusses how feminist ethics and feminist economics can inform workforce investment strategies into the future.

Service Delivery, Policy and governancePower to Persuade5 July 2019Workforce Reform, care work

New wave conditionality and social supervision

New wave conditionality and social supervision

In today's post, Dr Simone Casey (@simonecasey) discusses the ethics and efficacy of recent developments in welfare conditionality in Australia. This continues her series of posts examining topical issues in Australia's employment services system - ParentsNext; mutual obligation; 'work first' activation of jobseekers; and the growing presence of automation in Australia's welfare system. Dr Casey is an Associate of the RMIT Future Social Services Institute.

Issues, Policy and governancePower to Persuade2 July 2019Equity, welfare reform, Policy making

Will the Coalition’s approach to gender equality actually improve women’s lives?

Will the Coalition’s approach to gender equality actually improve women’s lives?

The Coalition’s purported ‘woman problem’ haunted this year’s federal election campaign, despite the party’s ultimate electoral success. Sue Williamson (@SWilliamsonUNSW) from the Public Service Research Group, UNSW Canberra argues the Coalition adopts a neoliberal or individualised approach to gender equality – while some positive initiatives have been introduced, these do not address the systemic issues that cause women’s disadvantage. (Reposted from The Conversation)

Power to Persuade1 July 2019Research, Policy making, Gender Inequity

Why are some organisations so resistant to change? Exploring the nature of ‘extremely gendered’ organisatons

Why are some organisations so resistant to change? Exploring the nature of ‘extremely gendered’ organisatons

What makes an organisation ‘extremely gendered’? Here @DrLisaCResearch describes her work (with @DrMeaganTyler and Dr Ben Reynolds) extending the concept of extremely gendered beyond the military to Victoria’s volunteer-based organisation the Country Fire Authority.

Womens Policy Action TankWomen's Policy Action Tank27 June 2019gender, feminist theory

From locked up to linked up: Developing the recovery capital assets of justice-involved children and young people

Too many of our kids are incarcerated and living away from their families and their ‘country’ in youth detention facilities. It is urgent and critical to commit to transforming the way Australian youth justice service is undertaken. Sharynne Hamilton, Ngunnawal woman and PhD scholar at the University of Western Australia, explains the potential of ‘Justice Capital’ to lead the way.

IssuesPower to Persuade26 June 2019Indigenous research and policy, young people, crime

What should we do about sexual violence at music festivals?

Sexual harassment and assault at music festivals has received very little scholarly attention, but Dr Bianca Fileborn (@snappyalligator; University of Melbourne) and Dr Phillip Wadds (@phillipwadds; UNSW) are rectifying this knowledge gap. Here they report on their recent research project and suggest some ways that festival organisers and the music industry can make festivals safer spaces.

IssuesPower to Persuade24 June 2019Sexual violence

Taking the pulse on men’s parenting and care work: The State of the World’s Fathers

Taking the pulse on men’s parenting and care work: The State of the World’s Fathers

The third iteration of the global report The State of the World’s Fathers was launched on 16 June, at the Women Deliver Global Conference in Vancouver, Canada. The bi-annual report highlights progress and gaps for equalising care in 7 OECD countries, as well as analysis from five countries in the Global South. The report importantly also tracks changes in attitudes and social norms. Today’s analysis provides a summary of the report, an initiative of the MenCare Campaign (@MenCareGlobal), which is led by Promundo (@Promundo-US). Australia is in dire need of more progressive policies that enable men to take an active role in parenting and caring; this global overview provides important insights for how it can be done well.

Womens Policy Action TankWomen's Policy Action Tank18 June 2019Gender Inequity, care work, primary care, Children

Making our work work for us: why consider young people’s narratives of work?

Making our work work for us: why consider young people’s narratives of work?

The way that young people think about their working futures is twined with the future of our planet and social order, offering both a sign of the times and a call for action to foster hope for working futures. While the recent youth action against climate change shows the hope that young people carry, it also shows the worry about the future of the planet, and in turn their futures, that currently weighs on young people. This post on young people’s narratives of work by Jennifer Malbon is based on her recent chapter in ‘Challenging future practice possibilities’, with Dr. Steve Cork.

Power to Persuade13 June 2019

Private prisons: Are they really cheaper, better and more accountable?

Victoria has recently committed to spending a whole lot more on prisons and corrections to accommodate its growing prison population. As Deirdre O’Neill, Valarie Sands and Graeme Hodge of Monash University report, Victoria relies more heavily on privatised prisons than anywhere else in the country, but lack of transparency makes it frustratingly difficult to tell whether privatisation has delivered on its promises of cheaper, better and more accountable. This post is based on their recent article in the Australian Journal of Public Administration.

Policy and governance, Service DeliveryPower to Persuade11 June 2019prisons, crime

Mitigating the child penalty: Policy problem or social norms?

Mitigating the child penalty: Policy problem or social norms?

The child penalty is a significant driver of the gender pay gap, which points to a solution through more progressive policies. Today’s analysis compares six OECD countries which reflect a range of progressive policies to support women into employment. The analysis highlights a powerful determinant of the gender pay gap external to policy solutions - social norms. This article originally appeared in VoxEU.org under the title “Child penalties across countries: Evidence and explanations”, and is authored by Henrik Klevin, Camille Landais, Johanna Posch, Andreas Steinhauer, and Josef Zeimüller.

Womens Policy Action TankWomen's Policy Action Tank11 June 2019gender pay gap, policy problem