The pandemic has exposed the multitude of dangers in trusting private entities with public data, demonstrating the need for carefully thought out regulation argue Jenna Harb and Kate Henne from the Justice and Technoscience (JusTech) Lab at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance.
Read MoreViolence and aggression perpetrated against frontline public servants is a serious issue, argues Steve Munns, psychologist, public servant and PhD scholar at the ANU’s School of Regulation and Global Governance.
Read MoreJensen Sass and Kate Henne, from the School of Regulation and Global Governance at the ANU, argue that the pandemic has opened up space for reconfiguring the relationships between states and markets.
Read MoreIn response to the Senate Inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence, this is the second in a three-part series on how policy responses could be more effective in keeping women and children safe. Today’s analysis, written by Madeleine Ulbrick (@maddyulbrick) of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (@goodadvocacy), highlights the relationship between women’s physical security and financial independence, identifying that unlocking financial independence is a critical step to both prevention and protection from violence. This post is drawn from Good Shepherd’s submission to the Inquiry. Part one of this series can be accessed here.
Read MoreCOVID has amplified the fact Parenting is necessary and demanding work
Read MoreIn today’s post, Georgia Katsikis, Alex Devine and Sue Olney explore the implications of COVID-19 for disability policy in Australia – policy currently affecting one in five Australians living with disability with the potential to affect a growing number who may acquire a disability as a consequence of the pandemic. They argue that the needs and rights of people with disability must be integrated into plans to rebuild the economy now, to avert far-reaching and long-lasting social and economic costs.
Read MoreCovid-19 has rapidly highlighted many structural issues within our economy and society. Governments have responded with a range of policy responses however as Associate Professor Chris Wallce discusses below, the Government has largely pursued “men first” policies, meaning women continue to be significantly more impacted by the pandemic than men.
Read MoreThe health policy response to Covid-19 for people with disability has highlighted the importance of having accurate data with which to make informed policy decisions. However, as Dr Nicola Fortune discusses, data collection doesn’t always capture information on everyone and it is important to look at who might be being left out of the picture. Having reliable and accurate data is essential for not only ensuring equitable outcomes for people but for holding governments to account for policy decisions.
Read MoreThe federal inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence was announced by the Honourable Marise Payne and the Honourable Senator Anne Ruston on the 4th of June 2020, and public hearings commenced last week following the Inquiry receiving over 150 submissions. Whilst advocates across Australia met this new Inquiry with scepticism, the Inquiry does provide an opportunity to rethink reform, and in particular highlight opportunities to address some of the lesser-known aspects of gendered violence that are critical to a whole-of-community response.
Today’s analysis is provided by CEO Stella Avramopoulos (@stellaavram), Laura Vidal (@lauraemilyvidal), and Madeleine Ulbrick (@maddyulbrick) of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (@goodshepANZ, @GoodAdvocacy) who argue that a multi-disciplinary and cross-sector response presents opportunities for action to prevent all forms of violence against women and their children. This piece is part 1 of 3, and draws on the Good Shepherd submission into the Inquiry which can be read in its entirety here.
Read MoreLow-income single mothers continue to be caught in the binds of poverty and insecurity, with limited choices and opportunities. Despite some policy changes, including a temporary increase in social security payments and suspension of mutual obligation requirements, the underlying infrastructure of inequality remains. In today’s analysis, Dina Bowman (@Dina_Bowman) and Seuwandi Wickramasinghe, both of the Brotherhood of St Laurence (@BrotherhoodInfo), share a summary of their recently-published report Trampolines not traps: Enabling economic security for single mothers and their children.
Read MoreThe Covid-19 second wave in Victoria has once again highlighted the economic impacts of the pandemic, however it is important to remember that the economy is inextricably linked to health and social outcomes. While the Federal and State/Territory Governments have instituted a raft of policy measures to address some of the economic impacts, are these responses enough to also address the wider social and health effects of the pandemic? In todays blog post Dr Megan Weier and Isabella Saunders from the Centre for Social Impact examine the policy responses from both federal and state/territory governments to see where vulnerabilities might lie that could worsen the impacts of the pandemic.
Read MoreWho suffers the most from the extended Melbourne lockdown?
Read MoreAustralia is facing an unprecedented economic shock. Thus far, much of the targeted stimulus spending has been concentrated in male-dominated industries. In today’s analysis, Elizabeth Hill of University of Sydney (@USydneyEcon) provides evidence for encouraging women’s workforce participation through investing in social infrastructure and subsidising early childhood education and care. This analysis was originally published as part of a series on Labour Market Policy after COVID-19 produced by CEDA (@ceda_news); you can read it in its original form here.
Read MoreIn today’s post, Andrew Trounson from the University of Melbourne discusses suicide prevention among males. Drawing on the research of Jane Pirkis and Zac Seidler, Trunson argues that the stresses related to COVID-19 will likely increase the risk of suicide among males. As such, more attention needs to paid to services that are tailored to the needs of men and boys. Although males are traditionally seen as reluctant to seek help , 60% of people who had taken their own lives had sought help in the previous 12 months, according to Dr Seidler. Masculinity is complicated, therefore initiatives designed to help men and boys need to be nuanced (and wide-spread) rather than based on stereotypes.
Read MoreWith so many Australians accessing their superannuation accounts early in response to the current economic downturn, there is more attention than ever at how the retirement scheme fails to provide adequate retirement savings for women. A new report - The Herstory of Super by Emma Dawson (@DawsonEJ) and Simone Casey (@SimoneCasey) of Per Capita (@PerCapita) – provides the historic context needed to understand why the system is failing women, and provides recommendations for sustainably supporting women into their old age.
Read MoreIn response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Federal government has provided a temporary $550 supplement to many income support payments. These are due to be reduced on 24 September. For many families who have been reliant on income support, this effective doubling of payments has meant a more stable and healthy life. In today’s important analysis, we republish a lightly-edited letter to Senator Marise Payne, Minister for Women, and Senator Anne Ruston, Minister for Families and Social Services, authored by Terese Edwards (@Terese_NCSMC) of the National Council for Single Mothers and their Children, and Casandra Goldie (@CassandraGoldie), CEO of ACOSS (@ACOSS). The letter puts forward the case for making the supplement permanent because it assists women to leave domestic and family violence, and is interspersed with testimonies from women about the impact of the supplement on the family. This letter has been endorsed by several agencies.
Read MoreDuring the economic slow-down during the pandemic, the childhood education and care (ECEC) sector has been at the receiving end of highly uneven policy approaches, making it difficult to understand how the sector will remain viable and ready to ‘snap back.’ In today’s analysis, Romy Listo (@RomyListo) and Helen Dalley-Fisher, both of Equality Rights Alliance (@ERAAustralia), summarise ERA’s policy position paper on reimagining childcare.
Read MoreThe Productivity Commission’s 2018 report on the community sector reported that productivity failings within the sector were failing people experiencing hardship. In today’s post, David Tennant of Family Care suggests that this conclusion should be revisited in light of the policy changes instituted in response to COVID-19.
Read MoreIn a year full of surprises, the delay of the national budget is but a blip on the screen. As pre-submissions to the budget close this week, Policy Whisperer Susan Maury (@SusanMaury) and Jeremy Levine (@_JeremyLevine), both of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, analyse how integrating a process of gender-responsive budgeting could enable Australia’s state and federal governments to identify and address some of the many social and economic hits that COVID-19 has unleashed. This analysis draws on their testimony to the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into Gender Responsive Budgeting. A copy of the tabled document and full transcript is available here.
Read MoreYoung women have borne more than their share of the hardship created by COVID-19 and the government response. Young women are more likely to be in precarious employment which was not covered by JobKeeper, for example, and are also more likely to be studying, which has not had an adequate federal response to address hardship. Young women are also the group most likely to become infected by COVID-19, and while the reasons why are unclear, it could be because young women are disproportionately exposed to the virus through their work environment – including in such sectors as health care, care work, education and public-facing employment in cafes and restaurants. In today’s analysis, Brianna Delahunty and Emma Riseley, of the Equality Rights Alliance Young Women’s Advisory Group (@ERAAustralia) and supported by the National Foundation for Australian Women Social Policy Committee (@NFAWomen), provide an analysis of how young women are being left out of critically-needed policy responses.
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