Will the work-from-home genie go back into the bottle?

In an article originally published by The Canberra Times, Dr Sue Williamson and Associate Professor Linda Colley discuss their recently released report Working During the Pandemic: From resistance to revolution. Their research found that the majority of public service employees want to continue the working from home arrangements some workplaces put in place during the coronavirus epidemic, and that while there are negative aspects to working from home, these are far outweighed by the positives. Governments may not find it as easy as they might hope to put this particular genie back in its bottle.

Australian literature's great silence

Power to Persuade16 October 2020

Going virtual: Digital social service delivery to vulnerable families

With the onset of lockdown measures in response to COVID-19, social service providers were forced to pivot to virtual support with little warning or forward planning. For Anti-Poverty Week, we examine what this might mean for clients. In today’s analysis, Robbie Fordyce (@r4dyc) of Monash University (@Monash_Arts), Milovan Savic (@nav0lim) of Swinburne University of Technology (@Swinburne), Policy Whisperer Kay Cook (@KayCookPhD) of Swinburne University of Technology (@SwinHASS), and Kath Albury (@KathAlbury) of Swinburne University of Technology (@AdmsCentre) share their research into how family welfare workers and their clients view the potentials and drawbacks of virtual support. This blog draws from the research report Doing better for vulnerable young parents and their children: An exploration of how technology could catalyse system transformation.

Social Policy Whisperer, Womens Policy Action TankDr Kay Cook16 October 2020social services, coronavirus, COVID-19

Unravelling ‘complexity’: Keeping all women safe from violence

The phrase ‘complex forms of violence’ has been used to sequester certain types of violence to be addressed in a bespoke fashion. In today’s analysis, Laura Vidal (@lauraemilyvidal) of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (@GoodAdvocacy) and Sana Ashraf of The Harmony Alliance (@aus_harmony) consider the unintended consequences of framing certain forms of violence as complex by providing a background to diverse experiences of violence for women and their children. This post is the third in a series in response to the Senate Inquiry into Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence. Part one argues for the need for a multi-disciplinary response to family violence, while Part two explains how financial independence is critical to ensuring women’s safety.

Big Tech, data and the public good: trade-offs and harms

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.

Violence against public servants: risks and possible solutions

Violence 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.

Issues, Service DeliveryPower to Persuade7 October 2020public service, policy problem, crime, regulation, research

Critical Junctures: opportunities and threats for democracies in the pandemic

Jensen 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.

Women’s physical security cannot be achieved without securing their financial independence

In 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.

ParentsNext - after COVID-19

COVID has amplified the fact Parenting is necessary and demanding work

Womens Policy Action TankPower to Persuade29 September 2020

The long tail of COVID-19: implications for disability policy

In 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.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade28 September 2020COVID-19, employment, Disability, NDIS

It’s a man’s (pandemic) world: how policies compound the pain for women in the age of COVID-19

Covid-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.

Power to Persuade24 September 2020

Collecting data on people with disability – who is being left out of the picture?

The 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.

Power to Persuade23 September 2020

A multi-disciplinary response to family violence – building communities of action

The 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.

Trampolines not traps: Listening to single mothers about what needs to change

Low-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.

Identifying COVID-19 Vulnerabilities: Beyond the Economy

The 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.

Policy and governancePower to Persuade21 September 2020Policy making, policy problem, COVID-19

Who suffers most from Melbourne’s extended lockdown? Hint: they are not necessarily particularly vocal

Who suffers the most from the extended Melbourne lockdown?

Policy and governancePower to Persuade18 September 2020COVID-19

Reducing gender inequality and boosting the economy: Fiscal policy after COVID-19

Australia 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.

SCALING UP EFFORTS TO TACKLE MALE SELF-HARM

In 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.

IssuesPower to Persuade10 September 2020mental health

The ‘Herstory’ of superannuation: Uncovering the discriminatory traps that disadvantage women

With 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.

Dear Senators: For many of us the pandemic is a blessing

In 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.

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