A deeper problem: ‘Paying their way,’ not ‘accepting charity’

It is vital that those impacted by policies are given the opportunity to express their needs and have a voice in the policy process. This is often easier said than done. In this post, Tanya Corrie from Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service reflects on what this means for those who are financially excluded and  who access the fringe lending market. While regulation is imperative, Tanya also notes it is important to understand the underlying, cultural reasons that people prefer to ‘pay their own way’ rather than ‘accept charity’ and why this is such an emotive proposition.

NDIS: a cause for social policy celebration or concern?

‘Every Australian Counts’ is the memorable mantra of the citizens’ campaign for the NDIS. It speaks volumes about the public demand for a radical change in the delivery of disability care. The promise of the NDIS is to have an inclusive, person-centred care scheme, capable of redressing the ‘lottery’ of  patchy support systems provided by State and Territory governments. As the first stages of implementation unfold,  it is more important than ever that the NDIS is in a position to deliver true policy innovation. 

In this article, our social policy expert Professor David Hayward, Dean of the RMIT School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, reflects on two vexed aspects of the NDIS – privatisation and funding uncertainty – that merit attention from policymakers and disability advocates. 

Citizen power and the NDIS: putting us back on the road to social justice

 There is a lot of rhetoric about putting civil society at the centre of policy decision-making. But policy actions over the past 40 years suggest that there is still a way to go in achieving this in practice.  In the second of our NDIS-themed articles this week, Dr Simon Duffy (@simonjduffy) of The Centre for Welfare,

A plane with half an engine? The NDIS needs to put people at its centre

It has taken many years for Australia to introduce a social insurance scheme to support the needs of people with a disability. One year on into the introduction of the NDIS in trial sites across Australia, a parliamentary inquiry has highlighted a number of implementation challenges.  In ensuring that the needs of people with a disability and their families are met by this scheme, it is crucial that the key policy challenges facing the scheme are both recognised and addressed.

In the first of our NDIS themed articles this week, Claire Hjorth Watson, PhD Candidate at the University of Melbourne, reflects on the need to put people and care relationships at the centre of NDIS policy frameworks.

Mind the gap: on the challenges ahead for small community organisations

Recent Federal Budget decisions have deepened ongoing discussions in the community sector about the gaps created by shrinking welfare arrangements in Australia. In this article, Michelle Reid RGS, Manager of Good Samaritan Inn, voices the concerns of small community organisations that are grappling with the pressures of government funding arrangements. 

Social Policy Whisperer: Did you know about the ‘Competition Policy Review’?

In a Melbourne School of Government Seminar last week, Helen Dickinson (@drhdickinson) commented on the growth of economic rationalism in Australian policy, and how economic reasoning seems to be expanding into other areas of public and social policy at a much quicker rate than in other countries. In this fortnight’s piece, Prof Paul Smyth draws attention to the ways in which economic reasoning is creeping into social policy and social services reform.

The winds of change – ACOSS Conference 2014

In this post, Kathy Landvogt from Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service (@goodadvocacy) provides another perspective on the 2014 ACOSS Conference.

ACOSS 2014 National Conference Wrap

Last week was the National ACOSS Conference, held in Brisbane. The ACOSS annual conference is always an important date in the calendar, but this year it was more important than ever to bring the sector together, reinforce values and plan for action.  Below, John van Kooy (@jvank00y) provides a wrap up of the key themes and ideas to emerge from the event.