At a time when neoliberal and conservative politics are again in the ascendency and social democracy is waning, Australian public policy re-engages with the values and goals of progressive public policy in Australia and the difficulties faced in re-affirming them. It brings together leading authors to explore economic, environmental, social, cultural, political and indigenous issues. It examines trends and current policy directions and outlines progressive alternatives that challenge and extend current thinking. While focused on Australia, the contributors offer valuable insights for people in other countries committed to social justice and those engaged in the ongoing contest between neo-liberalism and social democracy. This is essential reading for policy practitioners, researchers and students as well those with an interest in the future of public policy.
Australia Australia has a solid record of protecting civil and political rights, with robust in- stitutions and a vibrant press and civil society that act as a check on government power. However, the government’s failure to respect international standards for asylum seekers and refugees continues to take a heavy human toll. In 2015, Australia’s practices of mandatory detention of asylum seekers, abuses related to offshore processing, and outsourcing of refugee obligations to other countries were heavily criticized by United Nations experts, foreign govern- ments
Australia Australia has a solid record of protecting civil and political rights, with robust in- stitutions and a vibrant press and civil society that act as a check on government power. The government’s failure to respect international standards protecting asylum seekers and refugees, however, continues to take a heavy human toll and undermines Australia’s ability to call for stronger human rights protections abroad. In 2014, Australia introduced new overbroad counterterrorism measures that would infringe on freedoms of expression and movement. The government
Policy Analysis in Australia offers a distinctly Australian interpretation of policy scholarship with eighteen chapters strongly reflecting the outstanding contributions of Australian scholars to the field of public policy. It provides a coherent overview of the strengths and opportunities for policy analysis in Australia. It recognises that government agencies are no longer regarded as the sole source of sound policy analysis, and takes a broad view of policy analysis capacity, both within institutions at all levels of government, and beyond government in the media, political parties, business, and non-government associations. It provides a valuable contribution to Australian scholarship about policy analysis in academic, professional, teaching and learning contexts, and is a key addition to research and teaching in comparative policy analysis and policy studies more generally.
23 TWO australia’s ‘shy’ de-secularisation process Adam Possamai introduction In many parts of the world religion has re-entered the public sphere to such an extent that it has undermined the ‘hard line’ secularisation thesis – that is, the assumption that religion would disappear in Western, modernised societies. Since this ‘hard line’ view should not be happening, views on secularisation have had to be revised. Some academics (for example, Bruce 2002, 2006; Norris and Inglehart, 2004) explain that secularisation is still happening but in a much less
suffering other. Yet in extending the hand of friendship, they were also taking a stance on what had become one of Australia’s most polarizing political issues. 2001 had brought so-called ‘illegal immigrants’ to the forefront of Australia’s political debate. In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, Australian Prime Minister John Howard had campaigned for re-election on a platform of border protection and national security. Refugees and asylum seekers, travelling to Australia by boat in search of safety, were portrayed by politicians and the
Introduction Of 23 million Australians, there were 436,366 people living with a diagnosis of dementia in 2018 (Dementia Australia, 2018a ). Dementia Australia estimates that close to 600,000 people will be living with dementia in the next decade and by 2058, the number will rise to over a million (Dementia Australia, 2018a ). Dementia is the second leading cause of death for Australians (AIHW, 2016 ) and the single greatest cause of disability in older Australians (aged 65 years or older) (AIHW, 2012 ). By 2025, the annual cost of dementia, to
17 TWO Social workers affecting social policy in australia1 Philip Mendes the australian welfare state The Australian welfare state has always been largely a ‘residual’ welfare state based on the targeted direction of means-tested payments to the poor and disadvantaged. Welfare programmes have generally involved a combination of public funding and private provision. This mixed economy of welfare includes Commonwealth, state and local governments; private employers providing wages and superannuation; the market or private sector that is involved in the
85 FIVE Knowledge mobilisation in australian education research John Polesel, Professor of Education, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne Acknowledgement The assistance of Michael McBain, Kevin Yang and Clare O’Hanlon from the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) in supplying data, setting up and implementing the online survey and conducting an internet search of knowledge mobilisation activities is gratefully acknowledged. introduction This chapter examines the role of the objective of knowledge mobilisation – framed in
21 TWO Social work academia and policy in Australia1 Philip Mendes and Susan Baidawi The Australian welfare state Australia possesses one of the most selective income support systems in the Western industrialised world. Financial assistance is provided on a flat rate basis, funded from general taxation revenue rather than via contributions from workers and employers. In contrast to many European welfare states, Australia did not introduce social insurance schemes whereby those who experience unemployment or sickness are protected by income replacement
