bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘WORK FOR THE DOLE’ – A CHEAP LABOUR MARKET PROGRAM? AN ECONOMIST'S PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Hawke Anne
Published: December 2016

From an economists perspective, this paper explores some of the issues associated with the design of an effective labour market program, and evaluation processes which are required to determine the merits of a scheme. This analysis comes at the time when pilot projects under the federal Government's ‘Work for the Dole’ scheme are being implemented. The paper concludes that if the ‘Work for the Dole’ scheme is to be viewed as a labour market program, then an evaluation mechanism should have been determined prior to the implementation of such a scheme.
CARING CULTURE AND THE POLITICS OF PARENT/PROFESSIONAL RELATIONS
Authors: Clear Mike
Published: December 2016

The study on which this paper was based explored parent/ professional relationships where disabled children were involved, and the underlying cultures which influence them. The paper seeks in part to relocate debate about parent/professional relations away from a mere instrumental view to the wider context of advancing understanding of social capital. Interestingly the study highlights some examples of relations consistent with a poststructuralist framework of power which unfolded within broadly patriarchal and capitalist structures more relevant to feminist critiques of human caring and ‘caring’ systems. Overall it shows the unequal structure of power arrangements in parent/professional relations, and indicates the possible benefits for caring and support systems of an approach which is less technically driven and hierarchical and more ‘horizontal’, personal and reciprocally based.
WRAPAROUND OR INDIVIDUALISED MODELS OF CARE: DO THEY FIT INTO AUSTRALIAN CHILD WELFARE?
Authors: Ainsworth Frank
Published: December 2016

In Australia there is some interest in wraparound or individualised models of care as an alternative to traditional modes of child welfare funding and service delivery. This article points to the origin and core principles that guide attempts to create this post‐institutional pattern of service. Following this a definition of wraparound or individualised services is offered. The current state of US research into the effectiveness of services provided under this rubric is then reported. Finally, comment is offered about the relevance of wraparound and individualised forms of service for Australian child welfare.
HINE‐TITAMA: MAORI CONTRIBUTIONS TO FEMINIST DISCOURSES AND IDENTITY POLITICS
Authors: Diamond Jo
Published: December 2016

‘Post‐colonial criticism bears witness to the unequal and uneven forces of cultural representation involved in the contest for political and social authority within the modern world order’. (Homi Bhabha 1994, p. 171)

Feminist discourses attend to the experiences of women in many social spheres, including that of the artworld. In this paper I, as a Maori woman, offer an outline of Postcolonial Maori Feminism that complies with the cultural theorist Homi Bhabha's notion of ‘Post‐colonial criticism’. The connection between feminist discourse and the accomplished Maori artist Robyn Kahukiwa has not been strongly emphasised in current published literature. The cultural context that Robyn Kahukiwa refers to in her art is, primarily, that of Maori women. I argue, by using one exemplary picture entitled Hine‐Titama, that Robyn Kahukiwa and her artwork align with the work of some other Maori feminists. I also posit an association between Kahukiwa and some examples of ‘non‐Maori’ feminist writing that furthers our understanding of cultural identities based on gender and race. I refer to those cultural identities as they relate to Maori women in New Zealand.
IDENTIFICATIONS: BETWEEN NATIONALISTIC ‘CELLS’ AND AN AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM UMMAH
Authors: Nebhan Katy
Published: December 2016

This paper explores the dynamics which have characterised the Australian Muslim (a term which is examined more critically throughout this paper) struggle for identity and self‐identification from the late nineteenth century to the present. It will consider the two primary mechanisms through which this struggle has been articulated. The first of these relates to the ways in which many Australian Muslims have used the nationalist, linguistic and cultural affiliations, which played a critical role in their process of migration and settlement, as a way of forging personal and communal ‘cells’ of identification. The second explores the attempts made by Australian Muslims to draw this body of cells into a coherent whole structured around a religious framework, to create the ideal to which all Muslims aspire – a unified Muslim community or ummah. One of the critical questions which the various discourses relating to Australian Muslim identity and culture raise, and which will be considered in this paper, is: on what levels does this struggle for identification operate, and to what extent has it been successful in reconciling a sense of an Australian Muslim past with the present and future?
INFORMED PARENTAL CONSENT FOR COCHLEAR IMPLANTATION OF YOUNG DEAF CHILDREN: SOCIAL AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS IN THE USE OF THE ‘BIONIC EAR’
Authors: Hyde Merv , Power Des
Published: December 2016

This paper examines the social parameters surrounding the management of informed consent procedures for the parents of young deaf children for the surgical fitting of a cochlear implant (‘bionic ear’) to their child. Although most observers of this remarkable and well publicised medical development only see benefits in its use, the authors examine the nature of the conflict which has emerged between medical and media portrayals of the ‘miracle ’ device and the contrasting social, cultural and linguistic views of many Deaf people. The paper analyses the components of parental consent procedures for surgical implantation of their child, covering the risk‐benefit analysis and, in particular, the information base that is provided for parents about the social construction of a ‘Deaf life’ by many Deaf people.
PARTICIPATION AND THE NEW WELFARE
Authors: Harris Patricia
Published: December 2016

Current discussions of welfare reform are influenced by various kinds of talk about ‘participation’. Three are predominant in Australia: talk of self‐sufficiency, paying your dues, and team effort. All imply a local/associational/voluntary model of society which deflects attention from broader structural and economic factors. This prevailing treatment of ‘participation’ is heavily biased, ignoring alternative interpretations such as the older tradition that emphasises rights. The general discourse it underwrites is at best ineffective and quite likely dangerous.
CIVIL CONSCRIPTION OR RECIPROCAL OBLIGATION: THE ETHICS OF ‘WORK‐FOR‐THE‐DOLE’
Authors: Bessant Judith
Published: December 2016

The Coalition parties campaigned on the need to create ‘real jobs’ during the 1996 Federal election. After a number of years in office joblessness, both for young people and prime age workers, remains as high as ever. Yet as major companies and government agencies continued to downsize their work force, the Coalition government decided to respond to this central social problem by introducing a ‘new’ plan that initially required some young people (between the age of 18–24 years) to work for their unemployment benefits. Those ‘eligible’ for participation in the program have been extended from its original ‘youth target’ to included older people. Prime Minister Howard maintained that his ‘work for the dole scheme’ will give priority to the long‐term unemployed and thereby help jobless young people, who he claims have lost the incentive to work and/or become welfare dependents, to re‐enter the labour market (DEETYA, 1998).

In the first part of this article I query official justifications for the Australian workfare scheme; concentrating on the arguments for reciprocal obligation, I ask what those rationales indicate about government understandings of the causes of unemployment. In the later part of the article I assess the value of the scheme in terms of certain human rights criteria, arguing that it contravenes the Australian constitutions which prohibit any form of civil conscription.

As I indicate, the workfare scheme provides little if any reasonable economic justifications, and none have been advanced by the Howard government. Although I concentrate on the Howard government's work‐for‐the‐dole policy initiative, it needs to be made clear that the principle of reciprocal obligation is not unique to the Liberal National Coalition government, it provides the basis for similar programs in the UK, USA and Canada. It was also embedded in the Keating Labor government's ‘Working Nation’ and has been practiced within many Aboriginal communities for many years.
PRECARIOUS PERSONS: DISENFRANCHISING AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS
Authors: Hill Lisa
Published: December 2016

In 1998 the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters produced a report which, among other things, recommended that all prisoners be deprived of their voting rights in federal elections. The proposal was intended to have a ‘deterrent effect’, the reasoning being that the loss of a fundamental civil right would provide an effective disincentive to crime. Apart from having little, if any. deterrent value, the proposal is difficult 10 defend within the prevailing frameworks of liberal democracy, International law, and current thinking on criminology and penology. Rather, the aim of prisoner disenfranchisement is to visit dishonour upon the subject, a practice having its origins in the archaic concept of ‘civil death ‘. The ‘reform ‘ is an eloquent symbol of a final disengagement from incarcerated people and a formal ratification of their status as non‐persons.
STUDENT POVERTY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BALLARAT
Authors: Newton Janice , Turale Sue
Published: December 2016

This article draws together the findings of two recent studies at the University of Ballarat which suggest that poverty is experienced among a considerable minority of students. In a pilot study of 54 students and a phenomenological study of 17 students, different ways of measuring poverty were considered: the Poverty Line, dependence on a government allowance, cultural criteria and self‐perception. It was found that undertaking part‐time work failed to protect students from poverty, with significant indebtedness affecting all. Those under the Poverty Line were more likely to be young and male and less likely to be living in a family. Poor students saw their well‐being and self‐worth affected by poverty as they struggled to escape a cycle of indebtedness and risked academic standards by working longer hours.
ARE WE TOO BUSY TO VOLUNTEER? THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TIME AND VOLUNTEERING USING THE 1997 ABS TIME USE DATA
Authors: Warburton Jeni , Crosier Tim
Published: December 2016

Time availability is a key concept in relation to volunteering, leading to organisations and governments targeting those outside paid work as a potential source of volunteers, it may be that factors such as a growth in female participation in the labour market and an increase in work hours will lead to more people saying they are simply too busy to volunteer. This paper discusses how social and economic change, such as changing work patterns, are impacting on time availability. Using the 1997 ABS Time Use data, it identifies a predictive model of spare time by looking at demographic, life stage and employment related variables. Results confirm that those outside paid work, particularly the young, males and those without partners or children, are the groups most likely to have time to spare. These groups do not currently report high rates of volunteering. The paper concludes by questioning the premise that people will volunteer simply because they have time to spare. This is just one component of a range of motivations and factors that influence the decision to volunteer.
THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ON THE MAINSTREAM POLITICAL AGENDA
Authors: Jensen‐Lee Catherine
Published: December 2016

The purpose of this paper is to identify some of the factors that have contributed to he well documented decline of the environment as a significant policy concern on he mainstream political agenda. On the basis of interviews with environmental ***ctivists, such factors would appear to include the hardening of the Australian Labor ***arty and concomitant softening of the Liberal Party to movement pressure; the increased institutionalised access of movement elites to decision‐making forums; the changed issue focus of some environmental organisations; and a shift in the movement's campaign tactics.
INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY AND MENTAL ILLNESS: A LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: Hudson Colin , Chan Jeffrey
Published: December 2016

This review highlights the urgency for a seamless and co‐ordinated approach to service delivery for people with intellectual disability and mental illness. There is emerging evidence of the high prevalence of mental illness in persons with intellectual disability. The notion that people with intellectual disability can have mental illness has only been recently acknowledged. Furthermore, people with intellectual disability also experience a wide range of psychiatric disorders often seen in the general population. Despite of recent developments in treatment options for these people, many of them continue to experience barriers in accessing mental health services.
DISPARITIES IN INTERNET ACCESS: A CASE STUDY OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN WESTERN SYDNEY
Authors: Holloway Darren
Published: December 2016

Research in Australia on the digital divide has concentrated on the disparities that exist between metropolitan and non‐metropolitan areas, and supply side solutions rather than demand side barriers. This paper attempts to add to our understanding of the digital divide in Australia by examining Internet usage in Western Sydney. A survey of over seven hundred households was conducted to analyse disparities in Internet access within a metropolitan area, as well as to add to debates surrounding demand side barriers that inhibit the ability of individuals to access the Internet. The findings suggest that age, income and employment status are significant contributors to demand side barriers. The results confirm evidence from overseas that disparities in online access exist within metropolitan areas. This suggests that more local level information is required so that programs aimed at addressing disparities in Internet access are targeted to the most appropriate areas and individuals, and the circumstances and preferences of those areas and individuals.
CASH, CUSTOMERS, AND CARE: THE EXPERIENCE AND MEANING OF DIFFERENTIAL PAYMENT FOR HIGH CARE PLACES IN AGED CARE FACILITIES
Authors: Tilse Cheryl
Published: December 2016

The introduction of new asset/income tested charges for high care residents was the 1997–98 Commonwealth government policy response to concerns about financing residential aged care. This in‐depth study of residents, families, staff and managers in three aged care facilities explores issues of equity, access and empowerment arising when some residents pay more for the same level of care and amenity. The study reports little evidence of financial contributions affecting access to high care places and the delivery of care, the potential for differential access to amenities such as single rooms linked to the extra payments, and no evidence of a sense of empowerment linked to payment of the new charges. The complexity of current financial arrangements, access to appropriate financial advice at the time of entry, and the potential for an informal two tier system in relation to the allocation of amenities are identified as developing policy issues.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP — FALSE PREMISES AND DANGEROUS FOREBODINGS
Authors: Cook Beth , Dodds Chris , Mitchell William
Published: December 2016

As a reaction against neo‐liberalism, Social Entrepreneurship has been promoted as the solution to welfare problems brought about by social change and persistent unemployment. The Social Entrepreneurship Movement (SEM) proposes the reconstruction of welfare by building social partnerships between the public, social and business sectors. Major aspects of this agenda include non‐profit organisations undertaking entrepreneurial ventures and the pooling of government welfare funding under the control of local communities.

In this paper we argue that the SEM literature is based on two false premises: the failure to understand the true causes of mass unemployment, and the assumption that the government faces financial constraints in the provision of welfare services. We also argue that implementation of the SEM proposals would erode the rights‐based eligibility to universal welfare services based on the principle of social justice. We also conclude that the SEM is indistinguishable from neo‐liberalism and as such does not represent a viable solution to unemployment and the welfare needs that accompany it.
Single Parents and Paid Work
Authors: Howe Brian , Pidwell Ruth
Published: December 2016

Radical social changes in household formation over the past three decades have given rise to the single parent family. In spite of the level of public assistance, which is among the most generous in the OECD, research has shown that single parents (usually mothers) are among the most impoverished members of society. Recent legislation is moving toward mandating single parents off public assistance and into paid work in order for them to achieve more sustainable futures. In this paper we argue that this strategy is unlikely to succeed unless the particular needs of single parents are understood and addressed within a broader debate concerning women, care, and paid work. Family‐friendly workplace practices, more extensive publicly funded childcare, and better opportunities for lifelong learning are some of the changes that are urgently needed to assist not only single parents but all who try to combine the dual roles of working and caring.
Globalisation and the Politics of Persuasion and Coercion
Authors: Conley Tom
Published: December 2016

This paper argues that an economic liberal discourse of globalisation has been pivotal to the policy‐making process in Australia over the past 15 or so years. Both Labor and Coalition Governments have aimed to restrict the electoral fall‐out from the process of restructuring by persuading Australians that the world economy has forced particular policy changes and made alternative economic policy choices unviable. Policy‐makers act to influence conceptions of the appropriate role and responsibilities of the state through persuasion – the rhetoric they speak – and coercion – the policies they make. The pervasiveness of globalisation rhetoric in the public sphere has been essential to the governing process as a complement to and buffer for the coercive impact of economic liberal policy changes. As Australia has shifted from a protectionist to an economically liberal policy structure, the effects of globalisation have become clearer. Liberalisation has intensified pressures from the world political economy and coerced changes in all areas of policy and the economy, as well as in public perceptions about the ‘limits of government’. Globalisation and economic liberalism as persuasion and coercion are the component parts of a restructured system of political and economic governance: a paradigmatic shift away from the economic protectionism of the first 80 years of Australian federalism.
Third Sector In Transition – A Question of Sustainability for Community Service Organizations and the Sector?
Authors: Spall Pamela , Zetlin Diane
Published: December 2016

Third sector organizations are transitioning towards entrepreneurial and managerial models as a result of quasi‐market strategies. This paper reports on the research findings of a survey of nonprofit disability organizations in Queensland and Victoria impacted upon by quasi‐market reform. Enterprising organizations were found to have made substantial change to organizational structures and systems, whilst more traditional organizations made few changes. All organizations demonstrated commitment to a social justice ethos. However across the organizational archetypes there were reports of an organizational ‘fragility’. It is argued that the problems of sustainability of community service organizations that existed prior to quasi‐market reforms remain. This implies community service organizations will experience ongoing difficulties in the post‐market era without further rationalization and change. A conceptual framework for sustainability of the community service sector is presented at the policy and organizational level.
Constructing Racism in Australia
Authors: Dunn Kevin M , Forrest James , Burnley Ian , McDonald Amy
Published: December 2016

There is a dearth of empirical evidence on the extent of racist attitudes, broadly defined, in Australia. A telephone survey of 5056 residents in Queensland and NSW examined attitudes to cultural difference, perceptions of the extent of racism, tolerance of specific groups, ideology of nation, perceptions of Anglo‐Celtic cultural privilege, and belief in racialism, racial separatism and racial hierarchy. The research was conducted within a social constructivist understanding of racisms. Racist attitudes are positively associated with age, non‐tertiary education, and to a slightly lesser extent with those who do not speak a language other than English, the Australia‐born, and with males. Anti‐Muslim sentiment is very strong, but there is also a persistence of some intolerance against Asian, Indigenous and Jewish Australians. Those who believe in racial hierarchy and separatism (old racisms) are a minority and are largely the same people who self‐identify as being prejudiced. The ‘new racisms’ of cultural intolerance, denial of Anglo‐privilege and narrow constructions of nation have a much stronger hold. Nonetheless, sociobiologically related understandings of race and nation remain linked to these new racisms. Narrow understandings of what constitutes a nation (and a community) are in tension with equally widely held liberal dispositions towards cultural diversity and dynamism. Encouragingly, most respondents recognise racism as a problem in Australian society and this is a solid basis for anti‐racism initiatives.
Specialised Supported Education for Australians with Psychotic Disorders
Authors: Waghorn Geoff , Still Megan , Chant David , Whiteford Harvey
Published: December 2016

Australia has a network of Federally funded disability employment and vocational rehabilitation services, including a proportion of outlets that specialise in providing services for persons with psychiatric disabilities. However, neither Federal nor State Governments currently provide or fund disability‐specific education assistance to persons with psychiatric disabilities. To begin considering whether Specialised Supported Education is indicated for persons with psychotic disorders, we examined data collected in a national ‘Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers Australia, 1998’. International studies of the effectiveness of overseas Supported Education programs were also examined to identify the forms of assistance most likely to warrant consideration in Australia. U.S.A. evidence indicates that Specialised Supported Education is emerging as an effective career development option for persons with psychotic disorders. An example of an innovative Specialised Supported Education program is provided to illustrate how this type of program can be implemented in Australia.
Is electricity affordable in South Australia?
Authors: Davidson Kathryn
Published: December 2016

The development of retail competition in South Australia has exposed small consumers to substantial price rises in recent years. Such price increases for a service that is regarded as essential in the 21 century raise equity issues. Little research has yet been completed relating to the impact on the community of such prices rises, although a recent review of the socioeconomic indicators that monitor the impact of increasing electricity prices concluded that there had been a decrease in electricity affordability. It is, unfortunately, difficult to make an assessment of the impact of a decrease in electricity affordability because current indicators for measuring the decrease and its effects do not fit within a conceptual framework. This results in ad hoc indicator selection, no clear direction of benchmarks, nor acceptable targets for indicators. Offered in this paper is a discussion of these issues, along with a series of recommendations to support the establishment of a framework to monitor electricity affordability in South Australia.
Room to move? Professional discretion at the frontline of welfare‐to‐work
Authors: McDonald Catherine , Marston Greg
Published: December 2016

Outcomes of social policies have always been mediated by the discretionary agency of front‐line staff, processes which nevertheless have received insufficient attention in policy evaluation and in the social policy literature more broadly. This article takes the case example of the policy reforms associated with the Australian government's welfare‐to‐work agenda. Drawing on two discreet research projects undertaken at different points in the policy trajectory, the practices of social workers in Centrelink – the Commonwealth government's primary service delivery agency involved in welfare‐to‐work – is examined. Centrelink social workers have been and remain one of the core groups of specialist staff since the Department's inception in the late 1940s, working to improve the well being of people in receipt of income security. Their experiences of the recent past and their expectations of the future of their professional practice as welfare reform becomes more entrenched are canvassed. In summary, the discretionary capacity of the Centrelink social workers to moderate or shape the impact of policy on income security recipients is steadily eroding as this group of professionals is increasingly captured by the emerging practices of workfare.
Recouping wage underpayment: increasingly less likely?
Authors: Maconachie Glenda , Goodwin Miles
Published: December 2016

Corporate collapses in Australia have provided stark evidence that employees do not always secure their employment entitlements, despite having a legal right to do so. There has been an implicit assumption in the Australian industrial relations system that employer evasion of employee entitlements is rare. However, our detailed examination of enforcement within the Australian federal industrial relations system shows, for the first time, that despite awards, industrial agreements, union presence and an official enforcement agency, correct payment of entitlements has always been problematic. This paper examines inspection strategy between 1904 and 1995 and makes two points. The first is that changes in strategy have reduced the probability of detection. The second is that shifts towards individual contracts, lower union density, and increased precarious employment have decreased the likelihood of employees' ability to recover monies owed.
Corporate Responsibility and Australian Business: Identifying the Issue
Authors: Schwartz Michael
Published: December 2016

This paper responds to a 2004 paper by Warburton et al. The paper acknowledges their exploration of the corporate responsibilities of Australian business, and the importance of such research given the social impact business has in contemporary Australian society. However, while their paper was concerned with the situation at one specific Australian business and its view of corporate responsibility, this paper attempts to utilise their findings to make a normative argument as to the possibilities for overall corporate responsibility in Australian business. In particular it considers their omission of two primary stakeholder groups, the owners and the workers, in conducting their stakeholder analysis. This paper queries whether if it is not possible to include all stakeholders, it makes sense to omit the other stakeholders too; and rather to agitate for more judicious ownership rights in pursuing the concept of corporate responsibility.
Holding Our Own: Value and Performance in Nonprofit Organisations
Authors: Cheverton Jeff
Published: December 2016

This essay explores the role of values in relation to nonprofit organisations' performance. The centrality of values to performance is explored in relation to staff productivity and motivation, investment in organisational development and leadership from both CEOs and Boards. An argument is developed that values are central to the performance of nonprofit organisations. Despite calls for nonprofit organisations to become more “business‐like”, this essay argues that the third sector's performance is directly related to the mission driven nature of our organisations.
Family Provisions at the Workplace and Their Relationship to Absenteeism, Retention, and Productivity of Workers: Timely Evidence from Prior Data
Authors: Brandon Peter D. , Temple Jeromey B.
Published: December 2016

Using data from the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey, this study provides timely evidence on the effects of on‐site child care at the workplace and employer‐provided family leave on worker absenteeism, turnover, and productivity. The study found that workplaces with on‐site child care compared with workplaces with no on‐site child care had lower rates of absenteeism and higher ratings for worker productivity. Workplaces that had a family leave policy also had lower rates of absenteeism than workplaces that had no such policy in place. Analyses also suggest that workplace characteristics, such as presence of a human‐resources manager or union representative, are associated with higher worker productivity. Firm size, mission, and shift work were other predictors of worker performance. The findings argue strongly for an extensive, new workplace survey that can elucidate how parents today manage to abide by new workplace agreements while still handling the demands of family life.
The Functional Value of Social Capital
Authors: Cox Eva
Published: December 2016

In the decade plus since I raised social capital in the ABC Boyer lectures, too much of recent discussions and work have failed to relate practice and theory. Strong interest in the idea by governments and many practitioners, often looking for measures of community competencies, offer scales of varying merit. At the same time there has been continuing, often bitter, academic debates on the problems of definitions and its possible ideological flaws and origins. This schism has resulted in inadequate rigorous debates on the usefulness or otherwise of the ways in which it is being applied. In exploring this dilemma, I suggest we should accept social capital as the equivalent of fuzzy logic, it works but why isn't clear, so let's focus on how to use it effectively, rather than fighting phantom battles.
Who participates? Socioeconomic Factors Associated with Women's Participation in Voluntary Groups
Authors: Osborne Katy , Ziersch Anna , Baum Fran
Published: December 2016

Participation in voluntary groups is potentially an important way to create health promoting social capital. This paper investigates women's participation in voluntary groups, utilising data from a postal survey of 968 female respondents and in‐depth interviews with 30 women. Logistic regression was conducted to examine factors associated with frequency of women's group involvement. Not working full time, living in a married relationship, and having a university education were all significantly associated with regular involvement. The qualitative data further illustrated some of the ways in which these three factors were linked with women's involvement in groups. We conclude that women who were able to regularly participate were those who already enjoyed levels of social and economic privilege. Policies to promote social capital via participation might focus on identifying what types of group involvement benefit women's health, and increasing the accessibility of such groups to include diverse groups of women.
Feeling motivated yet? Long‐term unemployed people's perspectives on the implementation of workfare in Australia
Authors: Marston Greg , McDonald Catherine
Published: December 2016

A key thrust of labour market policy in Australia and many other western countries is that long‐term unemployed people lack the personal motivation to engage proactively and successfully in the search for paid employment. In this paper we argue that the implementation of what are experienced as paternal workfare programs are counter‐productive to achieving the official policy goal of improving self‐efficacy and gaining paid employment. The empirical discussion presented in the paper is based on a semi‐longitudinal study that tracked 75 long‐term unemployed people in three different labour markets in Australia between 2005–2007. The study was funded by the Australian Research Council and Jobs Australia.
Keeping Australia's Older Workers in the Labour Force. A Policy Perspective
Authors: Walter Maggie , Jackson Natalie , Felmingham Bruce
Published: December 2016

As in other western industrialised countries the structural ageing of the Australian population has significant labour market implications. Government has responded with a range of policies to persuade older workers to abandon early retirement and/or remain in the workforce past traditional retirement ages. But whether this generation of workers will be prepared to change their retirement plans in response to policy encouragement, and whether current policy measures will translate into significant numbers of older workers extending their labour force participation is uncertain. Using the Australian Survey of Retirement Attitudes and Motivations (ASRAM) a recently completed, nationally representative survey of Australian workers aged 40 – 59 years we find that while the Government message about working longer is getting through, older workers are relatively unresponsive to current policy measures. Other policies, especially policies outside the financial realm, are needed to maximise the number of older Australians in the labour force.
Do couples share income? Variation in the organisation of income in dual‐earner households
Authors: Gray Edith , Evans Ann
Published: December 2016

This paper examines the organisation of income of cohabiting and married dual‐income couples. This topic has gained significance as women increase their participation in the labour force, and increasingly bring additional money into the household. Given the increase in cohabitation, researchers have proposed that financial arrangements may differ according to relationship type. We model the effect of relationship type and previous relationship experience using data from a nationally‐representative survey from Australia. The effect of other factors related to the individual and household, such as length of relationship, educational background, home ownership and presence of children, is also explored. We find income organisation varies by whether the person is legally married or cohabiting, which we attribute to the institution of marriage.
Correlates of physical violence at school: A multilevel analysis of Australian high school students
Authors: Grunseit Anne C , Weatherburn Don , Donnelly Neil
Published: December 2016

Studies of school violence have been generally been informed either by social disorganisation or social control theory. However applications of social disorganisation theory to school violence sometimes make little attempt to control for individual differences in propensity to violent behaviour. This study of 2,616 Australian high school students uses multilevel modelling techniques to see whether various characteristics of the school (e.g. lack of clarity about school rules, school responsiveness to racism, school size, ethnic composition) are related to the risk of physical violence between students, once individual and family risk factors for violent behaviour have been taken into account. The results suggest that school characteristics and developmental factors both play an important role in shaping the risk of violence at school.
Severe and Moderate Forms of Food Insecurity in Australia: Are They Distinguishable?
Authors: Temple Jeromey B.
Published: December 2016

Food insecurity, the inability to access an adequate food supply, is often considered an issue confronting developing countries only. Yet, conservative estimates show that about 5 per cent of the Australian population are food insecure at any point in time. This paper uses newly released data from the 2004/05 ABS National Health Survey to examine the prevalence and correlates of the severity of food insecurity, and to uncover potential health and nutrition outcomes. Consistent with previous studies, results show that just over 5 per cent of Australians are food insecure due to financial constraints. Of this figure, about 40 per cent are considered to be ‘severely’ food insecure. That is, the person ran out of money to purchase food, and as a result went without food. A range of economic and socio‐demographic factors were found to be associated with food insecurity, indicating differential access to food supply throughout the Australian population. Results also show significant differences in the self‐reported measures of health, wellbeing and dietary behaviours of the severely insecure, moderatel insecure and food secure Australians.
Social Inclusion and Sport: Culturally diverse women's perspectives
Authors: Cortis Natasha
Published: December 2016

Sport and recreation can help communities to build social inclusion and celebrate diversity. Yet some sport and recreation activities require conformity to social and cultural norms, risking suppressing difference and reinforcing inequality and exclusion. This paper explores these tensions by examining access and barriers to sport and recreation for a large group of Australian women: those from culturally diverse backgrounds. Qualitative data shows that while sport industry representatives justify catering primarily for a mainstream participant base, culturally diverse women identify barriers requiring strategic and targeted policy and program intervention. Implicating the spatial organisation of sport and recreation as sources of marginalisation, culturally diverse women highlight how access‐enhancing initiatives in public, commercial and community sport facilities can play key roles in promoting social inclusion.
Ethical Sharing and Reuse of Qualitative Data
Authors: Bishop Libby
Published: December 2016

The objective of this paper is to attempt to move beyond the impasse of ethical objections to reusing qualitative data. In doing so, there is no intention of dismissing the importance of ethical debates, in fact, quite the opposite. The debate about ethical reuse needs to be deepened and broadened. First, the current terrain of research ethics will be summarised and situated in the context of broader philosophical ethical frameworks. In contrast, the debates around ethics of archiving have often been narrowly focused on participants' rights. The framework of debate should be broadened first by recognising other entities traditionally deemed within the scope of research ethics, namely the scholarly community and the public. The second useful broadening of the framework is provided by a deontological ethical stance with its focus on duties. In the final section, this expanded framework will be used to rebut several common ethical arguments against archiving qualitative data: archiving violates confidentiality; informed consent for reusing data is impossible; reusing data violates trust between researcher and participant; and, archiving creates an unacceptably high risk of data misrepresentation. If a more general philosophical debate on ethics has something to contribute, the central message must be that no single ethical claim is incontestable. The conclusion will position these debates in a wider context by asking what is at stake when the boundaries of ethical discourse about sharing data are drawn too narrowly.
A not so strange silence: Why qualitative researchers should respond critically to the qualitative data archive
Authors: Travers Max
Published: December 2016

A driving force behind the establishment of a qualitative data archive in the United Kingdom has been the oral historian, Paul Thompson. He has complained that there is a ‘strange silence’ among qualitative sociologists on re‐analysis, and that many have been reluctant to deposit data. The first part of the paper suggests that the common ethical and practical objections can be overcome in establishing an archive in Australia. However, there is a more serious underlying ideological objection: that archiving promotes and institutionalises a narrow empiricist version of qualitative research. The rest of the paper makes this case by examining teaching materials on a British website, by reviewing Thompson's arguments, and by considering some examples of re‐analysis by sociologists. It is argued that qualitative researchers should respond critically, but that it is possible to address and overcome these problems when developing an Australian archive.
Contentment and Suffering: the Impact of Australia's Housing Policy and Tenure on Older Australians
Authors: Morris Alan
Published: December 2016

Housing policy in Australia historically has focused on facilitating homeownership and creating some buffer for those households that are not homeowners. This paper explores the implications of this policy for older Australians. What is argued is that housing tenure has become a crucial divide and that older Australians who have not had the good fortune to access homeownership or public / community housing and who are dependent on the private rental sector as a result, often find themselves in desperate circumstances. The argument is developed that the failure to put in place a housing policy which would give all citizens the ability to access adequate and affordable housing, has led to a situation where a substantial and increasing number of older Australians have untenable housing costs and minimal disposal income. The article concludes that the present policy initiatives aimed at addressing the housing affordability crisis will have little impact on the situation of older people who are currently in housing stress.
Ageing Baby Boomers in Australia: Evidence Informing Actions for Better Retirement
Authors: Humpel Nancy , O'Loughlin Kate , Wells Yvonne , Kendig Hal
Published: December 2016

The first Australian baby boomers are starting to retire. Consequently, it is essential to develop and apply a strong evidence base to facilitate their successful retirement and ongoing wellbeing. This review focuses on recent literature on pre‐retirement baby boomers to identify available research findings and gaps to be filled on retirement preparation. A notable shortage of empirical literature was found on pathways to retirement and financial plans. A trend emerged towards an intention to retire at an older age, and the main source of retirement income was expected to be superannuation. Over half of Australian boomers expect their savings to be sufficient; however, 30–50% anticipate a decline in their standard of living. The majority want the responsibility for funding retirement shared between the individual, government and employers. Further research is needed on the varying plans and expectations of men and women, of low‐skilled workers, and those from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Changing society's DNA codes: Democracy and the global movement for community progress measures
Authors: Salvaris Mike , Woolcock Geoff
Published: December 2016

This paper examines some critical issues and opportunities for democracy and public policy posed by the growth of the global progress measurement movement. From the democratic perspective, these include: citizen progress measurement as a form of democratic re‐engagement; the re‐examination of democracy and the development of new indicators to define and measure a ‘healthy’ democracy; and the demonstration of clear linkages between healthy regimes, and broader individual and societal wellbeing. In public policy, the global movement challenges two long dominant assumptions: the primacy of continuous economic growth as the key driver of wellbeing; and the ‘inevitability of progress‘. In their place, it offers a more holistic, integrated and nuanced model that recognises the interdependence of economic, social, cultural, environmental and democratic dimensions for genuine wellbeing, progress and sustainability. The paper reviews work in Australia over the past decade at both local community and national levels as examples of these trends, including the development of citizen‐engaged community planning and neighbourhood renewal schemes in which progress and wellbeing indicators play a central role; the development of state‐wide local progress measurement frameworks as part of a commitment to devolved planning and stronger local democracy; and the evolution of national progress measurement systems. The paper concludes with a proposal for a broad community engaged National Development Index (NDI) for Australia.
The good life for children: Do we really care about the trends?
Authors: Emerson Lance
Published: December 2016

How do we know if Australian children and young people are having a ‘good life‘? What about their lives compared to children and young people in other countries? To answer these questions, the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) produced a Report Card to compare Australian average, Indigenous Australian average, and international or Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) average for a number of measures of child and youth wellbeing. The ARACY Report Card shows that Australian results are average when compared to other OECD countries in most areas of child and youth wellbeing. Most importantly for nearly all indicators, Indigenous Australian children fare substantially less well than the Australian average and the majority of children in other countries. It is argued that community attitudes and behaviours toward children and young people, and our society's focus on wealth creation, are detrimental to children's and young people's wellbeing. The need for a better balance between economic progress and a socially and environmentally sustainable society is discussed, along with a strategy to better meet the emotional needs of children and young people.
Still working for the man? Women's employment experiences in Australia since 1950
Authors: Strachan Glenda
Published: December 2016

This article tackles the question of what is the ‘good life’ for women in employment in Australia through an examination of national legislation and policies. Since 1950 what has been seen as the good life has changed dramatically. The article outlines three phases of change: in the 1950s and 1960s men were regarded as the wage earners and women the homemakers, with women barred from some jobs and paid less than men; in the 1970s legislation and equal pay cases removed overt discrimination against women; from the mid 1980s the complexity of achieving equality for women at work was recognised through equal opportunity legislation, work and family policies and equal pay inquiries. In 2010 the ‘good life’ for women is having the same opportunities and outcomes in employment as men. While policy provisions support this, the reality of achieving this is difficult. So in 2010 many women are still ‘working for the man’ in the context that most managers are men.