title: Procreate and cherish: A note on Australia’s abrupt shift to Pro-Natalism

authors: Jackson, Natalie

subjects: Australia

abstract: After a long history of arguing that Australian governments do not intervene in the bedrooms of the nation, in 2004 the Howard Government did exactly that. Under the enthusiastic choreographing of then Treasurer Peter Costello, it implemented an explicit and indirect fertility policy in the form of a maternity payment, commonly known as the ‘Baby Bonus’. Rising fertility in Australia since that time has been widely claimed as evidence of the policy’s success. Hailed as a mini ‘baby boom’, Costello was moved to describe the policy as a shift from ‘population or perish’ to ‘procreate and cherish’. Despite arguing against it while in Opposition, the policy has been continued with only a few changes by the incumbent Rudd Government, seemingly on the grounds that it may indeed be responsible for the recent ‘nudging up’ of birth rates.
This paper traces the policy shift and concludes with a brief analysis of Australian trends across the period of the Baby Bonus (2004-2008), showing that one quarter of the increase in numbers is due to cohort size, but noting that fertility has also risen in many developed countries across the same period and thus trends in Australia may just be part of a broader trend – and/or in part an artifact of the index used to measure fertility. It also draws attention to the collateral effect of an increased dependency ratio, with the mini ‘boom’ reaching school age at the very moment the post war baby boomers reach retirement age – as forewarned by Costello in 2002 when initially rejecting the idea of a Baby Bonus.

text: Procreate and cherish: A note on Australia’s abrupt shift to Pro-Natalism After a long history of arguing that Australian governments do not intervene in the bedrooms of the nation, in 2004 the Howard Government did exactly that. Under the enthusiastic choreographing of then Treasurer Peter Costello, it implemented an explicit and indirect fertility policy in the form of a maternity payment, commonly known as the ‘Baby Bonus’. Rising fertility in Australia since that time has been widely claimed as evidence of the policy’s success. Hailed as a mini ‘baby boom’, Costello was moved to describe the policy as a shift from ‘population or perish’ to ‘procreate and cherish’. Despite arguing against it while in Opposition, the policy has been continued with only a few changes by the incumbent Rudd Government, seemingly on the grounds that it may indeed be responsible for the recent ‘nudging up’ of birth rates.
This paper traces the policy shift and concludes with a brief analysis of Australian trends across the period of the Baby Bonus (2004-2008), showing that one quarter of the increase in numbers is due to cohort size, but noting that fertility has also risen in many developed countries across the same period and thus trends in Australia may just be part of a broader trend – and/or in part an artifact of the index used to measure fertility. It also draws attention to the collateral effect of an increased dependency ratio, with the mini ‘boom’ reaching school age at the very moment the post war baby boomers reach retirement age – as forewarned by Costello in 2002 when initially rejecting the idea of a Baby Bonus.

year: 2009

title: Good mothering in precarity: The societal expectations of solo mothers in Aotearoa - an exploration of the food sourcing, providing and preparing practices or three low-income solo mothers.

authors: McKinnon, Caroline Anne

abstract: This thesis examines the intersection of food insecurity and solo motherhood in Aotearoa New Zealand, focussing on how low-income solo mothers navigate the challenges of food sourcing, preparing, and providing for themselves and their children, with particular attention to the role of the school or ECE lunchbox. Using a qualitative case study methodology, grounded in social and feminist constructionism, this research explores the lived experiences of three solo mothers, Helen, Constance and Melissa, through semi-structured interviews, photo-elicitation, and shop-along interviews.
The findings of this research suggest that food insecurity for solo mothers represents just one layer of broader precarity. In each of the cases, systemic barriers related to welfare, employment and housing significantly shaped their food providing practices. Beyond financial constraints, societal expectations of intensive mothering and the nuclear family unit further compounded their experiences. The pervasive nature of these ideals created conditions of unattainable self-sacrificial parenting that negatively contributed towards the solo mothers’ abilities to thrive.
This research underscores the importance of examining the broader social, cultural and economic contexts of solo mothers in Aotearoa New Zealand when exploring food insecurity and marginalisation for solo mothers.

text: Good mothering in precarity: The societal expectations of solo mothers in Aotearoa - an exploration of the food sourcing, providing and preparing practices or three low-income solo mothers. This thesis examines the intersection of food insecurity and solo motherhood in Aotearoa New Zealand, focussing on how low-income solo mothers navigate the challenges of food sourcing, preparing, and providing for themselves and their children, with particular attention to the role of the school or ECE lunchbox. Using a qualitative case study methodology, grounded in social and feminist constructionism, this research explores the lived experiences of three solo mothers, Helen, Constance and Melissa, through semi-structured interviews, photo-elicitation, and shop-along interviews.
The findings of this research suggest that food insecurity for solo mothers represents just one layer of broader precarity. In each of the cases, systemic barriers related to welfare, employment and housing significantly shaped their food providing practices. Beyond financial constraints, societal expectations of intensive mothering and the nuclear family unit further compounded their experiences. The pervasive nature of these ideals created conditions of unattainable self-sacrificial parenting that negatively contributed towards the solo mothers’ abilities to thrive.
This research underscores the importance of examining the broader social, cultural and economic contexts of solo mothers in Aotearoa New Zealand when exploring food insecurity and marginalisation for solo mothers.

year: 2024

title: On the stage Māori medium ITE: Listening to students’ voices

authors: Lee-Morgan, Jenny Bol Jun

subjects: Māori medium education

abstract: Māori-medium initial teacher education (ITE) is a small but highly important group ‘on stage’ in te ao Māori and New Zealand education. While education plays a major role in Māori language revitalisation, Māori language is also pivotal to Māori education if the aspiration ‘to live as Māori’ (Durie, 2001) is to be fulfilled. Māori-medium teachers are critical to the success of learners and their whānau who select a Māori-medium pathway and who can make a meaningful difference to the educational outcomes of Māori (Hōhepa, Hāwea, Tamatea, & Heaton, 2014). This article draws on the students’ voices in a two-year research project that centered on the development of a teaching and learning initiative within one Māori-medium ITE programme. Building on previous work by Hōhepa et al. (2014), this study adds another layer of students’ voices to understand more clearly language related issues and student experiences in Māori-medium ITE programmes. The article presents some of the complexities associated with Māori language regeneration facing students of Māori-medium ITE, with the understanding that whatever appears on the stage is always part of a greater narrative behind the scenes.

text: On the stage Māori medium ITE: Listening to students’ voices Māori-medium initial teacher education (ITE) is a small but highly important group ‘on stage’ in te ao Māori and New Zealand education. While education plays a major role in Māori language revitalisation, Māori language is also pivotal to Māori education if the aspiration ‘to live as Māori’ (Durie, 2001) is to be fulfilled. Māori-medium teachers are critical to the success of learners and their whānau who select a Māori-medium pathway and who can make a meaningful difference to the educational outcomes of Māori (Hōhepa, Hāwea, Tamatea, & Heaton, 2014). This article draws on the students’ voices in a two-year research project that centered on the development of a teaching and learning initiative within one Māori-medium ITE programme. Building on previous work by Hōhepa et al. (2014), this study adds another layer of students’ voices to understand more clearly language related issues and student experiences in Māori-medium ITE programmes. The article presents some of the complexities associated with Māori language regeneration facing students of Māori-medium ITE, with the understanding that whatever appears on the stage is always part of a greater narrative behind the scenes.

year: 2017