Centre for Policy Development's Blog, page 126

Chris Bonnor | Not All Students Are Created Equal

My School showed that it's the students who walk in the gate each morning who determine the difference between schools. The conversation about schools funding hasn't yet twigged to this, argues Chris Bonnor.

Read Chris Bonnor's article in New Matilda here

Ben Eltham | A Five Point Carbon PR Strategy

Ben Eltham gives some PR advice to our PM. The tax is fine, he argues, but again the ALP are doing a poor job selling their policies to the Australian public. Ben puts forward a five-point marketing strategy aimed at convincing Australians about the urgency of acting upon climate change. If Labor continue to fail to justify their policies, not only will their popularity continue to dwindle but real action on climate change will stall.

Read Ben's Five Point Carbon PR Strategy in New Matilda here

Ben Eltham | Hey Cate, you wouldn't know a cultural heart if you planned it yourself

Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton are out of touch, argues Ben Eltham. From their state-sponsored ivory tower they can't see where Sydney's real cultural beats are played.

Read Ben Eltham's response to their vision for culture & the arts in Sydney in Crikey here.

Ian Dunlop | The Carbon Debate Heats Up (Part One)

The debate on a carbon tax is heating up. But the name-calling and failed attempts to implement a carbon tax leaves most Australians confused about where they stand.

CPD's Ian Dunlop looks beyond the scepticism, to find policies that are informed by the science. He considers whether the carbon tax is a step in the right direction. What is clear is that if we continue on our current projections, the repercussions for future generations is huge.

Listen to what Ian Dunlop has to say on BNET here.

Eva Cox | Evening Lecture: The Next Hundred Years

The first wave thought the vote would do it, the second that laws and equal opportunities would solve the inequities but we are not there yet, wherever there is. On the one hand, we have made a lot of changes in the last hundred years but now we seem to be stalled. Do we need to rethink again?

On the centenary of International Women's Day, the History Council of NSW and Macquarie University present this lecture by Eva Cox, CPD Fellow and well known academic and feminist.

More information here.

When: Tuesday 8 March 2011, 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Where: Museum of Sydney

Cost: $30.00 general, $25.00 HHT/HCNSW

RSVP: 02 8239 2211 or www.tickets.hht.net.au

Eva Cox | Macho economics still rules the agenda

With a female PM, governor general and three female premiers many say that women have reached equality in Australia.  Yet consistently feminine social values are undervalued and overshadowed in government by trade and economics. How far have we come on this centenary of International Women's Day? And why has feminism become a dirty word for some?

Eva Cox argues that we need to re-evaluate the importance of social policy and put a healthy society in front of a growing economy. See her article for The Age here.

Chris Bonnor | My School 2.0: getting better by the degrees?

The flaws in My School 1.0 were widely apparent. The question is does the shiny new version embodied in My School 2.0 fix the system?

There are a lot of new features which allow more comprehensive comparison of schools, most notably of which is the users ability to view individual school financing.

Chris Bonnor examines the new website in detail and asks whether My School 2.0 will deliver real improvements at all. See his article in Inside Story here.

Your ideas on the Public Service & Govt: Take our Survey

We've launched our Public Service Research Program and welcomed our new Research Director, James Whelan on board. He shared some of his ideas about the program, and what he thinks about the role of government and public services in our lives.

Now over to you….What have you done for me lately?

We want to hear about what you think about the role of government and public services in your life.



CLICK HERE to tell us what you think.

Has the relationship been shaky? What are some of your ideas about how to bring the love back – for everyone involved? What are governments doing well and what can they be doing better to help our environment, society and economy face our biggest challenges?

Note: Your comments may be published in future CPD content, but only after we seek your permission. We may follow up with you for more on your ideas as the program develops.

James Whelan | Meet our new Public Service Research Director

Three decades of 'reform' in public sectors around the world have seen significant changes in the way public services are delivered. We need a 21st century re-think!

And so we've launched our Public Service Research Program. The program aims to:

define a vision for the role of government in Australia
articulate values, principles and a policy framework for the future of the public service
ensure that governments recognise the importance of publicly provided services and that those services are properly funded over the long term

Read more about the program here.

To lead the program, we welcome James Whelan to the CPD team. You can read James' bio here and contact him at james.whelan@cpd.org.au

Here's what James shared about his hopes for the program when we sat down to chat with him:

CPD: What do you hope to achieve as Director of the Public Service Program?

James: I've joined a team at the CPD to raise the profile of the Australian Public Service in the minds of both citizens and the Australian Government, to get us thinking about the kind of government we believe in and the relationship we'd like to have with that government. I'm looking forward to participating in some lively conversations about the Australian Public Service – through gatherings, online dialogue and a series of CPD papers.

CPD: When I say government, what do you think?

James: Government is our society's chosen arrangement to meet needs that can't be provided by the private or community sectors alone. Many services are most effectively and efficiently provided by government, either alone or in partnership with industry and community. In Australia, state and federal governments assure citizens access to essential services such as health and housing, education, transport and security, regardless of their circumstances. We invest heavily in these services: committing almost one-third of our gross domestic product and creating a workforce of more than 160,000 Australians. But I think we need to ask whether we're getting the best return on this investment. Are we investing adequately? How can we ensure the Australian Public Service delivers services effectively and efficiently?

CPD: Some would argue that we are poorly served by government. Senator Cory Bernardi, for instance, argues that governments fail to consider the consequences of their policy decisions, impose taxes arbitrarily and have plunged us into debt. Do you think Australians hate government?

James: We don't hate government, but we do have a shaky relationship. The public service, after all, exists to serve us. Yet too few Australians feel unconditionally positive about paying taxes or about some forms of government intervention. Like a couple in a stale long-term relationship, we have come to take each other for granted and to find fault more often than appreciating the other. This program will explore what it would take to refresh the relationship between citizens and our national public service, to bring back the spark and romance.

CPD: What's one example where government has made our lives better?

James: Without being religious about it (though I am a firm believer in public services), my life is better each day because of government… and government public services. I travel by bus, enjoy public media, draw on my publicly-funded education and rely on one of the world's best public health systems. And on the weekend, I'm planning to enjoy an amazing natural place that was conserved through regulation and is well managed by public servants. Government – what's not to love?!

WE WANT YOUR IDEAS

We want to hear about what you think about the role of government and public services in your life.



CLICK HERE to tell us what you think.

Has the relationship been shaky? What are some of your ideas about how to bring the love back – for everyone involved? What are governments doing well and what can they be doing better to help our environment, society and economy face our biggest challenges?

Note: Your comments may be published in future CPD content, but only after we seek your permission. We may follow up with you for more on your ideas as the program develops.

Miriam Lyons | Women's business: All sorted?

You'd hope so 100 years down the track. We've got the vote, paid parental leave is finally here and the gender balance in politics is looking healthier. But there's plenty of work left to do.

Equal pay is still not a reality, women face uncertain retirements with little or no superannuation and many indigenous women still face some basic challenges.

In 1911, the first International Women's Day rallies were held campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

How far have we come, and what's in store for the next generation of women?

Live from the ABC Ultimo Centre in Sydney, ABC Radio National's Life Matters program broadcasts a special forum on the centenary of International Womens' Day. Miriam Lyons joins a panel to consider 'Women's Business' and they ask is it all sorted?

CPD's Miriam Lyons joins Marie Bashir (NSW Governor), Ann Sherry (Chief Executive Officer, Carnival Australia), Kirstie Parker (Editor, Koori Mail) and Tanya Plibersek (Minister for Human Services, and Community Services, and Member for Sydney).

Listen to the podcast on ABC Radio National's Life Matters here.