Centre for Policy Development's Blog, page 135

Ben Eltham & Marcus Westbury: The change Australia's cultural policy needs

CPD Fellows Ben Eltham and Marcus Westbury continue to challenge dominant ideas about arts and cultural policy in Australia. They offer their own ideas about what is needed to transform outdated arts policy and the disparate strands of policy impacting on other cultural areas into a vibrant, co-ordinated, and modern cultural policy.

"Society is becoming more culturally diverse. Immigration, demographic change and new technologies and communications media have transformed the spectrum of cultural choices available. The large-scale infrastructure and mass subscription model that underpins the logic of many funded arts organisations is poorly equipped to respond to the plethora of new artists, art forms, audiences, genres and sub-cultures emerging in a rapidly changing cultural dynamic."

The ideas Ben and Marcus raise have triggered much public debate in Australia about the current way arts and broader cultural policy functions, and the future for this vital component of Australian society.

The full article is available from On Line Opinion here. The article itself is based on the chapter 'Cultural Policy in Australia', from CPD's book More Than Luck: Ideas Australia Needs Now, which can be ordered here.

Help us launch CPD's first-ever hard-copy book!

More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now | Book Launch
When: Friday November 26th 2010 at 6:00pm
Where: Berkelouw Books Newtown, 6-8 O'Connell Street, Newtown
Who: Maxine McKew, John Hewson & John Menadue

"Politics is not a horse race, but if you're anything like me and you're only just recovering from the 'mule-trading' vibe of election 2010, More Than Luck is a brilliant place to restore your faith. What sweet relief to find a collection of words, sentences, pages, chapters, a whole book that reminds us of the possibility these current times offer us."

- Clare Bowditch, Musician

Australian politics is broken. Carefully targeted talking points and deliberate ambiguity may help win elections, but it is no way to run a country. To address our myriad of complex challenges we need vision and policy proposals that won't fall apart as soon as the press conference is over.

We asked 25 leading Australian policy thinkers and researchers to come up with creative, ambitious and achievable ideas for change. More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now illustrates what is needed to share this country's good luck amongst all Australians – now and in the future. It is both a collection of ideas for citizens who want real change and a to-do list for politicians looking to base public policies on the kind of future Australians really want.

"It's time for Australia to show that we are not just a lucky country but a country that knows how to make our luck last."

– Mark Davis & Miriam Lyons, Editors, More Than Luck

More Than Luck is a book which citizens who want to hear about policy ideas beyond the sound-bytes cannot afford miss. http://morethanluck.cpd.org.au/

Order your copy of More Than Luck now.

Support CPD today and help make more good ideas matter.

Come help us launch CPD's first-ever hard-copy book!

More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now | Book Launch
When: Friday November 26th 2010 at 6:00pm
Where: Berkelouw Books Newtown, 6-8 O'Connell Street, Newtown
Who: Maxine McKew, John Hewson & John Menadue

"Politics is not a horse race, but if you're anything like me and you're only just recovering from the 'mule-trading' vibe of election 2010, More Than Luck is a brilliant place to restore your faith. What sweet relief to find a collection of words, sentences, pages, chapters, a whole book that reminds us of the possibility these current times offer us."

- Clare Bowditch, Musician

Australian politics is broken. Carefully targeted talking points and deliberate ambiguity may help win elections, but it is no way to run a country. To address our myriad of complex challenges we need vision and policy proposals that won't fall apart as soon as the press conference is over.

We asked 25 leading Australian policy thinkers and researchers to come up with creative, ambitious and achievable ideas for change. More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now illustrates what is needed to share this country's good luck amongst all Australians – now and in the future. It is both a collection of ideas for citizens who want real change and a to-do list for politicians looking to base public policies on the kind of future Australians really want.

"It's time for Australia to show that we are not just a lucky country but a country that knows how to make our luck last."

– Mark Davis & Miriam Lyons, Editors, More Than Luck

More Than Luck is a book which citizens who want to hear about policy ideas beyond the sound-bytes cannot afford miss. http://morethanluck.cpd.org.au/

Order your copy of More Than Luck now.

Support CPD today and help make more good ideas matter.

** Launched by Maxine McKew, John Hewson & John Menadue **

Australia is one step closer to an integrated health system | Jennifer Doggett

CPD health expert, Jennifer Doggett, takes a look at the introduction last week into Federal Parliament of legislation to establish the National Health and Hospitals Network (NHHN). It's a step closer to an integrated health system, but she points out a number of challenges Gillard's minority government will need to overcome if we are to realise a more efficient, responsive and consumer-focused health system.

Australia is one step closer to an integrated health system, due to the introduction last week into Federal Parliament of legislation to establish the National Health and Hospitals Network (NHHN). The NHHN will put into effect COAG's agreement on handing responsibility for 60% of hospital funding and 100% of primary care to the Commonwealth and will form the foundation of the planned reforms of our health system.

The reforms aim to address some of the fundamental problems with health care in Australia today, including the division of funding and service delivery responsibility between Federal and State/Territory governments resulting in both gaps and duplications in services and creating barriers to the provision of coordinated care.

The introduction of the legislation is a crucial step in realising the goals of health reform for a more efficient, responsive and consumer-focused health system. However, there remain a number of implementation challenges which will need to be overcome to ensure these goals can be met. Three of these are as follows:

Consumer input: the success of any health system can be measured by the degree to which it meets the needs of consumers. For the planned health reforms to deliver the promised gains of improved health outcomes, they need to address the needs and concerns of consumers. The Government has made a promising start to obtaining input from the community during the initial stages of the health reform process. This needs to be sustained during the implementation of the reforms, in particular, in relation to the planning and delivery of community-based health services, such as Super Clinics.

Consumer consultation needs to occur at all levels of the planning and implementation process and involve consumers in a range of capacities. These include appointing trained and skilled consumer representatives to relevant boards and committees, seeking feedback from clients of health services on the care they have received and obtaining the views of the broader community on the values and principles that should underlie our health system. A particular challenge will be to obtain input and feedback from consumer groups which often feel marginalised from traditional general practices for financial, social or cultural reasons, including young people, Indigenous Australians and people who inject drugs illicitly. Partnering with peak consumer bodies and groups that already work with and are trusted by these groups will be the key to obtaining input from a broad consumer base.

Integration: a central aim of the planned reforms is to deliver a more integrated health system. A better integrated health system will mean that consumers experience their health care as a coordinated and seamless process, even when provided by multiple professionals in different locations. It also means that consumers can receive timely health care in the most appropriate setting. For example, people at risk of developing chronic diseases can be identified and treated in their community before their problems become more serious and require hospitalisation. This will reduce the current high incidence of preventable hospital admissions and take pressure of our stressed public hospital system.

Currently, while there is a stated commitment to greater integration of the health system through the reform process, no specific mechanism has been identified to achieve this aim. This needs to be addressed through specific strategies which build on current successful models already working in local areas to enable their expansion and adoption more broadly. For example, the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association has proposed that regional entities be funded to develop integrated models of care, against national guidelines. This would support the development of models which best fit the needs of local consumers and service providers, rather than imposing a rigid one-size-fits-all model which will not suit the diverse health care needs of our population.

Evaluation: without a robust evaluation of the health reform process it will be difficult to know whether, and to what extent, the changes have achieved their stated aims. Our health system should be constantly evolving and improving to meet the changing needs of the community and this can only occur where there is an ongoing evaluation process to inform future changes.

Clearly, consumers must play a central role in any evaluation process. A key challenge will be to include the views of consumers who have (or are at risk of) a health problem but who are not currently accessing care. It's relatively easy to obtain the views of clients of a particular health service but much harder to locate potential clients in order to identify why they are not accessing care. While the Government has indicated that it plans to evaluate elements of the reform process (for example, the Super Clinics), no plan has been put into place for an overall evaluation. This needs to be addressed through the development of a comprehensive evaluation strategy which identifies and measures the key outcomes of the reform process and which is implemented independent of government and driven by consumer needs.

Finally, it should also be noted that a major gap in the reform process is the omission of oral and dental health services. The failure to include dental health within the scope of the reforms will increase the incidence of health and social problems related to dental issues and further entrench the inequities in access to dental care in our community. If the Government is genuinely committed to comprehensive health reform it will stop treating the mouth as separate from the rest of the human body and ensure that all Australians can access affordable dental care in their local communities.

Australia is one step closer to an integrated helath system | Jennifer Doggett

CPD health expert, Jennifer Doggett, takes a look at the introduction last week into Federal Parliament of legislation to establish the National Health and Hospitals Network (NHHN). It's a step closer to an integrated health system, but she points out a number of challenges Gillard's minority government will need to overcome if we are to realise a more efficient, responsive and consumer-focused health system.

Australia is one step closer to an integrated health system, due to the introduction last week into Federal Parliament of legislation to establish the National Health and Hospitals Network (NHHN). The NHHN will put into effect COAG's agreement on handing responsibility for 60% of hospital funding and 100% of primary care to the Commonwealth and will form the foundation of the planned reforms of our health system.

The reforms aim to address some of the fundamental problems with health care in Australia today, including the division of funding and service delivery responsibility between Federal and State/Territory governments resulting in both gaps and duplications in services and creating barriers to the provision of coordinated care.

The introduction of the legislation is a crucial step in realising the goals of health reform for a more efficient, responsive and consumer-focused health system. However, there remain a number of implementation challenges which will need to be overcome to ensure these goals can be met. Three of these are as follows:

Consumer input: the success of any health system can be measured by the degree to which it meets the needs of consumers. For the planned health reforms to deliver the promised gains of improved health outcomes, they need to address the needs and concerns of consumers. The Government has made a promising start to obtaining input from the community during the initial stages of the health reform process. This needs to be sustained during the implementation of the reforms, in particular, in relation to the planning and delivery of community-based health services, such as Super Clinics.

Consumer consultation needs to occur at all levels of the planning and implementation process and involve consumers in a range of capacities. These include appointing trained and skilled consumer representatives to relevant boards and committees, seeking feedback from clients of health services on the care they have received and obtaining the views of the broader community on the values and principles that should underlie our health system. A particular challenge will be to obtain input and feedback from consumer groups which often feel marginalised from traditional general practices for financial, social or cultural reasons, including young people, Indigenous Australians and people who inject drugs illicitly. Partnering with peak consumer bodies and groups that already work with and are trusted by these groups will be the key to obtaining input from a broad consumer base.

Integration: a central aim of the planned reforms is to deliver a more integrated health system. A better integrated health system will mean that consumers experience their health care as a coordinated and seamless process, even when provided by multiple professionals in different locations. It also means that consumers can receive timely health care in the most appropriate setting. For example, people at risk of developing chronic diseases can be identified and treated in their community before their problems become more serious and require hospitalisation. This will reduce the current high incidence of preventable hospital admissions and take pressure of our stressed public hospital system.

Currently, while there is a stated commitment to greater integration of the health system through the reform process, no specific mechanism has been identified to achieve this aim. This needs to be addressed through specific strategies which build on current successful models already working in local areas to enable their expansion and adoption more broadly. For example, the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association has proposed that regional entities be funded to develop integrated models of care, against national guidelines. This would support the development of models which best fit the needs of local consumers and service providers, rather than imposing a rigid one-size-fits-all model which will not suit the diverse health care needs of our population.

Evaluation: without a robust evaluation of the health reform process it will be difficult to know whether, and to what extent, the changes have achieved their stated aims. Our health system should be constantly evolving and improving to meet the changing needs of the community and this can only occur where there is an ongoing evaluation process to inform future changes.

Clearly, consumers must play a central role in any evaluation process. A key challenge will be to include the views of consumers who have (or are at risk of) a health problem but who are not currently accessing care. It's relatively easy to obtain the views of clients of a particular health service but much harder to locate potential clients in order to identify why they are not accessing care. While the Government has indicated that it plans to evaluate elements of the reform process (for example, the Super Clinics), no plan has been put into place for an overall evaluation. This needs to be addressed through the development of a comprehensive evaluation strategy which identifies and measures the key outcomes of the reform process and which is implemented independent of government and driven by consumer needs.

Finally, it should also be noted that a major gap in the reform process is the omission of oral and dental health services. The failure to include dental health within the scope of the reforms will increase the incidence of health and social problems related to dental issues and further entrench the inequities in access to dental care in our community. If the Government is genuinely committed to comprehensive health reform it will stop treating the mouth as separate from the rest of the human body and ensure that all Australians can access affordable dental care in their local communities.

FODI 2010 | Marcus Westbury asks 'What's so special about Opera?"

Marcus Westbury has been looking at the disparities that exist between our arts funding preferences – and in the process has been part of a discussion that is long overdue about new models for supporting arts and artists. In looking at what is wrong with current arts policy and the need for a more encompassing set of policy tools, Marcus considers what cultural forms we value and why?

If you missed this at the Sydney Opera House's recent Festival of Dangerous Ideas, you can watch it online here.

James Arvanitakis | The Climate science is done.. right?

Climate sceptics in government and the media have seized upon a major report admitting uncertainties in climate science. The report, titled Climate Change: A Summary of the Science, encapsulates the "current evidence on climate change and its drivers, highlighting the areas where the science is well established, where there is still some debate, and where substantial uncertainties remain".

So, CPD's James Arvanitakis asks is it time to breathe easy?

Read the full article in New Matilda.

Ian McAuley | What the auditor couldn't see

Ian McAuley has just read through the ANAO report into the Home Insulation Program and sheds light on what the Canberra bureaucrats and the media have not made clear about the implementation of the scheme and the home insulation industry. Delve a little further than the auditor does to see what went wrong.

Read Ian's article in New Matilda.

Hiring now: Research Director | CPD Sustainable Economy Program

We're hiring now: Research Director for our Sustainable Economy Program

Help develop the evidence and ideas we need to make Australia's economy sustainable
Full-time, two-year position
Based in Sydney

About the CPD

The Centre for Policy Development is a non-profit research institute that provides a platform for progressive ideas for policy change. CPD combats short-termism in public policy by developing and communicating long-term policy agendas, based on original and credible research. The Centre for Policy Development makes good ideas matter – putting options for fair and sustainable policy reform at the heart of public debate in Australia.

A small and dedicated group of staff and volunteers have built the CPD into a well-respected and effective policy voice. We are now looking for a research director for the Sustainable Economy Program.

Position Summary

The Sustainable Economy Program will develop and highlight options for Australia to make a rapid transition to an economy that is environmentally and socially sustainable. The Program is underpinned by an understanding of the problems caused by systemic short-termism in both the public and private sectors and by the failure to value public goods which are hard to measure or monetise. The Program will address these problems by demonstrating the value of Australia's natural wealth, and developing a positive, evidence-backed agenda for sustainable industry policy.

The Research Director is responsible for conducting and communicating research in these areas. This position is also responsible for managing the day-to-day business of the Program and developing and implementing strategies for the quality, financial sustainability and public impact of the Program over the long term.

The successful applicant will be an ideas person with strong research and communication skills, who can combine a big-picture vision on Australia's economic future with an eye for detail and a knack for economic and policy analysis. The Research Director will need to be reliable, resourceful, creative, and able to make things happen quickly, with minimal resources and supervision. This position gives you a chance to put great ideas at the centre of public debate.

Roles & responsibilities:

Conducting and coordinating the Sustainable Economy Program's research

Conduct research and write high-quality, accessible reports on the Program's two core themes: 'valuing what matters' and 'sustainable industry policy'
Coordinate research on these themes from CPD fellows and others – this may involve coordinating collaborative research projects, co-authoring some papers, editing and arranging peer review for research contributed by others
Promote the results of the Sustainable Economy Program's research through the media, public forums and other forms of communication

Program management

Managing the resources, workflow and budget of the program
Reporting to the Executive Director, Board and funders on the program, research projects and project outcomes
Working with the CPD Executive Director to identify, cost and resource new research projects
Working with other CPD staff to develop and implement communication strategies for the program and its projects

Selection Criteria

Essential

A passion for fair, sustainable and democratic policy reform
Qualifications and/or experience in economic analysis and modelling
Excellent policy research skills
Relevant academic qualifications
Program and/or project management skills and experience
Clear understanding of research, policy development and policy processes
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Excellent attention to detail and ability to work independently
Excellent interpersonal skills – ability to establish and maintain good relationships with funders and stakeholders; and to work with and ensure the quality of contributions by other researchers
Ability to coordinate research projects involving multiple contributors
Ability to manage research assistants and volunteers

Desired

Significant academic or professional public policy experience
Strong public speaking and/or media experience
Familiarity with and aptitude for online collaboration and content management

Conditions

This is a full time position. Flexible hours can be negotiated. Base salary is $71,000. The position is based in Sydney, but we will consider applications from other locations. It is envisaged that the Sustainable Economy Program will run until late 2012, and that the Research Director will occupy the position for the duration of the program, subject to performance.

To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter addressing the selection criteria to admin@cpd.org.au. For more information or to discuss, please email admin@cpd.org.au or call 02 9514 2034.

Hiring now: Research Director | CPD's Public Service Research Program

We're hiring now: Research Director for our NEW Public Service Research Program

Make good ideas matter on the future of the public service in Australia
4 days a week
Based in Sydney

About the CPD

The Centre for Policy Development is a non-profit research institute that provides a platform for progressive ideas for policy change. CPD combats short-termism in public policy by developing and communicating long-term policy agendas, based on original and credible research. The Centre for Policy Development makes good ideas matter – putting options for fair and sustainable policy reform at the heart of public debate in Australia.

A small and dedicated group of staff and volunteers have built the CPD into a well-respected and effective policy voice. We are now looking for a research director for a new program on the future of the public service in Australia.

Position Summary

The CPD's new Public Service Program will combine big-picture thinking on the role of government in the 21st Century with practical research on options for public sector reform. The Public Service Research Director will need to conduct the majority of research within the program, ensure the quality and success of the program over the long term, and coordinate the development of the program's policy agenda and publications.

The successful applicant will have strong research and communication skills, and be able combine a progressive vision for the future of Australia's public services with an eye for detail and a knack for policy analysis. The Research Director will need to be reliable, resourceful, creative, and able to make things happen quickly and with minimal resources and supervision. This position gives you a chance to put great ideas at the heart of public debate in Australia.

Roles & responsibilities:

Conducting and coordinating the Public Service Program's research
Conduct research and write high-quality, accessible reports
Coordinate research on the program's core themes from CPD fellows and others – this may involve coordinating collaborative research projects, co-authoring some papers, editing and arranging peer review for research contributed by others
Promote the results of the Public Service Program's research through the media, public forums and other forms of communication

Program management

Managing the resources, workflow and budget of the program
Reporting to the Executive Director, Board and funders on the program, research projects and project outcomes
Working with the CPD Executive Director to identify, cost and resource new research projects
Working with other CPD staff to develop and implement communication strategies for the program and its projects

Selection Criteria

Essential

A passion for fair, sustainable and democratic policy reform
Excellent research skills, preferably both qualitative and quantitative
Clear understanding of policy development and political processes
Relevant academic qualifications
Significant academic or professional public policy experience
Program and project management skills
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Attention to detail and ability to work independently
Excellent interpersonal skills – ability to establish and maintain good relationships with funders and stakeholders; and to work with and ensure the quality of contributions by other researchers
Ability to coordinate research projects involving multiple contributors
Ability to manage research assistants and volunteers

Desired

Significant public service experience
Qualifications and/or experience in economic analysis
Strong public speaking and/or media experience
Familiarity with and aptitude for online collaboration and content management

Conditions

This is a part time position, for four days a week. Base salary is $71,000 pro rata. The position is based in Sydney. It is envisaged that the Public Service Program will run until late 2012, and that the Program Director will occupy the position for the duration of the program, subject to performance.

To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter addressing the selection criteria to admin@cpd.org.au. For more information or to discuss, please email admin@cpd.org.au or call 02 9514 2034.