Seminar on Welfare-to-Work Policies: past, present and possible futures
- Event Name
- Seminar on Welfare-to-Work Policies: past, present and possible futures
- Date
- 8 October 2012
- Time
- 02:00 pm - 04:00 pm
- Location
- Parramatta Campus
Address (Room): Female Orphan School (Building EZ)
- Description
- In this seminar Professor Greg Marston will discuss the recent trajectory of welfare-to-work policies in Australia, using a range of conceptual tools and empirical material, including his own research into the implementation of welfare-to-work through the Jobs Services Australia model in the mid 2000s. Professor Marston will place the present policies in a historical and cross-national context to critically discuss where Australia is heading with its unemployment and anti-poverty strategies. In this discussion he will outline the criteria upon which welfare-to-work policies might be considered a success, and he will also draw on theories of social justice and autonomy to evaluate the normative foundations of welfare-to-work policies. Sally Cowling, Manager Research and Program Development with UnitingCare Children, Young People and Families, will act as the respondent. The seminar invites a discussion as to whether alternatives to 'strong paternalism' are likely to emerge in the not too distant future, and Professor Marston will share his concerns regarding the social inclusion policy framework of the present national government and ideas for how we might do better. RSVP by 2 October 2012.
Speakers: Greg Marston is Professor of Social Policy in the School of Public Health and Social Work at QUT. He has previously held positions at The University of Queensland and RMIT University and visiting appointments at Melbourne University, Lund University and The University of Chicago. Prior to entering academia Greg worked in community services at the local, state and national level. Greg's main research interests are the impact of various social and economic policies on ordinary citizens, comparative social policy and contemporary social theory. He is presently completing a book with Emeritus Professor Catherine McDonald highlighting the tensions and contradictions between social, fiscal and occupational welfare in Australia. Sally Cowling is Manager, Research and Program Development with UnitingCare Children, Young People and Families (UnitingCare CYPF). Her role is focused on building an evidence base to foster a high quality practice, to establish the policy frameworks which best support children, young people and families experiencing acute disadvantage and to facilitate research-based advocacy. Prior to joining UnitingCare CYPF, Sally held research fellowships at the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Full Employment and Equity and served as a senior policy advisor to the Federal Labor Party. She has published widely on welfare systems in Australia and the United States, and the impact welfare reform and changes in labour market policy on family income, family functioning and the resources available to children in low-income families.
- Contact
-
Name: Georgia Hannouch
Phone: (02) 9685 9161
School / Department: Whitlam Institute
