Australian Social Policy

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Australian Social Policy

• Understanding of social policy
• Policy analysis
• Social Policy in practice

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Course outline

• Historical development of Australian Social
  Policy
• Policy making processes
• Understanding main policy features
• Applying a framework of policy analysis

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How social policy applies to

• Healthy
• Housing
• Aboriginal Australians
• Family
• Disability and rehabilitation
• Mobility
• Social care

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Social Policy in relation to

• Older Australians
• Rural policies
• Policy activism

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Learning objectives.

• Give an account of some of the major social
  policies that shape the delivery of human service
  provision in Australia
• Apply a policy framework to particular policy
  areas
• Analyse Australian social policies in both
  regional and international perspectives
• Recognise the diversity of population interests
  in social policy contests

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Assessment

• Essay 1500 words 30 April 3
• Group presentation 20 TBA
• Major essay
• 3,000 words 50 June 19

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Definitions of Social Policy

• Social Policy is NOT
• A single document defining set principles and
  processes

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Definitions of Social Policy

• Policy is the continuing work done by groups of
  policy actors who use available public
  institutions to articulate and express things
  they value (Mark Considine 1994, p.4) in
• Dalton, Tony., Draper, Mary., Weeks, Wendy., and
  Wiseman, John. (1996)
• Making Social Policy in Australia.

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Social Policy is

• A philosophical concept as a set of general
  principles- as a series of desirable states.
• As a product a series of conclusions or
  recommendations concerned with selective or
  general social improvement
• As a process a social political process of
  implementation

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Social policy is

• As a framework for action.
• Graycar, Adam., Jamrozik, Adam. (1989)
• Pp92-3.

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Social Policy

• Social Policy is the result of the constant
  attempts of various groups in society to improve
  or redefine their situation vis-a-vis to that of
  other groupsThe first stage of conflict decide
  whether legislative change will take place, while
  the second decides the actual form and shape of
  legislation.
• George, Vic., Wilding, Paul. (1985, p. 18).

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Definitions cont

• Social Policies are the elements of a societys
  system of inter-related yet not necessarily
  logically consistent principles and courses of
  action which shape the quality of life or the
  level of well being of members of society, and
  determine the nature of all intra-social
  relationships among individual social units and a
  society as a whole by governing

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Cont

• a) the development of resources and services
• b) the allocation of statuses
• c) the distribution of rights, rewards and
  constraints
• d) the extent to which the distribution of rights
  is linked to the allocation of status
• Gil, David (1970) p.413.

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Social Policy

• Policy can be taken to refer to the principles
  that govern action towards given ends. Titmus,
  Richard (1973, p.23).
• Social Policy is simply one aspect of the
  capitalist state, an acceptable face of
  capitalism, and social welfare policies amount
  to no less than the State organisation of
  domestic life.
• Wilson, Elizabeth. (1977) p. 9.

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Feminist definition.

• A feminist approach should mean more than putting
  women in the picture. It means criticising and
  renewing conceptual apparatus, and understanding
  social policy as part of a wider social
  processes.
• Feminist analysis which has largely focussed on
  womens position in relation to men and capital
  is an obvious resource.
• Pascall, gillian (1986) p. 19.

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Social Wage

• The social wage is that part of government
  spending which provides benefits, either in cash
  or kind, to individuals or families government
  spending on education, health, social security
  and welfare, housing and community amenities.
• Economic Planning Advisory Council (1987) p.1.

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Welfare State

• ..It is a framework of government policies and
  programs designed to ensure citizens an
  acceptable level of economic welfare and access
  to necessary services regardless of their wealth
  or income. Welfare states are identified by a
  core group of social policies. These can be
  categorised under the following headings.

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Welfare state

• 1.Income security. These programs provide cash
  payments to raise household income levels of
  disadvantaged groups (eg child support
  payments).
• 2. Protection against contingencies. These
  programs also provide cash payments, but in this
  case to support individuals unable to find work
  or ineligible for work (eg unemployment
  benefits, aged pensions)

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Welfare State cont

• 3. equal access to certain essential services.
  Finally, welfare states assume that certain
  in-kind social services should be available to
  all (eg public hospital facilities, Medicare,
  public housing, schooling).

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Quote

• This says nothing about which services are
  necessary, on what terms they should be
  provided or how much income inequalities should
  be reduced. Those are all issues for the
  politics of social policy.
• Fenna, A., (1998) Introduction to Australian
  Public Policy. Longman, Australia.

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What is a Policy ?

• A policy is described as a course of action among
  many that has been adopted as the most expedient
  (Briskmann OToole1999).
• As a course of action, policy is seen as a
  practice, not only in the sense of having some
  material outcome but also in the sense of being a
  process of establishing intellectual frameworks.

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What is Policy?

• Policy is a dynamic process of setting agendas
  and goals

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What is a social policy?

• the scope of social policy includes all areas of
  personal and social life which contribute to the
  well-being of citizens or its absence. (Dalton
  et.al. 1996).
• Social Policy is concerned not with the creation
  of wealth but with the distribution of wealth

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Next week

• 3 Aspects of Social Policy
• Resources
• Access
• Wellbeing
• Definitions of terms
• Legislation, policies and programs
• Reading Jamrozik chapter. 1