Australian Policy Research Articles

Care theft: Family impacts of employer control in Australia's retail industry

Paid work promises pathways to financial security and wellbeing for families, yet variable scheduling and low pay can interfere with the routines and rhythms of family life, and contribute to caregiving challenges and stress. Using qualitative data from a survey of retail workers, this article shows how Australian employment policies have enabled flexibility practices to be strongly oriented around the needs of employers, reducing employees’ resources for care. We develop the concept of ‘care theft’ from employees’ accounts of the ways flexible scheduling and low pay converge to transform and deplete their temporal, financial and ethical resources for care. As an extension of ‘time theft’ and alternative to individualised notions of ‘work-family balance’, care theft helps make visible the ways employment practices strip resources for care from working people, and shift risk to low-income families and communities.

Arrested Policy Development of Private Fire Shelters (Fire Bunkers) Is a Barrier to Adaptation to the Australian Bushfire Crisis

The Victorian Government Inquiry into wildfires that killed 173 people in 2009 has driven an Australian policy shift from self-evacuation or staying and defending a well-prepared property (‘go or stay’) to self-evacuation under catastrophic fire weather (‘leave early’). The Inquiry also led to the establishment of national ‘performance standards’ for Private Fire Shelters (PFSs, that are also known as bunkers). Nonetheless, the incorporation of PFSs into national bushfire policy remains embryonic, with only Victoria having streamlined accreditation and planning approval processes. Arguments against PFSs include potentially engendering complacency about preparing dwellings to survive fire and encouraging risky behaviour in response to a fire threat. Counteracting these arguments is research that shows that residents without PFSs have low engagement with bushfire preparation and typically delay evacuation. In any case, because wildfire is unpredictable, it is accepted that self-evacuation plans must have fallback positions that include sheltering ‘in place’ from the bushfire, making properly used and well-maintained PFSs an important element of bushfire safety. A less discussed barrier to PFS uptake outside Victoria appears to hinge on a lack of clarity about obligations for their design, certification, and consistency with planning approvals. The escalating Australian fire crisis demands much greater research and development in legal frameworks, policy and planning processes for PFSs, as well as design and construction standards. Progress in enhancing Australian laws and policies on this issue may offer important opportunities for other jurisdictions that will experience similar challenges as climate change intensifies fire regimes around the world.

Financial development as a new determinant of energy diversification: The role of natural capital and structural changes in Australia

This paper investigates the relationship between financial development and energy diversification for Australian economy by considering natural capital, structural changes, economic growth, and export diversification as additional determinants of energy diversification demand function. The bootstrapping ARDL cointegration approach is applied for examining cointegration relationship between energy diversification and its determinants by considering presence of structural break stems in the series. Our empirical analysis reveals that financial development affects energy diversification positively. Natural capital is positively linked with energy diversification. Structural changes have favourable effect on energy diversification. Economic growth declines energy diversification. The relationship between export diversification and energy diversification is negative. Financial development and energy diversification have a nonlinear relationship between with an inverted-U shaped. The bootstrapping ARDL Granger causality analysis reveals the presence of feedback effect between financial development and energy diversification. This empirical analysis provides new policy insights for Australian policy makers using financial development as economic tool to boost up energy diversification.

Estimating the Effects of Monetary Policy in Australia Using Sign‐restricted Structural Vector Autoregressions*

I estimate the effects of Australian monetary policy using a structural vector autoregression identified using a variety of sign restrictions and a prior‐robust approach to Bayesian inference. Some identifying restrictions are not particularly informative. However, combining the restrictions allows us to draw useful inferences. The estimates suggest that an increase in the cash rate lowers output and consumer prices at horizons beyond a year or so. The results are consistent with the output response to a 100 basis point increase in the cash rate lying towards the upper end of the range of existing estimates.

Constructions of gender in contemporary Australian family farming: A rural financial counsellor perspective

Family farming remains the most common form of agricultural enterprise across the world and in Australia, 90% of farms are owned and operated by farm families However, restructuring in the agricultural sector and climate change have resulted in considerable diversity amongst family operated farming businesses that now extends from smaller, marginal enterprises to larger, intergenerational, more entrepreneurial and commercially viable businesses. Australian family farms remain embedded within a pervasive agrarian mythology characterised by tight constructions of gender and family relations that often hide more complex realities. Attention to Australian agricultural policy suggests a commitment to gender mainstreaming is required to address the perpetuation of gender inequalities through institutional means. However, the ways those advising farmers construct gender remains under-researched. This article utilised the feminisation in agriculture thesis and a small story narrative approach to examine how 32 Rural Financial Counsellors from across Australia construct their gender and the gender of service users who experience considerable financial hardship. Most small stories were of integration, competition and progressive feminisation. Findings suggest that rural financial counsellor training could focus more attention on gender relations in contemporary farming families. Future studies could examine how those advising more successful farmers construct gender.

Gendered identities in portuguese anti-austerity mobilisation

The austerity policies implemented following the financial crisis of 2008 in Portugal led to high contention in the public sphere. New, mostly young, and urban social movements took central stage in organising it, often articulated with traditional actors (labour unions or left-wing political parties). These movements presented a very unified image and message to the public, the media, and the institutions whose policies they opposed, based on a shared interpretation of social justice. These coalitions included feminist and LGBTQIA+ organisations, with a story of past activism which is said to have been pushed aside so they could cooperate in the priority anti-austerity arena. This paper questions whether these identities were indeed side-lined, relying on content analysis of materials made available online by those organisations to argue that feminist and LGBTQIA+ protesters framed their mobilisation through a gendered interpretation of the events and consequences of austerity, closely related to their previous values, beliefs, and incentives to participate in social activism.

Chinese and Australian Neoliberal Policy Responses to Risks in Social Service Purchasing

China adopted neoliberal approaches to improve the supply of quality social services in the early 2000s. How did the Chinese government manage the financial and quality risks of increasing the provision via government purchasing and how did it differ from other countries? The article examines the policy trajectory of early childhood education and care in China and Australia on this question. Policy analysis of the effect of purchasing on the cost to government and quality of services shows how both countries used subsidy arrangements to engage non-profit and private providers to expand supply. When faced with market risks, they both tightened regulations, but China differed in the speed and strength of their response, restricting the proportion of private providers. The findings have implications for understanding the risks of relying on market forces in other social service sectors, and how policy can effectively respond.

Conceptualising the education and care workforce from the perspective of children and young people

Children are significant stakeholders within education and care settings. Their views can be invaluable in thinking about what matters to conceptualising, assessing and improving quality in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) settings. As stakeholders, children’s views are rarely listened to by Australian policy makers to assess what constitutes quality and how the quality can be improved. In the process of updating two nationally approved Australian Learning Frameworks (ALFs): Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia 2.0 and My Time Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia 2.0, children’s responses provided meaningful insights into their perceptions of the practices of the educators. The children’s perspectives were gathered in a combination of research methodologies of talking circles, dialogic drawing, and visual elicitation. Their responses about experiences in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) contexts were analysed to provide a deeper understanding about the characteristics of their experiences in the settings. The research process delivered information about children’s perspectives about pedagogical principles and practices that describe the Australian children’s education and care workforce and environments. The process of gathering the children’s perspectives is not without limitations, however the information is invaluable in considering the assessment and improvement of quality in children’s services.

Balanced Security and Humanity: an Analysis of Australian Policies in Handling of Boat People and Its Impact on Indonesia

The rise of Boat People arriving in Australia made the Australian government issue a policy called a policy Operation Sovereign Border, the policy is a policy used to deal with asylum seekers by preventing and expelling asylum seekers. This policy reaped controversy because it violated the provisions of international law. This legal writing analyzes how efforts to deal with boat people and their rights and obligations according to international law as well as the influence of Australian policies in dealing with boat people and the impact of Australian policies on Indonesia. This research uses a normative juridical method which is carried out through a literature study with a statutory, historical approach, and conceptual. Australia has also ratified the 1951 Convention which has become the basis of international law for refugees, and has also regulated the protection of refugees and has become a reference for many countries in developing their refugee laws and policies. Australia's policy on preventing migration by boat has several significant effects, such as: (1) Reducing the number of migrants via; (2) Impact on the people smuggling business; (3) controversies and issues of human rights; and (4) Regional effects.

Urban Austerity Theory, Politicizing Space, and Cutback Policies across Urban and Rural Communities

Urban theorists offer varying explanations for why communities use austerity policies that limit or cut government. We develop a synthesis of political-economic and institutional explanations. Using this new synthetic approach, we analyze the characteristics of communities that promote the use of cutback policies and question whether relationships derived from urban theories can be extended across the urban-rural continuum. We draw on original primary data for over 1,000 communities. Our study provides a new lens on local austerity policies and the distinctiveness of the urban experience. We find that economic pressures, political context, and local governments’ characteristics influence cutback policies across both urban and rural America. Large metro counties use more cutback policies suggesting progressive communities are downsizing, and fiscal stress is a strong determinant. Among rural counties, political context and governmental attributes further influence cutback policies. Surprising similarities exist across urban and rural communities in citizen pressures to reduce government. The findings demonstrate that urban frameworks can be pushed beyond their conventional focus. Our study highlights the importance of viewing communities across a continuum rather than analyzing urban and rural communities as if they occupy different worlds.

Australia’s international alumni engagement strategy: an approach from soft power to knowledge diplomacy

ABSTRACT Scholars have confirmed the diplomacy value and soft power influence of international alumni (IA), but the relationship between IA and knowledge diplomacy (KD) is under-researched. Meanwhile, there needs to be a change from the soft power framework to the knowledge diplomacy framework in international higher education studies to emphasise mutuality rather than dominance. This study explores the relationship and mechanism of IA and KD by document analysis of Australian governmental policies. This study examines and analyses the Australian international alumni engagement strategy and identifies it as a knowledge diplomacy approach rather than a soft power approach. This study also points out the mechanisms of IA and KD. This study informs the Australian government and other governments worldwide to better engage with their valuable IA groups.

From Protesting Against Troika Bailouts to Pro‐EU Governing in Greece and Portugal: Europeanisation and Institutionalisation Processes

AbstractFollowing bailouts by the Troika (EC, ECB and IMF) due to the 2008 global financial crisis, between 2010 and 2013, new anti‐austerity movements, left‐wing parties and trade unions led large mobilisations against austerity policies in Greece and Portugal, with a deep impact in the political landscape of both countries. Besides the relevance of transnational decisions, these mobilisations mostly addressed national political institutions, whereas the governments that emerged from the protest period showed a clear pro‐European stance. Against this background, using two case studies with primary data on anti‐austerity protests and interactions amongst contentious and institutional actors, this article aims to shed light on a relatively unexplored aspect of Europeanisation in the context of the crisis, focusing on the relation between social movements and institutional politics. Explaining the critical pro‐EU positions that have been adopted in Greece and Portugal, it thereby contributes to the related debates on anti‐austerity social movements and their impact in times of crisis.

Fiscal austerity vs. expansionary fiscal policy: on the results of these opposed economic policies applied to fight recessions

ABSTRACT This paper presents an inquiry into the observed results when governments have implemented one or other type of (opposed) economic policy prescribed in economics to reverse the consequences of a global economic crisis –like that unleashed in 2008–. An updated assessment of the evidence in this respect is developed, through a review of available empirical studies and analysis of the outcomes -in terms of recovery of economic activity- of having applied one and the other ‘competing’ economic policies. The approach focuses on the causal relationships involved, mainly between variations in public spending/fiscal deficit and changes in economic activity’s indicators.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Côte d'Ivoire: Socio-demographic Profile and Specific Characteristics of Nigerian and Nigerian Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Yopougon (Côte d'Ivoire)

The socio-economic development of Côte d'Ivoire thanks to the coffee-cocoa pairing in the 1980s led to an increase in the flow of immigrants throughout the country. Unfortunately, this economic and social growth could not be sustained over a long period. The economic crisis that hit the country was immediately accompanied by austerity policies steered by international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The immediate consequence of the country's economic constraints has been the destructuring of the labour market, particularly in terms of supply and demand. As a result, the majority of immigrant populations are affected in the same way as nationals by the precariousness of their jobs. Faced with this "unexpected" situation, private or individual initiatives have been taken by immigrant populations to escape and also to seize existing opportunities. Yopougon, Abidjan's largest commune, has seen its commercial spaces "invaded" by Nigerians who have set up micro-businesses. The aim of this article is to establish the socio-demographic profile of 150 immigrant entrepreneurs based in commercial spaces and to identify the specific characteristics of immigrant entrepreneurship in these communities in Yopougon. The study shows that the majority of entrepreneurs are creators from scratch, aged 40 and over, and that this type of entrepreneurship is male-dominated. It should be noted that economic activities are segmented by field and by ethnic group, with the majority of players being Islamic. The location of the economic activity obeys various logics without forgetting that the experiential factor plays an important role in the choice of entrepreneurship as a professional career for Nigerian and Nigerian immigrants.

Policy mobilities and the policy cycle: An analysis using two smart grid case studies

This paper adds to scholarship on policy mobilities by borrowing a typology and set of ideas from political science about the different stages of the policy making process, namely agenda-setting, policy formulation, decision making, implementation, and evaluation. To date policy mobilities scholarship has mostly not been explicit about which stage of the policy process is being examined. We therefore provide a structure for analysing mobile policy inflows to, and outflows from, a policy over time, across the different stages, allowing the analysis of policy mobilities to be aligned more closely with government decision making processes. To test out our ideas we trace the policy mobilities associated with two Australian smart grid policies over their lifetime, i.e. in the lead up to the policy being implemented, and subsequently. The policies are the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program in the State of Victoria, Australia (2009–2013) and the Australian federal government Smart Grid Smart City program (2010–14). We analyse a combination of codified and tacit forms of knowledge sharing, including through policy and industry reports, and interviews with policy practitioners. Key findings include a peak in policy mobilities during the implementation stage, and policy mobility inflows (learning from elsewhere) continuing even in later policy stages. In conclusion we advocate for greater attention to policy mobilities at different stages of the policy process, in order to broaden the scope of policy mobilities research and to develop a stronger understanding of the temporal dimensions of policy mobilities.

Reviving strategic spatial planning for the challenges ahead

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the future challenges of strategic spatial planning in Europe in the coming decades. The paper argues that one of the core challenges for strategic spatial planning is to regain its political legitimacy. Strategic spatial planning has increasingly lost its political support after the global financial crisis in 2007–2008 and a decade of austerity policies. Strategic spatial planning must make itself relevant again by addressing the most prominent challenges for contemporary urban areas, such as the current energy crisis. The energy crisis has demonstrated the need for an even faster transition to renewable energy sources, which requires large areas for energy infrastructures on land. The paper argues that strategic spatial planning could play an important future role in supporting the sustainable energy transition by identifying appropriate spaces of production and building support for such production facilities among local communities.

Cohesion policy and metropolitan governance: innovation in stakeholders collaboration practices in Lisbon

This study examines the impact of Cohesion Policy on metropolitan governance and stakeholders’ collaboration practices in the Lisbon region. The financial crisis and subsequent austerity policies have underscored the importance of institutional arrangements and governance processes, particularly at the local and regional levels. Focusing on the Lisbon metropolitan area, which faces fragmented institutional structures and governance challenges, this research highlights the role of Cohesion Policy through Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI) in fostering innovation and collaboration among stakeholders. The EVA (Green and Blue Corridor) project in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area exemplifies the role of EU funding in promoting cooperation and governance innovation. The introduction of ITI under the Cohesion Policy has facilitated the establishment of collaborative networks and innovative practices in the metropolitan area. These initiatives have broken down planning silos, promoting "soft spaces of governance" that encouraged knowledge exchange and institutional learning among territorial stakeholders. However, challenges persist in the absence of a coherent regional strategy and the prioritization of broad EU objectives over tailored regional needs. This hampers the potential for integrated and proactive territorial management. Nevertheless, Cohesion Policy has stimulated stakeholder collaboration and innovation in metropolitan governance, paving the way for sustainable and inclusive development in the Lisbon region.

How have South Australian urban planning policies affected Blakeview’s surface temperatures?

ABSTRACT The South Australian Government is creating plans, policies, and strategies (PPS) that are preferencing infill development. While there are benefits to infill development, if scientific evidence is not adequately incorporated into these PPS, they can elevate urban temperatures. This study investigated Blakes Crossing, an infill development of Blakeview (South Australia) to identify the extent to which scientific evidence has informed the PPS that guided its urban fabric and their impact on Blakeview’s urban temperature. This was achieved by comparatively analysing the temporal PPS that guided Blakes Crossing’s urban fabric, with primary remote sensing data (using Landsat 8 imagery) that identified and compared Blakes Crossing’s land cover composition and surface temperature against four neighbouring areas. This study found that all tiers of government have applied a reductionist approach when applying science to form their PPS. This has resulted in inadequate cooling policies and principles being incorporated into Blakes Crossing’s urban design, thereby, elevating its surface temperature by as much as 2.67°C when compared to this study’s other analysed areas and consequently, elevating Blakeview’s surface temperature. To ameliorate the disconnect between science and planning, scientific tools such as remote sensing should help guide future PPS to effectively reduce urban temperatures.

Hear Their Voices: Australia’s First Nations Women and the Legal Recognition of Their Rights to Water

ABSTRACT This article aims to highlight the expertise of First Nations women in water management and use, and the necessity of having their voices heard in this space, as their voices have not received the attention or respect, yindyamarra, they deserve in Australian water law and policy. Before critically examining the articulation of a right to water in the international human rights framework as it applies to First Nations women, this article opens by introducing the nature and importance of First Nations women’s water rights. The article then turns to Australia, outlining the emergence of First Nations rights generally, before turning its attention to water rights. In that respect, Commonwealth law and policy is analysed, given that it is the nation-state with legal personality in international law. Two contrasting case studies follow, illustrating the importance and fragility of First Nations women’s water rights. The article concludes that international law evidences a deficit discourse, providing little basis for nation-states to recognise the holistic nature of water rights of First Nations women, and that Commonwealth law and policy, although showing promising signs, has yet to provide any meaningful scope for First Nations women to use and manage water according to First Nations law.

Growth drivers in emerging capitalist economies: building blocks for a post-Keynesian analysis and an empirical exploration of the years before and after the Global Financial Crisis

This paper contributes to the growth models debate by expanding the concept of growth drivers to emerging capitalist economies (ECEs). Conceptually, the paper synthesizes growth drivers with a growth model operationalization based on GDP growth contributions and financial sector balances. Drawing on post-Keynesian and structuralist economics, as well as, empirical studies, seven growth drivers for ECEs are reviewed: income distribution, price and non-price competitiveness, commodity prices, private debt, foreign direct investment (FDI) and fiscal policy. Descriptive data for these drivers are presented for 19 regionally grouped ECEs between 2000 and 2019. On average, Asian ECEs exhibit higher growth rates, stable real exchange rates, high and increasing non-price competitiveness and high private debt levels. Latin American countries show comparatively lower growth rates, high but decreasing income inequality, unstable exchange rates and relatively expansionary fiscal policy after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Central and Eastern European countries generally display medium to high growth rates, lower income inequality, high non-price competitiveness, a substantial FDI stock and, after the GFC, real depreciations and contractionary fiscal policy. The assessment of cross-country growth drivers via bivariate coefficients reveals limited robust results, except for non-price competitiveness, which emerges as a significant driver. Additionally, we find indications that private debt and expansionary fiscal policy became more important for growth in ECEs after the GFC. This is in line with the emergence of domestic demand- and private debt-led growth models in ECEs following the GFC in the course of private deleveraging and austerity policies in developed capitalist economies.