New Research

Building collaborations to eliminate family violence: facilitators, barriers and good practice

23 May 2012Zero tolerance for family violence requires agencies and government departments in New Zealand to work cooperatively and with close involvement from whanau, hapu and iwi communities.

As one: APS disability employment strategy

23 May 2012Despite good intentions and a succession of initiatives over several years, people with disability remain significantly under-represented in the Australian Public Service (APS) workforce.

Pathways into and within social housing

Pathways into and within social housing

23 May 2012This project developed a better understanding of the various ways by which people in different places and with different abilities, desires and needs, access social and affordable housing.

Smart technologies for older people

Smart technologies for older people

23 May 2012Addressing the challenges faced by an ageing population, this report discusses how smart technologies can support older people to remain in their homes.

Cost and security of electricity generated by high altitude winds

22 May 2012This paper describes a new form of automated, tethered, quad-rotor craft, which can operate gyroplane-style, while simultaneously generating electricity.

Eating disorder features in indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian peoples

22 May 2012Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are well known to have higher risk for a range of disorders related to poor nutrition, namely a diet high in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats.

More...

Families & households

Social inclusion

Commentary

First map of Australia's twittersphere

24 May 2012The first map of the Australian ‘Twittersphere’ has been generated by researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI).

Place based and place paced public policy

24 May 2012Policy designed in isolation from the context into which it is to be delivered can lead to ineffective outcomes argues Allen Consulting Group's Les Trudzik.

Failing to plan, is planning to fail

24 May 2012Australia need to get back in the game of picking winners says AWU National Secretary, Paul Howe, to the National Press Club

More...

Topic Guides

NBN: guide for consumers

  • Australian Communications Consumer Action Network & Internet Society Australia

21 March 2012Developed by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) and the Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) and now updated for 2012, this guide is designed to offer all Australians information about the National Broadband Network.

Refugees and asylum seekers: a guide to key electronic resources

02 September 2009Compiled by Harriet Spinks of the Parliamentary Library, this guide provides web links to statistics and information about the world’s refugees, asylum seekers and others “of concern”.

Homelessness

  • Public Policy Institute - Australian Catholic University

12 December 2011Despite numerous reports, reviews and initiatives over many years, homelessness remains a policy issue in search of a solution.

Audio

I'm all ears: Improving your organization through active listening

Listen to audio
15 May 2012Human resources management expert Associate Professor Avraham Kluger explains what's wrong with conventional employee appraisal methods in the corporate world.

Explosion in free online classes may change course of higher education

Listen to audio
10 May 2012Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are teaming up in a $60 million venture to provide classes online for free. The move is the latest by top universities to expand their intellectual reach through the Internet — a trend that is changing higher education.

Immigration & refugees

Financial uncertainty common for new migrants

21 May 2012This qualitative study involving Melbourne's Afghan and Burmese (Chin and Karen) communities presents a mixed picture of how these migrants are coping with financial matters as they settle in a new city.

The resettlement of refugees in Australia: a bibliography (3rd rev. ed.)

15 May 2012This bibliography looks at the resettlement of European refugees within Australia during the post World War Two time period.

Revisiting the relationship between targeting and program performance

08 May 2012An important public policy question is whether improved targeting of public spending will necessarily result in more or more cost-effective poverty reduction.

Video

Mental health in Australia

Listen to audio
03 May 2012The first National Report Card on mental health and suicide prevention is due to be released at the end of 2012. What will it say about Australia's mental health services now - and what more needs to be done?

Intelligence squared: animals should be off the menu

Listen to audio
26 April 2012 Intelligence Squared’s 2012 series of debates kicks off with a look at the ethics of eating meat.

Youth

Hormone treatment of gender identity disorder in a cohort of children and adolescents

21 May 2012The latest research by the Medical Journal of Australia illustrates a rise in individuals with gender identity disorder (GID), sufferers have a persistent and profound discomfort with their biological sex and a strong identification with the gender of the opposite sex.

Partnerships between schools and the professional arts sector: evaluation of impact on student outcomes

16 May 2012This two part report considers the impact of school-arts partnerships on student engagement, student voice, social learning, creative skills and arts-related knowledge and skills.

Websites

All Aboard

23 May 2012The All Aboard campaign is raising concerns about the level of access provided by Victoria’s public transport system and calling on the government and transport authorities to start spending to fix our transport problems.

'Just staying at a mates', a series about couch surfing

15 May 2012Yfoundations, the NSW peak body on youth homelessness is running a blog series presenting different perspectives on the phenomenon known as couch surfing within youth homelessness.

Primezone

05 March 2012Primezone provides teachers with single-point access to a range of primary industries education resources. This website is an initiative of the Primary Industries Education Foundation.

Most viewed: This week

1
Web and Information Coordinator - Australian Policy Online (Position number: 29499)
2
Can nations measure well-being?
3
What do pop-up shops and homelessness have in common?
4
Evidence-free policy making? The case of income management
5
Unfinished business: student perspectives on disclosure of mental illness

Books

Speechwriting for government in Australia

Speechwriting for government in Australia

  • James Groves
  • James Groves & Associates
"...an indispensible book...excellent practical guide to the art of effective oral communication" from the Foreword by Malcolm Hazell CVO AM, former Official Secretary to the Governor-General
Cultural technologies, mobile communication, and the iPhone

Cultural technologies, mobile communication, and the iPhone

  • Larissa Hjorth, Jean Burgess and Ingrid Richardson
  • Routledge
The iPhone represents an important moment in both the short history of mobile media and the long history of cultural technologies. Like the Walkman of the 1980s, it marks a juncture in which notions about identity, individualism, lifestyle and sociality require rearticulation.

Noticeboard

Australian Community Sector Survey
03 May 2012

Strengthen our voice - take part in the Australian Community Sector Survey

There's just under two weeks to go for Victoria's community sector organisations to help us provide an authentic snapshot of the state of demand for services in the state.

Women's Health Victoria survey now open
08 March 2012

Women's Health Victoria (WHV) is a statewide women's health promotion, information and advocacy organisation, working with policy makers and health professionals to influence and inform health policy and service delivery.

The online survey is open to anyone who has used WHV's services, resources, or websites in the past 12 months. It covers: WHV publications, professional training, The Index database of gendered statistics, WHV Clearinghouse, BreaCan Service (supporting people diagnosed with breast or gynaecological cancer), capacity building, member services, and more.

Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (the ACNC) starting in July 2012
07 March 2012

In May 2011 the Federal Government announced that the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) would commence operations from 1 July 2012 and that it would initially be responsible for determining the legal status of groups seeking charitable, public benevolent institution, and other not-for-profit (NFP) benefits on behalf of all Commonwealth agencies. 

Topic Guides

NBN: guide for consumers

  • Australian Communications Consumer Action Network & Internet Society Australia

21 March 2012Developed by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) and the Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) and now updated for 2012, this guide is designed to offer all Australians information about the National Broadband Network.

Topics

APO