Politics and government publications

Off the Waiting List: The Affordable Housing Dream in South Australia
Research commissioned by the Public Service Association clearly shows that the demand for public housing in South Australia is not being effectively met and that the situation will only get worse. Off the Waiting List, a report compiled by the Australian Institute for Social Research, University of Adelaide, states it is estimated that approximately 90,000 extra people will need to be accommodated in South Australia by 2014, and a further 360,000 by 2050, creating further demand for land, housing, transport and services. [further details]

Key Directions in Social Policy: A Discussion Paper Social Development Framework
In what is considered to be a first of its kind in South Australia, a Social Development Framework was developed by the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters with guidance from the University of Adelaide. The framework assists the Council to strategically address social issues it may face over the next 10 years and has been identified as a major planning priority for the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and has underpinned development of the CityPlan 2030 Shaping Our Future which sets the direction for the next twenty years and beyond. http://www.npsp.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1807 [further details]

Equity Works: Achieving the Target of 2% Aboriginal Employment in the South Australian Public Sector (Final Report to the Don Dunstan Foundation)
Since 2003 there has been significant effort by the South Australian government to enhance Aboriginal peoples' employment outcomes in the public sector. Objective 6 of the South Australian Strategic Plan has an accompanying target to increase the employment of Aboriginal employees in the public sector from 1.2% to 2% by 2009. The Don Dunstan Foundation (DDF) allocated funding for a project to identify the factors which are assisting and the factors which are impeding progress towards the achievement of the 2% Target. To download report go to http://www.dunstan.org.au/ [further details]

Survival Skills: The Public Sector Retention and Attraction Challenge, State Budget Submission, 2007 - 2008
The Public Service Association (PSA) represents State public sector workers in South Australia. In addition to its recognised industrial role, the PSA actively promotes the vital role of the public sector in the South Australian economy and community. This State Budget submission is a contribution to the achievement of this objective. [further details]

A spatially sensitive approach to understanding the impact of public expenditure on social exclusion
Social welfare performance indicators do not consider the equity implications of gross and net public expenditure. That is,governments may spend money in a given area to achieve social outcomes but also tax the same community in ways which moderate the effectiveness of social programs. This paper reports on a project that aims to deploy geographical information systems (GIS) to investigate these processes. The equity implications of gross and net public expenditure are considered in a discussion of the development of a process to map the impact of public expenditure on social exclusion. [further details]

Labor and social capital: disengaging from social justice
This paper was written shortly before the 2004 Federal election. It addresses the then Leader of the Opposition, Mark Latham's conception of social capital in the context of the Labor Party's traditional commitment to social justice. The authors review the history and usages of the term social capital as a prelude to an examination of Mark Latham's writings and public statements on this topic. [further details]

Beyond the Unemployment Rate: Implications for South Australian Unemployment Policy
Given various concerns about the accuracy of the official measures of labour under utilisation in Australia, the aim of this paper is to estimate better the unemployment rate in South Australia since 1989, that is over the course of the last business cycle. This will be achieved by using three new measures of labour under utilisation that have been developed by Dr Barrett. [further details]

Rust never sleeps
With Mitsubishi in crisis, the pressure is building on South Australia to find new business investment and employment generators - sooner rather than later.John Spoehr discusses the closure and downsizing of South Australia's Mitsubishi plants and and discusses hot the State can move forward in the current economic climate. [further details]

No Such Thing as a Free Trade
Prime Minister John Howard has agreed to a trade deal with the United States that puts Australia's wider trade interests at risk and poses a particular threat to South Australia. [further details]

"Alive and Motivated": Young People, Participation and Local Government
The purpose of this research was to develop a deeper understanding of the role and impact of local government on young people, and how it may strengthen their inclusion in the communities in which they live. The research sought to provide a comprehensive review of the range and effectiveness of service delivery models designed for or accessed by young people in diverse parts of Australia. case Studies from South Australia ave been adopted. [further details]

Is It Working ... Together? Linking research, policy and practice in relation to children and health inequalities in Australia
This paper presents a summary of data on child health inequalities in South Australia over the last decade. It then reviews the extent to which research findings have been incorporated into the State's human services' policy and practice. Particular barriers for researchers, policy-makers, planners, practitioners and communities are discussed, drawing on local and overseas experience, and possible strategies for addressing some of the barriers are outlined. To download see http://www.publichealth.gov.au/ or go to http://www.publichealth.gov.au/publications/is-it-working---together-linking-research_-policy-and-practice-in-relation-to-children-and-health-inequalities-in-australia.html [further details]

State of Secrecy: Outsourcing: promise and performance
Not enough is known about the real impact of the outsourcing revolution in South Australia because the information needed to fully evaluate major contracts, like the United Water and EDS contracts has been shrouded by commercial confidentiality. While some minor disclosure reforms have been introduced by the State Government a state of secrecy remains. Notwithstanding these difficulties ithis report goes some way in examining experience of outsourcing and to put the case for greater transparency and disclosure in government wherever public monies are involved. [further details]