Australian Public Policy

"The book leaves the reader with a sense that without care being taken, policy becomes a dry husk, unable to cultivate social, economic or environmental change in order for individuals or society to flourish. Consequently, this book will be of interest to policymakers and academics alike, both for its analysis of historical trends and in terms of prompting thought about future directions." Social Policy & Administration

Chris Miller was Professor of Social Work in the School of Social and Policy Studies, Flinders University, Adelaide. He has researched and written extensively on social policy and community development, most recently on water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Lionel Orchard is Associate Professor of Public Policy in the School of Social and Policy Studies at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. He teaches and writes on issues in political theory, public policy and housing policy.

Part 1 -Setting the Scene;

Toward a new progressive policy agenda ~ Chris Miller and Lionel Orchard;

Neoliberalism, the culture wars and public policy ~ Mark Davis;

Part 2 - Economics and Work;

Macroeconomic policy after the Global Financial Crisis ~ John Quiggin;

Putting together work and care in Australia: time for a new settlement?’ ~ Barbara Pocock, Janine Chapman and Natalie Skinner;

Welfare Reform ~ Ben Spies-Butcher;

“Choice” and “fairness”: The hollow core in industrial relations policy ~ John Buchanan and Damian Oliver;

Part 3 - Culture and Society;

Indigenous policy: Canberra consensus on a neoliberal project of improvement ~ Jon Altman;

Culture and Diversity ~ George Crowder;

The business of care: Australia’s experiment with the marketization of childcare ~ Deborah Brennan;

Mixed messages in the new politics of education ~ Louise Watson and Charlotte Liu;

The accidental logic of health policy in Australia ~ Fran Baum and Judith Dwyer;

Loose Moorings: Debate and directions in Australian housing policy ~ Lionel Orchard;

Part 4 - Environment, Population and Cities;

Population Policy ~ Ian Lowe;

Australian Cities: In pursuit of a national urban policy ~ Paul Burton and Jago Dodson;

Natural resource management: Steering not rowing against the current in the Murray-Darling Basin ~ Daniel Connell;

International Perspectives: Low carbon urban Australia in a time of transition ~ Ralph Horne and Colin Fudge;

Part 5 - Politics and Government;

Politics and Government ~ James Walter and Zareh Ghazarian;

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations ~ Robyn Hollander;

Citizen engagement in Australian policy-making ~ Chris Miller;

On Escaping Neo-Liberalism: Concluding Reflections ~ Chris Miller and Lionel Orchard.