Transforming social policy

The existing problem

Voices groups from all around Australia are experiencing and reporting problems with the availability, cost and access to essential social services. Volunteers from many different groups have participated in the formulation of this draft policy, contributing stories from their communities and feeding back the experiences of attempts to address these issues that others have tried (Note: this is just an illustration of how such a draft policy idea could come into being. It is not a real policy.)

Every year, governments spend around 200 billion dollars helping Australians to find jobs or homes, supporting the elderly to live independently, providing disability services, helping refugees settle, assisting families to give young children a good start in life and supporting First Nations families and communities. Some of these government services are primarily the Commonwealth’s responsibility, others fall to the states and territories. At both levels of government, services are usually delivered through contracted agreements with not-for-profit agencies and private companies.

Despite the significant investment, this collection of services and payments fails too many people. While government services play an essential role in helping people to get back on their feet when they fall, many supports only become available when people are already in
crisis. People find the system confusing, cumbersome and more focused on making them comply with complex rules than meeting their needs.

Ideally, government services would be easy to understand and simple to navigate. But progress towards that aim has stalled, and in some ways, we are going backwards.

Six crucial drivers of reform

1. A shared purpose backed by long-term investment;
2. Grounding relationships in trust and transparency;
3. Sharing and devolving power;
4. Coordinated and cooperative approaches;
5. Flexibility and adaptability; and
6. Learning and knowledge sharing