Brotherhood Comment

Brotherhood Comment, 16 pages, published three times a year, highlights outcomes of research, analysis and campaigns, and brings together issues of public debate.

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Brotherhood Comment November 2009 (393 KB)

Opening the door to housing tax reform
Social inclusion and the politics of recognition
One year on from the crisis: economic and social policy challenges for Australia
The cost of a ‘free education’: the financial burden of schooling for low-income households
The HIPPY team goes to Alice Springs: practical and cultural research considerations
Youth ‘underclass’: a critical analysis of social divisions
Individual placement and support: a new approach to assistance for disadvantaged job seekers
Homelessness and older people with cognitive impairment
Neighbourhood Justice Centre evaluation update

Brotherhood Comment August 2009 (385 KB)

Adding real value: the role of the not-for-profit sector
Getting ahead: is career advancement important to disadvantaged job seekers?
Joblessness, gender and family care work: supportive policy responses
From the bottom up: savings incentives should be focused at the lower end
Measuring social inclusion in retirement and ageing: the Brotherhood’s latest Social Barometer
Coming to grips with credit contract: exploring how to protect vulnerable borrowers
Workshop on social inclusion and the early years: looking at the big picture
Completing Year 1 2: social inclusion in education
Wages and social inclusion: seizing a new opportunity
Evaluating the impact of household energy efficiency measures for low-income households

Brotherhood Comment April 2009 (287 KB)

Articles include

Social policy, social democracy and the GFC (global financial crisis)
Managing the impact of the global financial crisis on social and economic participation
Ageing well, planning wisely: strengthening Australia’s retirement incomes system
No time like the present: prioritising policies to support families
Global financial crisis and corporate responsibility: regulating to avoid a poverty crisis
The Brotherhood’s Green Collar Jobs Project: the case for accessible, decent, green jobs
Beyond the classroom: learning support for disadvantaged students
Fostering civic engagement of disadvantaged youth: Community Services Leadership Program
Towards culturally inclusive social inclusion
Much more than child’s play: assessing integrated early childhood initiatives
Evaluating a targeted child and parent intervention: HIPPY

Brotherhood Comment November 2008 (442 KB)

Articles include

Towards climate-proofing: a national energy efficiency program for low-income households
The baby, the bathwater, and the social–economic conundrum
Education reform in Victoria: Brotherhood reflections on the Blueprint
‘They didn’t really listen to what I was saying’: stories of early school leaving
Towards effective communication: how to better engage low-income parents in their children’s education
Tracking employment progress: the Employment Retention and Advancement Project
Immediate assistance as well as structural reform required for a fair pension scheme
Taxing questions about housing affordability: exploring modifications to negative gearing
Effective services for children and families: learning from the Cottage
The national Compact and social inclusion: a new role for the community sector
Meet the families: characteristics of parents and children taking part in HIPPY

Brotherhood Comment August 2008 (294 KB)

Articles include

In the national interest: addressing inequities in the tax system
Opening opportunities: advocating the social inclusion of children and young people
The new employment services system: maximising the potential for social inclusion
Introducing seasonal migrant workers: managing rights and risks
Getting down to business: inclusion through community enterprise
Making aged care services more responsive to individual needs:
is consumer-directed care part of the solution?
Not to be forgotten: the housing crisis facing a significant minority of older people
Place-based policy at the crossroads
Racism and the health of Indigenous Australians
Responding to climate change: UK lessons for protecting low-income households

Brotherhood Comment April 2008 (254 KB)

Articles include

Social inclusion down under
‘It changed my vision of Australia’: outcomes of giving refugees a chance
Responding to climate change: steps to assist low-income private renters
Through school to work: research directions to foster social inclusion of young people
Youth listening to youth: peer research into youth transitions
Raising the bar: responsible business conduct in a globalised economy
A lifelong concern: social inclusion and older people
Re-fashioning community engagement: Rotary’s PACE project
Exploring new Indigenous partnerships
Helping parents and children learn together:
insights into the impact of a home interaction program

Brotherhood Comment November 2007 (340 KB)

Articles include

Employment assistance: time for a fresh approach
Spotlight on working age Australians: the Brotherhood’s third Social Barometer
Forging new directions: research and policy development in retirement and ageing
Equity in response to climate change: an issue of critical importance
Social policy: the new main game
Going nowhere fast: transport as a cause of social exclusion
Ethical threads: examining corporate social responsibility in Australia’s garment industry
Human rights and social inclusion
Playgroups in Greater Dandenong: benefits and barriers

Brotherhood Comment August 2007 (364 KB)

Articles include

The rise of the community sector
Using an Intermediate Labour Market as a pathway to mainstream employment
Sixteen up: school and further education and training plans from the Life Chances study
Increasing participation: lessons from the Personal Support Programme
Planned national evaluation of HIPPY (Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters)
Stories of significant change in the Communities for Children initiative, Frankston North
Human capital: the most rewarding investment
Affordable housing: the need for action
Rebuilding connections: Brotherhood Community Care’s Socialisation Program

Brotherhood Comment April 2007 (263 KB)

Articles include

What does the Brotherhood have to do with climate change?
Life chances for 15 year olds: parents’ employment and influences on school engagement
Under pressure: older people and their carers
A new deal for young people? Lessons from the UK about youth employment
Good social policy can be good for business
Gaps in affluence: exploring social exclusion of children in Boroondara
Engaging with the early years: multiple interventions make a difference
Behind the fashion label: corporate social responsibility in the garment sector
Rotary engagement: four examples of local collaborative action
Implications of welfare changes for single parent families in transition to paid work

Brotherhood Comment November 2006 (328 KB)

Articles include

Towards the good society
Enabling work for all: understanding the vocational needs of people facing multiple barriers
Unemployment and low-paid work: the low-pay, no-pay cycle
It’s not all about paid work: exploring caring–work transitions
Can in-work benefits reduce poverty? considering the arguments
Making saving a habit: monitoring outcomes of Saver Plus
Mental health and well-being: capturing the contribution of community arts
Community enterprises: documenting a bold experiment

Brotherhood Comment August 2006 (271 KB)

Articles include

Could the era of the common good be upon us?
Challenges facing Australian young people: the Brotherhood’s youth barometer
Supporting transitions: maximising opportunities for young people
Building pathways: addressing youth and employment issues
To their credit: learning about personal loans for people on low incomes
Stepping into aged care: evaluating a training program for disadvantaged job seekers
Risk and reality: investigating access to insurance for people on low incomes
Business and human rights: applying the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
Outcomes for older people: how well is community care working?

Brotherhood Comment April 2006 (272 KB)

Articles include

COAG, the PM and a new social policy
The Brotherhood’s Social Barometer: monitoring trends in Australians' well-being
Equal opportunities for all Australian children: the Brotherhood's child advocacy platform
Left out and missing out: towards new indicators of social exclusion and deprivation
Innovative employment strategies: addressing local unemployment and skills shortages
Assisting children and families: lessons from The Cottage
IR reforms should be flexible but fair
Regaining ground: WorkChoices amendments to protect outworkers
Incorporating Indigenous perspectives in research and advocacy
Social capital and community strengthening: does it matter and how do we know we have it?

Brotherhood Comment November 2005 (479 KB)

Articles include

Studying the map and plotting a course: strategic directions at the Brotherhood of St Laurence
Counting children in: current BSL research on socially excluded children
‘Simple principles really …' : observations about integrated early childhood services
Doing It Differently: strengthening connections for students in years 5–8
Youth unemployment and skills shortages: seeking place-based solutions in Kingston
Listening to older people: a preliminary study of social exclusion
Changes to Australia’s detention regime: limited steps towards justice for refugees
Welfare, values and religion: taking a stand
Beyond ‘compassionate professionals’: welfare, religion and moral imagination
Affordable housing and regional growth: a challenge for planners and policy makers
Linking culture with social inclusion: perspectives from Europe
Does Australia’s wealth distribution match income distribution?: some insights from HILDA data

Brotherhood Comment August 2005 (525 KB)

Articles include

Shaking the foundation of the ‘fair go’? IR reform and Australian social policy
Suspending judgment: will suspension be an improvement on breaching?
Counting the cost: changing payments for sole parents and people with disabilities
Challenges of an ageing population: investigating prospects for financially disadvantaged older Australians
Education and social inclusion: what principles should guide Victoria's education system?
Evaluation of the Victorian Government’s place-based initiatives
What a difference a place makes: understanding the spatial dimensions of inequality
Vital but undervalued: the role of the Personal Support Programme in increasing workforce participation
International complaint against managers of Australia’s detention centres

Brotherhood Comment April 2005 (365 KB)

Articles include

Doing things differently: policies to end persistent poverty
Who are the disadvantaged? Poverty measurement 30 years after Henderson
Welfare reform for better or worse: How are proposed changes likely to affect vulnerable Australians?
Sole parents: finding the right balance?
A new welfare history agenda: rethinking the role of the non-government sector
Innovative engagement: the Victorian Southern Region Citizens' Panel
Introducing YP⁴: piloting an integrated service for young homeless job seekers
Public transport and social policy: addressing social exclusion
Refugee regional resettlement: romance and reality
Free trade agreements and workers' rights

Brotherhood Comment November 2004 (481 KB)

Articles include

Reading the signs: prospects for social investment
Building on our strengths: research and services integration
Saver Plus: an experiment in matched savings
Widening horizons: Training parents in career and transition support
Investing in quality aged care: understanding social as well as physical needs
Refugees and social exclusion
Involving and engaging citizens: Doveton and Eumemmering Neighbourhood Renewal program
Learning on the job: student placements, learning and research
Speaking up: translating research into advocacy
Employing young workers: what do we need to learn?

Brotherhood Comment August 2004 (323 KB)

Articles include

Taking social governance seriously: the vital role of NGOs
The Frankston Community Project: making decisions together
Knowledge centres: building community and overcoming social exclusion
Building futures for vulnerable children
Towards a social investment state
Advancing Australia Fairly: the Brotherhood’s message to the electorate
What social investment means for long-term unemployed people
Given the Chance: cost-effective assistance for refugees
Eyecare in Victoria: better focus needed
Falling short: the future of informal care for older Australians
The art of social inclusion: Engaging people through creative arts

Brotherhood Comment April 2004 (347 KB)

Articles include

Making this a social policy election
Interrogating 'social investment'
The case to invest in health care
The social investment state and the labour market
Investing for the future: the importance of education
Hard-headed public policy with a big heart: the social and economic benefits of affordable housing
Through a new lens: advantages of a social exclusion approach
Creating more democratic processes: the importance of social governance in Australia today
Who benefits? Who pays? Precarious employment in global economies

Brotherhood Comment November 2003 (191 KB)

Articles include

In their own homes: challenges of caring for low-income older Australians
Child Care Support Broadband redevelopment
Improving outcomes and reducing costs for asylum seekers
Seeking solutions: helping the most disadvantaged job seekers
Independent Living Units: an accommodation option at a watershed
Social policy for the 21st century: the concept of transitional labour markets
Seeing more clearly: access to eyecare services for low-income Victorians
Why measure poverty? Poverty, community attitudes and public policy

Brotherhood Comment August 2003 (221KB)

Articles include

Towards a new research agenda
The cost of education
Eleven plus: Stage 6 of the Life Chances Study
Disadvantaged job seekers' experiences of the mutual obligation regime
Administering policy: the delivery of Youth Allowance to young job seekers
The Breaking Cycles, Building Futures project: towards inclusive early childhood services
Re-Igniting Community: the Torch Project in regional Victoria
Transition support networks: strengthening the role of parents
Simplifying workforce age social security payments
New information resources

Brotherhood Comment April 2003 (170KB)

Articles include

Who will care? Staffing challenges in community care
Working for progress: the need for a better balance between economic and social goals
Investigating poverty: the Senate Poverty Inquiry
Let them stay: East Timorese asylum seekers in Australia
Smoothing pathways: the role of transition workers assisting secondary students
Corporate social responsibility - a practical application of ethics and governance
High hopes for high rise job creation
Life Chances study
Private investment in affordable housing: What will it take?

Brotherhood Comment November 2002 (107KB)

Articles include