This issue

– royal commission and policy influence
– skills for recovery post- COVID-19
– systems-led design guide
– violence against women and mental health
– spotlight on the National Drug Strategy Household survey
– COVID-19, loneliness and social isolation
Plus what I'm reading.

Research brief: Royal commissions and policy influence ​

Royal commissions are established at Commonwealth and state levels in Australia to investigate matters of significant public concern. A paper in the Australian Journal of Public Administration explores how royal commissions have achieved high levels of policy impact. It also considers how royal commissions can create policy legacies that deliver high public value. Read our brief on the paper.

Reimagining Government and the OECD’s Government After Shock dialogue ​

The Reimagining Government project, a joint venture between ANZSOG and the Centre for Public Impact, recently presented seven interactive webinars that brought academics, practitioners and politicians together to discuss the future of government. 

The discussions were based on an enablement paradigm focusing on how governments can provide the conditions for society to flourish. The series will be used to inform discussions of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) upcoming Government After Shock dialogue in November. This paper summarises the discussions, and full footage of the webinars can be found here. 

Skills for recovery: the vocational education system we need post-COVID-19 ​

The Mitchell Institute's new report outlines the role of vocational education and training (VET) in supporting Australia’s recovery from the impact of COVID-19. VET will be critical to make sure people have access to the training they need to participate in economic recovery. However, the report points to a range of challenges in the VET sector which prevent it from responding effectively. 

What the challenges mean 

Persistent challenges have created a system hampered by: 

1. Declining overall public investment: overall funding has eroded or stagnated over time as governments have prioritised other parts of the education system. 

2. No cohesive regulatory system: different regulation across jurisdictions and an approach based on risk mitigation rather than encouraging excellence. 

3. A poorly functioning market: a policy and funding framework that assumes students, providers and industry have the information they need to make informed decisions when this is not the case.

3. Complexity in funding: a funding environment characterised by inconsistencies, lack of oversight and accountability, resulting in funding not delivering the desired outcomes.  

4. Unequal treatment of students: different funding arrangements based on the state or territory in which a student lives and inequity across tertiary education. 

Priority changes 

The report proposes a number of design principles for the sector to enable a more cohesive, high-quality, high-functioning VET system. These include: 

• Establish a clear point of policy direction and leadership for the VET sector that mobilises and empowers all stakeholders to deliver on a shared purpose.  

• Prioritise effective governance with government and industry having clearly defined roles.  

• Create a simpler, fairer national funding arrangement between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments which positions student needs and equity objectives as central. 

• Develop a comprehensive national quality framework, drawing on the model of regulation for the Australian early childhood sector that defines standards of provision. 

Systems-led design guide ​

The Australian Taxation Office has made its systems-led design guide publicly available and is inviting input. It is a playbook for ATO teams on how they can bring a systems-led perspective to the way they design and embed change. 

Why systems-led design?  

The world and its problems are becoming more volatile, uncertain and ambiguous. In this climate, there is a need to design for complex systems and find solutions that drive positive change. Systems-led design is a response to the scale and complexity of these challenges. 

What is systems-led design? 

Systems-led design is a way of working that responds to complexity. It helps better understand a problem and identify opportunities for effective change. Systems-led design starts by looking at the bigger picture. It provides an understanding of problems that goes beyond what is immediately visible by seeing underlying patterns. 

Design principles 

1. Engage diversity of thinking: work with the right people at the right time. 
2. Build and maintain a shared understanding of the change and outcomes sought.
3. Understand the whole and not just the parts. 

4. Make connections between the user and ecosystem to identify what can influence change. 

5. Embrace experimentation: test ideas, take risks and be adaptable. 

A paper from Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS) provides a synthesis of its research on violence against women and mental health. It examines the way mental health intersects with trauma, disability, coercive control, access to justice and parenting. 

Key issues 

• For women experiencing violence, mental health problems can overlap with trauma, complex trauma and disability, making simple diagnoses and treatment difficult. 
• Mental ill health can be a compounding factor, a barrier, an outcome and a tool used by perpetrators of violence against women. 
• Access to justice can be impacted at the intersection of mental health and violence against women because the criminal justice system is not designed to accommodate trauma. 
• Women with mental health concerns who have been subjected to gender-based violence can be harmed by institutions tasked with helping them.

• The co-occurrence of violence against women and mental health concerns can have parenting impacts, damaging the mother–child relationship and impacting the child’s mental health. 
• The complexity of the intersection of violence against women and mental health often requires collaboration between mental health, sexual violence, domestic and family violence, and other sectors to provide effective care. 

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger call 000 in Australia or 111 in Aotearoa/New Zealand. For support in Australia contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491, or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, call the Women’s Refuge crisis line on 0800 733 843, the Shine Helpline 0508 744 633 or It’s Not OK info line 0800 456 450. 

Spotlight: National Drug Strategy Household Survey demographics ​

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released the findings from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2019.

The findings have highlighted disparities in alcohol, tobacco and other drug use between different demographic groups including age cohorts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and gay, lesbian and bisexual Australians. 

Read the AIHW brief on the demographic differences specially prepared for The Bridge. 

COVID-19, loneliness and social isolation ​

An article in Public Health Research and Practice looks at the increase in social isolation and loneliness brought about by COVID-19 physical distancing measures. Social isolation and loneliness are distinct conditions with social isolation seen as an absence of social connections and loneliness a subjective dissatisfaction with relationships. 

What’s been the impact? 

• Frontline providers of telephone help services have reported dramatic increases in calls from people experiencing anxiety and loneliness.  

• The ABS National Household impacts of COVID-19 survey of 1000 adults found that 28 per cent of women and 16 per cent of men reported feeling lonely as a result of the pandemic. 

• A survey of 1000 young people (aged 13–17 years) conducted by UNICEF Australia found that almost half of all respondents said COVID-19 had negatively affected their levels of stress and anxiety. 

The importance of social connection 

This impact of social isolation and loneliness is a reminder of the contribution social connection makes to health and wellbeing. Researchers have been arguing that social isolation and loneliness are under-recognised determinants of health status. They have been found to predict premature mortality, depression, cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. However there remains uncertainty about what is effective for different population groups, particularly for prevention and for addressing the more complex condition of loneliness. 

If you or anyone you know needs support in Australia, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue's coronavirus support service on 1800 512 348. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, call Lifeline 0800 543 354 or free call/text 1737. 

1. The privilege of public service

This is a speech from The Hon Michael Gove, Minister for the UK Cabinet Office, about the need to change the structures, ambitions and priorities of the government machine if real reform is to be implemented. He discussed bringing government closer to people by relocating decision-making centres to different parts of the UK and greater devolution to local communities. He argued for rigorous evaluation of government programs and the need for data-driven policy. In turn, this means improving the capabilities of public servants to cultivate deep knowledge and reasoning skills instead of “vapid abstractions such as collaborating better”

2. Australian Government style manual 

A tattered copy of the Australian Government style manual has always sat on my desk as the gold standard for writing guidance and figuring out when to put minister in lower or upper case. The Australian Government has released the manual’s first update since 2002 which is now available online in beta. Some of the changes are welcome including sections on writing for social media, and using culturally appropriate and respectful language when writing about diversity. However, some of the changes have caused much controversy for some wonk writers, including using numerals for 2 and above instead of words and losing the em dash. As the guide is in beta, you can provide feedback before it is formally launched later this year. “Up in arms from ANZSOG” certainly will.

‘Til the next issue

Maria Katsonis