social inclusion: beyond planning to action plans International perspectives and Australian opportunities

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social inclusionbeyond planning to action
plansInternational perspectivesand Australian
opportunities
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why social inclusion?

• One of the biggest challenges facing Western
  democracies is how to share the social and
  economic wealth around to build communities in
  which everyone can belong, contribute and be
  valued
• This will involve tackling the causes of social
  exclusion poverty, discrimination, inequality
  and lack of opportunity

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australians living on the edge

• poverty and exclusion are a disgrace in a
  country as wealthy as Australia

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poverty and exclusion affect real people

• Very low income, money carefully managed
• Lives dominated by a shortage of money
• Money spent on food, household bills childrens
  basic needs
• Widespread borrowing indebtedness
• Bypassed by growing economy
• Experience of exclusion and unbridgeable gap to
  participation

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poverty and exclusion affect real people

• Poor health adults children - strong
  correlation between low income ill health
• Limited education
• Unemployment or insecure jobs
• Poor local environment and poverty postcodes
• Experience of second generation joblessness and
  welfare dependency

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• For the fair go to have a future in Australia,
  we need to get serious, together, about building
  an enabling society one that actively promotes
  the inclusion and participation of all citizens
  through integrated policies that underpin healthy
  communities, a healthy environment, and a healthy
  economy.

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• Social inclusion does not happen by accident, or
  overnight. It requires sustained political
  commitment and government leadership, including
  through building action partnerships across
  government, business, the community sector and
  local communities.

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• Experience in Australia and overseas indicates a
  number of key building blocks for a strategic
  national approach

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• First, we need a bold vision of an enabling
  society that puts people at the centre and
  ensures that those most vulnerable have their
  basic needs met with dignity.

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• Second, we need to create pathways to inclusion
  that identify and remove the significant barriers
  that stand in the way of vulnerable Australians.
  Barriers like access to education, skills and
  training, childcare, affordable housing, and
  dental and general health care.

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• Third, to be effective, a national social
  inclusion strategy requires transparent goals,
  targets and milestones, so that we are clear
  about where we want to be, can monitor progress
  and refine our strategies, and engage a growing
  circle of people in achieving an enabling society.

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a national commitment

• The Federal Government is committed to a social
  inclusion strategy that brings together
  fairness and prosperity, in which economic and
  social policy work together to create a fair go
  for all Australians

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national inclusion priorities

• Affordable housing/homelessness
• A national employment strategy focussed on
  disability and mental health
• Joblessness
• Children at risk of lifetime disadvantage
• Better neigbourhoods/neighbourhood renewal

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equity, community, sustainability

• Manne on Rudd
• Rudds genius is to take the three foundational
  values of neo liberalism liberty, security and
  prosperity and to add to those three additional
  values derived from Christianity,socialism and
  the socialdemocratic tradition equity,
  community andsustainability

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commitment from the ACT

• The ACT Government developed the Canberra Plan
  comprising the Canberra Social Plan, the
  Spatial Plan, and the Economic White Paper

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role of the community sector

• The community sector is a critical social
  partner for government in addressing the
  complexity of issues around social
  inclusion/exclusion- poverty and disadvantage-
  education and employment- joblessness-
  reconciliation- our multicultural identities

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and not just the community sector

• Business, unions, and communities themselves
  are also key partners for government in engaging
  social inclusion

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closing the gap or social cohesion?

• Anti poverty plans Ireland and the UK
• National Actions Plans for Inclusion (NAPs Incl)
• EU experience is that the best way to tackle
  poverty seriously is to focus the social and
  economic agenda addressing the causes of social
  exclusion AND to promote social inclusion

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lessons from the EU

• Wealth of ideas from EU strategy for herding
  cats in a complex system
• bottom-up and top-down
• shared ownership
• a place for everyone to contribute

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European context

• In March 2000 at Lisbon Council decision was to
• make a decisive impact on poverty and social
  exclusion by 2010
• Invest in 3 areas to move on poverty
• 1. greater social inclusion
• 2. more and better jobs
• 3. sustained economic growth

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common objectives

• NATIONAL ACTION PLANS
• To facilitate participation in employment
  access to resources, rights, goods services for
  all
• To help the most vulnerable
• To prevent the risks of exclusion
• To mobilise all actors

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Ireland national anti-poverty strategy (NAPS)

• Conceived at the UN world summit 1995
• Launch of Strategy 1997
• Agreed definition of poverty
• Analysis of causes and those at risk
• Global target for poverty reduction
• 5 themes education, employment, income,
  disadvantaged urban areas, rural poverty
• Structures for implementation
• Equality and participation principles
• 10 year time frame

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Ireland poverty definition

• People are living in poverty if their income and
  resources (material, cultural social) are so
  inadequate as to preclude them from having a
  standard of living which is regarded as
  acceptable by Irish society generally. As a
  result of inadequate income and resources people
  may be excluded and marginalised from
  participating in the activities which are
  considered the norm for other people in society.

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Ireland poverty measures

• Consistent poverty (1st measure)
• When a person has less than 70 median income
  does not have basic items (food, clothing,
  heating deprivation indicators)
• Income poverty (2nd measure)
• 60 median income
• (median the middle ranked person, not the
  average)

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Ireland poverty proofing

• The process by which government departments,
  local authorities and state agencies assess
  policies and programs at design and review stages
  in relation to the likely impact they will have
  or have had on poverty and on inequalities which
  are likely to lead to poverty, with a view to
  poverty reduction.

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Ireland income inequality

• Like Australia, income inequality is growing in
  Ireland
• Resulting in people at the bottom becoming
  alienated from the rest of the population
• Huge issue for Australia in the context of a
  structurally ageing population and the future of
  participation

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Ireland building an inclusive society

• Global target to eliminate consistent poverty
• 36 targets in all
• Themes income, employment, education, health,
  housing/accommodation
• Vulnerable Groups women, children young
  people,older people, Travellers, people with
  disabilities, ethnic minorities, urban rural
  dwellers
• Strong institutional framework
• Evaluation strategy (data research)

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Ireland institutional framework

• Cabinet Sub-Committee on Social Inclusion
• National Office for Social Inclusion
• Combat Poverty Ireland
• Social Inclusion Units in Govt Depts Local
  Authorities
• Social Inclusion Consultation Group
• Social Inclusion Forum

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Ireland successful initiatives

• Commitment to increase Child Benefit payment by
  gt150 over three years (gt100 achieved)
• Increase social welfare above inflation
• Introduction of minimum wage
• Reduction in early school leaving from 31 to
  15 via targetted initiatives
• Family support initiatives
• Equality initiatives

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Ireland successful initiatives

• Local employment services
• Investment in training
• Transitional arrangements retention of medical
  card and child payments
• In-work benefits
• Increase tax threshold at bottom end
• Improve childcare provision access
• Integrated area initiatives

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lessons from Ireland the EU

• Vision, political commitment critical
• Agreement on key issues
• Mainstreaming social inclusion
• National to local (top down, bottom up)
• Universal targeted approaches
• Participation partnership
• Monitoring progress and evaluation

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• Government must provide leadership and work with
  others to address seemingly intractable and
  complex issues
• Must mobilise all the actors

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the ACT experience

• the Canberra Social Plan goals, milestones,
  targets
• The ACT Community Inclusion Board expert advice
  to Chief Minister on causes and consequences of
  social exclusion and oversight of the Canberra
  Plan
• Commitment from the centre Chief Minister and
  Cabinet
• Driven out of central department
• Built on a human rights foundation

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the ACT experience

• The overarching goal of the Canberra Social Plan
  communities in which everyone belongs,
  contributes and is valued.
• Plan developed in consultation with community
  sector, business and the ACT community. Yet to
  achieve development in partnership, but working
  on it!

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ACT Community Inclusion Board

• Neighbourhood and belonging
• Community Inclusion and Household Debt
• Poverty proofing poverty impact analysis
• Closing the gap - school indicators, service
  delivery
• Left out and missing out community views on
  those essential building locks for a decent life

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ACT Community Inclusion Board

• Community wellbeing indicators
• Climate change social impact assessment
• Long term unemployment
• Building integrated data sets across the ACT
  (early intervention first) to monitor and
  evaluate impact of interventions

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• a whole of government partnership strategy will
  include
• coordinated action to address different causes
  and effects
• partnerships that draw on strengths of different
  social partners
• targets and reporting to drive change in life
  outcomes for real people and communities

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where to for WA?

• Vision, political commitment critical
• Political leadership
• Agreement on key issues
• A human rights foundation
• Mainstreaming social inclusion
• Universal targeted approaches
• Coordination essential across govt and with
  social stakeholders
• Person centred approaches both at the individual
  and the community levels

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where to for WA?

• Twin focus on social and economic outcomes
• Twin focus on closing the gap and social cohesion
• Flexible resourcing no one size fits all
  approach
• Participation partnership
• Data critical collection, analysis, evaluation
  to enable robust policy development
• Evidence based actions
• Monitoring progress and evaluation

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• For the fair go to have a future in Australia,
  we need to get serious, together, about building
  an enabling society one that actively promotes
  the inclusion and participation of all citizens
  through integrated policies that underpin healthy
  communities, a healthy environment, and a healthy
  economy.