Australia, Aid, Global Development

Welcome to the Social Policy Connections audio podcast.

The following podcast features a lecture delivered by Marc Purcell at Social Policy Connections ‘Australia, Aid, Global Development’ public forum held at the study centre of the Yarra Theological Union on August 17th 2011.

Mark is the current Executive Director of the Australian Council for International Development. The Australian Council for International Development represents 70 Australian not-for-profit aid and development organisations. Marc has been Advocacy Manager with Oxfam Australia 2004-2009, and previously Executive Officer with Melbourne’s Catholic Commission for Justice Development and Peace. He has been Country Program Manager for Africa for Australian Volunteers International covering 13 countries in Southern and Eastern Africa.

And now Marc Purcell …

Public policy and human wellbeing

The following podcast features a lecture delivered Robert Fitzgerald AM at Social Policy Connections ‘Churches & Public Policy Conference, held at the Abbotsford Convent on July 19th 2011.

Robert Fitzgerald is a full-time Commissioner with the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission, where he leads the current inquiry into Caring for Older Australians and the commissioned study examining the workforce of the Early Childhood Development Sector. He is the convenor of the Indigenous Disadvantage Working Group of the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision which produces the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators report.

Slavery: the importance of victim centred terminology

This short audio podcast of this even was presented byMichaela Guthridge's at SPC's forum on Slavery.

Nuclear disarmament: The great challenge

Professor Tilman Ruff – Chair of the Australian Board of ICAN and Rev Harry Kerr – Chair of Pax Christi (Vic), addressed Social Policy Connections on March 29^th 2011 on one of the world’s most pressing issues, nuclear disarmament.

Professor Ruff outlined the catastrophic outcome for the planet if even a small amount of nuclear arms were detonated. He also focused on how NGO’s such as Social Policy Connections could contribute in creating a world free of nuclear arms.

The Rev Harry Kerr ‘s address to the forum brought a Christian perspective on this issue of nuclear disarmament.

Please click HERE to Listen to Professor Tilman Ruff’s talk.

Human Rights & the NT Intervention

The following podcast features a lecture delivered by The Honourable Alastair Nicholson, titled “Human Rights & the NT Intervention”. The talk was presented to Social Policy Connections on Wednesday December 1st at the Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union.

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.org.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcasts regularly, free of charge.

Northern Territory Intervention, introduced in 2007, causes great anger, frustration and despondency amongst the majority of Aboriginal people in the NT. The intervention required the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA). Alastair Nicholson has been at the forefront of fighting to change the legislation to ensure full restoration of the RDA. In his talk, he provided more details about this issue, and how all concerned with Aboriginal wellbeing might respond.

The Honourable Alastair Nicholson AO, RFD, QC is the Former Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia. He is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.

Mandatory detention and release of children

Welcome to the Social Policy Connections audio podcast.

The following podcast features a lecture delivered by Phill Glendining. The talk was presented to Social Policy Connections on Thursday November 4th at the Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union.

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.com.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcasts regularly, free of charge.

Phil is the director of the Edmund Rice Centre. He was one of the co-founders of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) and for ten years was National President. He has served on the Boards of the Australian Council for Social Service (ACOSS), various committees of the Australian Council for Overseas Aid, and the Centre for an Ethical Society. He is a current Board Member of the Refugee Council of Australia, and ANTaR.

In 1998 Phil was recognised by the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) with the Sir Ronald Wilson Award for Human Rights, and in 2007 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Australian Catholic University.

In recent years Phil led the Edmund Rice Centre's research team for the Deported To Danger series which monitored the safety of rejected asylum seekers in 22 countries, and resulted in an internationally screened documentary, A Well Founded Fear. With a background in education and political science, today he is primarily involved in human rights education, peace and reconciliation work and advocacy on climate change in Australia and internationally.

Receiving asylum seekers

The following podcast features a lecture delivered by Caz Coleman. Caz drew from the findings of her recently published research project “Australia’s Hidden Homeess”, to discuss alternatives to current ways of receiving asylum seekers. The talk was presented to Social Policy Connections on Wednesday August 12 at the Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union.

Caz Coleman is Director of the Hotham Mission Asylum Seeker Project, a Melbourne based agency working with asylum seekers living in the community. Caz has worked in the asylum and refugee sector for ten years and has an academic background in Theology. In 2009, Caz was appointed to the Council for Immigration Services and Status Resolution (CISSR) advising the Federal Minister for Immigration, Senator Chris Evans, on asylum issues in Australia.

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.com.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcasts regularly, free of charge.