Author Archives: Guest author

Mar 24

Independent Assessments: Look what you’ve created

A guest post from an angry NDIS participant, about what the proposed 'independent assessment' process will mean.

Mar 16

‘Name has been changed’: on JobSeeker, personal stories and structural change

It can be painful to tell our own stories (again, and again, and again…).

Mar 10

‘Not just five days’

Guest blog from Karen Dimmock, CEO of Association for Children with Disability.

Nov 6

Locked down for the long haul

For some of us, this is life and it does not end.

Oct 20

“It feels really sort of paralysing”: young in the time of COVID

It’s been really difficult, particularly with the lack of certainty.

Sep 17

Locked down and locked out: the struggle to survive with no support

I just pray every day that we will be allowed to go outside of the suburb, just to get food.

Aug 14

My ‘Deaf family’ during COVID-19

I could see the doctors talking but couldn’t understand what they were saying. It was very isolating.

Mar 11

Beyond the economy: why social progress should be measured

A guest post from Megan Weier at the Centre for Social Impact. When governments talk about ‘progress’, it’s almost always

Feb 3

In-home aged care should be a support, not a burden

Ben Martin Hobbs explores why the in-home care system is failing the older people it’s meant to empower.

Nov 4

Don’t disregard my pain

"My chronic pain is a whole disability on its own too. It deserves the same respect and weight."

Oct 11

Simplifying complex markets: Victoria’s recent energy reforms

A guest post from Consumer Policy Research Centre's Karl Barratt.

May 24

Five ways to turn the tide on homelessness

Kate Colvin from Council to Homeless Persons shares budget priorities that can help thousands of Victorians facing homelessness.

Mar 25

Caring for carers in LGBTIQ communities

More needs to be done for carers in LGBTIQ communities, writes Gabriel Aleksandrs from Drummond Street Services.

Mar 15

Better health outcomes for medically complex kids starts with a diagnosis

Parents of kids with undiagnosed genetic conditions are trying to get into a research studies to find answers and avoid

Mar 1

What Australians told us about living with debt they can’t repay

Unemployment and underemployment, as well as physical and mental health problems, were the most common experiences of people falling behind

Nov 19

NDIS from the inside

Natasha Brake, who works in disability advocacy, is vision impaired and has been trying to set up her NDIS plan.

Nov 1

Increasing student voice

VicSRC is the peak body representing school-aged students in Victoria. We exist to empower all student voices to be valued

Oct 22

Making public education affordable

Single mother families do it tough when it comes to school costs, writes Jenny Davidson, CEO of Council of Single

Aug 8

When welfare isn’t fair

Insights on welfare conditionality from an international perspective.

Jun 18

Australians want a ‘fair go’ with Big Data

Most of us in Australia don’t read privacy policies. We should.

May 31

A men’s family violence worker tells it straight

No to Violence takes us inside the court system and explains the work of those tasked with engaging with men affected

Nov 28

Recovering from intimate violence and relearning to accept life’s “roses”

Güler Altunbas' story of reclaiming her happiness after a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual violence.

Jul 13

Never the silent witness

The ABC podcast Trace reminds us that victims and witnesses with disabilities have a right to be heard.

May 24

Five things men say to justify violence against women

Violent men always always seek to justify and explain away their actions. Here's how they do it.

Mar 28

The many faces of elder abuse

Ageist stereotypes and assumptions about the capabilities of older people can be disempowering and takes away older people’s agency and

Aug 9

For many, Don Dale has painful echoes of the past

Four Corners shocked Australia with images from inside the Don Dale detention centre, prompting widespread condemnation and a Royal Commission.

Mar 25

Lessons from recommissioning in Victoria’s AoD sector: VAADA

This guest post from VAADA, examines an evaluation they commissioned of the processes employed by the then Department of Health