{"id":17454,"date":"2020-09-29T11:36:27","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T01:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17454"},"modified":"2020-09-29T11:38:28","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T01:38:28","slug":"spc-news-october-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17454","title":{"rendered":"SPC News October 2020."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Click on the links to read these articles in full.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-family.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17452\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-family.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-family-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption><em>A happy family.<\/em>\u00a0Chris Price. flickr cc.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17445\" target=\"_blank\">Whither Australia, with a \u2018fair go\u2019, decent work, &amp; stable housing for everyone?<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Peter Whiting Editorial<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Economists are worried about the depth of this pandemic-led recession, and their public advice to the Treasurer is that the government will need to spend unprecedented sums to sustain recovery. Without such an extraordinary effort by all governments, we risk a long slow recovery, with unemployment stubbornly high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-homeless-donation.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17417\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-homeless-donation.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-homeless-donation-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption><em>Helping homeless man<\/em>. Ed Yourdon. flickr cc.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17376\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Many Australians are in for a difficult time in the months &amp; possibly years ahead<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Claire Victory<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The report from the five-year Poverty &amp; Inequality Partnership between ACOSS and the University of New South Wales produced worrying findings which should be on the radar of everyone, not just policy writers and decision-makers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key findings are that the highest 20 percent of households have six times the income of the lowest 20 percent. Average household wealth has now surpassed $1m, but is very unequally distributed, with the highest 20\u00a0percent having more than 90 times that of the lowest 20 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-abseiling.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17441\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-abseiling.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-abseiling-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption><em>Men repairing building Sydney<\/em>. Dean Bennett. Unsplash.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17374\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Budget \u2013 possible additional measures<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Michael Keating<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The Prime Minister\u2019s embrace of what he calls &#8216;a gas-led recovery&#8217;, built and financed by the government, is the last thing Australia needs. Morrison argues that gas-fired electricity generation is necessary to provide system reliability when the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow. According to the electricity energy market operator AEMO, however, there is no reliability problem with the current electricity system for at least the next few years. Indeed, an audit of Australia\u2019s energy emissions found that gas-fired electricity plants only ran at 30 percent capacity over the last 18 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/conversation-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17401\" width=\"377\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/conversation-1.png 754w, https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/conversation-1-300x194.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 377px) 100vw, 377px\" \/><figcaption>Shutterstock. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17400\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">After COVID, we&#8217;ll need a rethink to repair Australia&#8217;s housing system &amp; the economy<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hal Pawson et al<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/productivity.nsw.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-08\/Productivity_Commission_Green%20Paper_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">new report<\/a> from the New South Wales Productivity Commission (NSWPC) announces that \u201c[high] housing costs [\u2026] impose broad economic costs\u201d. That chimes with our own <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/cityfutures.be.unsw.edu.au\/research\/projects\/extending-economic-cases-housing-policies-rents-ownership-and-assets\/\" target=\"_blank\">newly published research<\/a>. The implication is that Australia\u2019s heavily capitalised housing market will weigh down economic recovery from the shocks of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A niche group of economists and epidemiologists had <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2020-05-17\/analysts-forecast-coronavirus-recession-what-comes-post-covid-19\/12256246\" target=\"_blank\">warned<\/a> the world for decades that a pandemic would have devastating economic and social consequences. When it comes to Australia\u2019s housing, though, the Covid-19 crisis has <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/coronavirus-lays-bare-5-big-housing-system-flaws-to-be-fixed-137162\" target=\"_blank\">only served to highlight<\/a> deep and long-standing fault lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-homelessness.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17408\" width=\"340\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-homelessness.png 680w, https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-homelessness-300x188.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 340px) 100vw, 340px\" \/><figcaption>The Overseers of Streets series for the 2020 Head On Photo Festival. Alex Frayne. Author provided (no reuse).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">If we realised the true cost of homelessness, we&#8217;d fix it overnight<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vivienne Skinner &amp; Phillippa Carnemolla<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Australia\u2019s six-month <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pm.gov.au\/media\/national-cabinet-statement\" target=\"_blank\">moratorium on evictions<\/a> is due to end soon. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.consumer.vic.gov.au\/resources-and-tools\/advice-in-a-disaster\/coronavirus-covid19-and-your-rights\/renting-rules-and-support-during-the-moratorium\" target=\"_blank\">Some<\/a> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2020-09-10\/wa-rent-freeze-moratorium-on-evictions-extended-for-six-months\/12648918\" target=\"_blank\">states<\/a> have <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2020\/sep\/08\/sa-and-victoria-extend-eviction-moratorium-as-other-states-face-cliff-edge\" target=\"_blank\">extended<\/a> the moratorium, but when it ends, that\u2019s likely to force even more Australians than ever into housing insecurity and outright homelessness. The moral and health arguments for housing people are clear, but many are unaware of the financial cost we all bear for not fixing homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our review found a clear economic case for governments to take a systematic approach to ending homelessness. While this argument might be seen as a capitulation to the &#8216;financialisation of everything\u2019, the darkening economic cloud of the pandemic might provide just the right cover for government decision-makers to act on the catastrophe of homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-morrison.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17414\" width=\"377\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-morrison.jpeg 754w, https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-morrison-300x201.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 377px) 100vw, 377px\" \/><figcaption>Dean Lewins\/AAP.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17413\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8216;A dose of reality&#8217;: Morrison government&#8217;s new $1.9b techno-fix for climate change is a small step<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frank Jotzo<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Spending amounts to A$140 million per year for ARENA, plus about A$500 million all up through other programs. A dose of reality is needed about what this money can achieve. It will increase understanding of options, some technological progress across the board, and surely the occasional highlight. But a much greater effort than ever is likely needed to achieve fundamental technological breakthroughs. And, crucially, new technologies must be widely deployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Governments will need to help drive uptake through policy. The most efficient way is usually to ensure producers of emissions pay for the environmental damage caused. In other words, putting a <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/carbon-pricing-works-the-largest-ever-study-puts-it-beyond-doubt-142034\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">price on carbon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-angus-taylor.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17412\" width=\"377\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-angus-taylor.jpg 754w, https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-angus-taylor-300x201.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 377px) 100vw, 377px\" \/><figcaption>Lukas Coch\/AAP\/Dave Hunt.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17410\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Angus Taylor&#8217;s tech roadmap is fundamentally flawed \u2014 renewables are do-able almost everywhere<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mark Diesendorf<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The roadmap prioritises &#8216;clean&#8217; hydrogen. This does not just refer to hydrogen produced using renewables. The government says hydrogen can be produced cleanly with coal and gas, if resulting carbon is captured and stored. In fact, the plan claims fossil fuel-derived hydrogen \u201cmight be the lowest cost clean production method in the short-term\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carbon capture and storage is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2018\/feb\/16\/itd-be-wonderful-if-the-claims-made-about-carbon-capture-were-true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expensive, energy-wasting technology<\/a>. Despite federal governments having spent more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aph.gov.au\/Parliamentary_Business\/Committees\/Senate\/Environment_and_Communications\/CarbonCaptureBill\/Report\/d02\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A$1.3 billion<\/a> on the technology, a commercially viable plant has not come to fruition\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, the government\u2019s plans on hydrogen (and associated steel and aluminium production), as well as on carbon capture, may all lock in fossil fuel use for decades. This outcome is completely at odds with what\u2019s needed to address the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/earth-may-temporarily-pass-dangerous-1-5-warming-limit-by-2024-major-new-report-says-145450\" target=\"_blank\">climate emergency<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-pope.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17424\" width=\"300\" height=\"194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-pope.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/photo-pope-300x194.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption><em>Pope Francis addressing UN General Assembly 2015<\/em>. UN\/Evan Schnedier. flickr,cc.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/?p=17423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Confronting the powers? Pope Francis on preparing a future for humanity &amp; our planet<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bruce Duncan<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>In a pre-recorded message <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HBd8cvsjvcE\" target=\"_blank\">Pope Francis addressed the 75<sup>th<\/sup> UN General Assembly<\/a> on 25 September 2020, urging the Assembly to rethink &#8220;our way of life and our economic and social systems which are widening the gap between rich and poor, based on an unjust distribution of resources&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He called for a renewed sense of multilateralism, &#8220;of global co-responsibility, a solidarity founded in justice and the attainment of peace, and unity within the human family, which is God\u2019s plan for our world&#8221;. &#8220;The other path emphasises self-sufficiency, nationalism, protectionism, individualism, and isolation; it excludes the poor, the vulnerable, and those dwelling on the peripheries of life\u2026 It must not prevail.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:12px\">Photo <em>Lock the Gate<\/em>. Jeremy Buckingham. flickr cc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:12px\">29 September 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Click on the links to read these articles in full. Whither Australia, with a \u2018fair go\u2019, decent work, &amp; stable housing for everyone? Peter&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":""},"categories":[37,55],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17454"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17454"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17461,"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17454\/revisions\/17461"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}