Advocacy Answered: Why was Parents Next a ‘punitive’ policy measure? 26 May 2023
ParentsNext was intended to be a pre-employment program to assist young parents, mostly single mothers, gain the skills needed to be work ready by the time their children entered school. The program tied receipt of the Parenting Payment to the compulsory completion of ‘job ready’ activities, a catch-all term that included activities such as volunteering […]
Understanding the impact of a cost-of-living crisis 26 May 2023
Everywhere you look, whatever you read it seems everyone is talking about the cost-of-living crisis. Influencers, politicians and celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon offering free advice to regular punters like you and me about how to save money during a cost crunch. Financial crisis and poverty among those in the community on low or […]
Reflections: Why are buy now, pay later schemes soon to be regulated? 26 May 2023
Did you know there are 7 million active “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) accounts in Australia? … On Monday 22 May the Federal Government announced it will be regulating the Buy Now, Pay Later industry. That means soon, apps like AfterPay and Zip will be regulated similarly to credit products and BNPL providers will be […]
Advocate Spotlight: What do sport vouchers have to do with a cost-of-living crisis? 26 May 2023
Recently, YWCA Canberra participated in the ACT Legislative Assembly inquiry into Cost of Living Pressures. We used our submission and evidence to draw attention to demand on our food pantry services and escalating housing pressures across the board. One particular item in our submission however was picked up by the inquiry and later by media: […]
Advocacy 101: How girl boss finance gurus miss the feminist mark! 26 May 2023
According to Tori Dunlap, founder of Her First $100k and voice behind the Financial Feminist podcast, “paying of your debt is feminist, saving enough money to leave toxic situations is feminist, [and] having enough money to make choices like having or not having children, retiring early, or starting a business is feminist.” The American Investor, […]
Campaign wins and reflections: #TeachUsConsent 15 December 2022
#MeToo, the global juggernaut that called out the extent of sexual harassment, particularly in corporate and celebrity circles, didn’t just create an awakening of the scale of these shared experiences, but also prompted a wider conversation on the importance of sexual consent and what steps are needed to eliminate sexual violence and harassment. #TeachUsConsent rode […]
When it comes to campaigning, all publicity isn’t necessarily good publicity 15 December 2022
All campaigns need a degree of publicity. It would be disingenuous to argue otherwise. Even your campaign to change your school’s dress code or recycling practices required you to profile the issue, collectivise with peers, get parents or teachers on your side and essentially, spread the word. So before we drag publicity-obsessed campaigns in general, […]
ASK MURIEL: Affirmative consent 15 December 2022
In this edition of Action Matters, we answer the question: “What’s affirmative consent?” Affirmative consent is an explicit and voluntary agreement to participate in sexual activity. Laws on affirmative consent vary across the country, but as Saxon Mullins clarified in her She Leads in Conversation discussion, the NSW “affirmative consent” model meant consent required communication […]
Advocate spotlight: Saxon Mullins 15 December 2022
Saxon Mullins is a survivor, law reform campaigner, director of Advocacy at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy (RASARA), and an advocate for the rights of survivors to tell their stories. In 2018, following five years of legal processes, including two trials and two appeals that ultimately acquitted a man accused of sexually assaulting […]
Advocacy 101: Harnessing your campaign’s ambition, lessons from the 2019-2020 bushfires 14 December 2022
Amidst the heart-breaking devastation of the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, Comedian Celeste Barber launched a Facebook fundraising campaign that quickly reached record-breaking success, amassing $51.3 million in donations to the NSW Royal Fire Service (RFS) and Brigades Trust. But to what success? From an initial $30,000 fundraising goal to the receipt of more than $51 […]