A Whitlam Institute Platform

The Whitlam Institute is pursuing a much more direct and active engagement in Australian public policy. While it is early days, we're already in the development stage of several public policy initiatives.

Here's a taster with a few of the projects that are already underway.

Imagining a New Democracy: Political Participation by Younger Australians.

While considerable attention has been focused on the new, often online, forms of political participation by younger Australians, the Australian Electoral Commission reports that nearly 30 percent of 18 year olds (and just under 20 percent of those 17-25) were not registered to vote at the 2004 Federal election. The extent and factors affecting youth political participation has been explored in the Australian Electoral Commission commissioned Youth Electoral Study.

The Whitlam Institute is working with the University of Western Sydney's Office of University Engagement to better understand and respond to these issues with a view to lifting the levels of youth political participation. A roundtable involving a select group of youth organisations and experts was convened on 26 October to advise on shaping the project. It was a very productive meeting and the project is set to begin. This is one worth keep your eye on.

Urban Development in the 21st Century.

The Institute is forging close ties to the Urban Research Centre (URC) to explore forward looking policies focused on urban development. This has several dimensions including a current WSROC project on employment strategies for Western Sydney in which the URC led consortium was the winning tender.

The Impact of Government Contracts on Non-Government Organisations.

This small, but potentially significant project is underway. It is a collaboration between the Whitlam Institute and the UWS Research Centre for Social Justice and Social Change. The project's focus on the contracts that govern the relationship between Governments and service providers is part of a broader interest in the changing nature of public administration.

There's more in the pipeline so we'll be keeping you posted.