36 episodes
- This week, we are talking with Associate Professor CatherineRobinson about child and youth homelessness. Catherine challenges us about the person we imagine when we think about homeless children and young people. She showsus that who we imagine is homeless makes it easier for us to ignore the issue, but also changes how we might respond.
We also discuss the potential changes to negative gearingand capital gains tax. We use Carroll Bacchi’s WPR question 6 to think about where these ideas are disseminated, disrupted and reproduced.
Want to learn more about Catherine? Her profile is here: https://discover.utas.edu.au/Catherine.Robinson
Catherine also recently published a report on: Supportedaccommodation for unaccompanied children and young people experiencing homelessness. The full report can be found here: https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/459
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Ben at Flinders - This week we are talking with Associate Professor Deb Greenabout school bullying and the subjects of social policies. Deb’s research has focused on the persistent bully, or those who keep bullying despite intervention. She also helps us think about the other people, institutions and social norms that make bullying in schools possible.
We also briefly discuss the major changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme announced by the Australian Federal Government. We use Carrol Bacchi’s WPR question 5 to think about the discursive, lived and subjectification effects of these changes.
What to hear more about Deb? Her profile is here: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/deborah.green
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Today’s bloated NDIS would never have been greenlit, itsformer head says. How did we get here?
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/apr/25/todays-bloated-ndis-would-never-have-been-greenlit-its-former-head-says-how-did-we-get-here
NDIS eligibility will be based on ‘functional capacity’,not diagnostic labels. But what does that mean?
https://theconversation.com/ndis-eligibility-will-be-based-on-functional-capacity-not-diagnostic-labels-but-what-does-that-mean-281319
Presenting a proposed revised definition of schoolbullying World Anti-Bullying Forum, 1-3 November
https://delegia-virtual.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/projects/delegia-wabf/WABF_summary_of_new_definition.pdf Youth Voice, Loneliness and Silences in Youth Policy with the South Australian Youth Forum
07/04/2026 | 40 mins.This week we are talking with the South Australian Youth Forum about loneliness and the importance of youth voice in research and decision-making.
The SA Youth Forum help us understand the value for youngpeople and for research on important topics like loneliness of including them as much as possible in making decisions and designing projects.
We also make a connection to the work of an earlier guest onthe podcast, The Guardian for Children and Young People, and her recent report on the state of holding cells in the Youth Court.
Find out more about The SA Youth Forum here: https://www.sayouthforum.com.au/
And on Linked in here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/south-australian-youth-forum
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Youth detention watchdog calls for upgrade to 'harmful'cells to improve children's access to justice
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-06/watchdog-calls-for-upgrade-to-harmful-youth-cells/106522446- This week we are talking with Professor Philippa Collinabout young people’s political participation and the impact of recent policy that restricts access to social media.
Philippa helps us think about ideas like child rights, digitalcitizenship and how society (including adults) might benefit from young people’sparticipation in decision-making and policy.
Professor Philippa Collin is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University and co-director of the Young and Resilient Research Centre. She researches the role of the digital in the social, cultural and political lives of young people, with a focus on the implications for health and wellbeing. Her work is alsoconcerned with new forms of political participation, identity and governance as they relate to the dynamics of elitism and exclusion.
Find out more about Philippa here: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/thri/team/members/philippa-collin
And on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippa-collin-7a65284a/
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Young and Resilient Research Centre: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/young-and-resilient
Black, R., Walsh, L., Waite, C., Collin, P., Third, A.,& Idriss, S. (2022). In their own words: 41 stories of young people’s digital citizenship. Learning, Media and Technology, 47(4), 524–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2044848
Osman, K., Dezuanni, M., Genon, L. J., Scott, R., Notley,T., Collin, P., ... & Third, A. (2025). Young Australians’ perspectives on the social media minimum age legislation. https://apo.org.au/node/332901 Domestic and Family Violence with Dr Alice Campbell: Gender, Power and Presumptions
24/03/2026 | 50 mins.We are talking with Dr Alice Campbell about Domestic and Family violence and examining underpinning presuppositions and assumptions.
We also think about the presuppositions and assumptions within the reporting on the One Nation result in the recent SA Election.
This episode was recorded on the 24/03/26. The election results discussed in this episode are not yet finalised and are discussed based on the reporting at the time.
Dr Alice Campbell is a Lecturer in Social Research at the University of Tasmania. Her research examines inequalities in gender, intimate relationships and families across the life course. Her work on sexual fluidity among women and inequalities by sexual identity established her as a leading quantitative scholar in this field.
Find out more about Alice here: https://discover.utas.edu.au/Alice.Campbell
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If you need support around Domestic and Family Violence, the resources mentioned in the podcast included:1800 Respect (1800 737 732)Our Watch - Change the story News articles:
Varieties of Democracy - University of Gothenburg’s article
ABC – 2022 SA Election Party Totals - https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa/2022/results/party-totals
ABC – 2026 SA Election Party Totals -
https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa/2026/results/party-totals
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About Making & Breaking Social Policy
Featuring a range of guests involved in making and breaking social policy, this podcast is about how we all live together (social) and how we make that work (policy).
This podcast was created as the central content for teaching social policy topics to Social Work students at Flinders University. It is co-hosted by Dr Ben Lohmeyer and Dr Tin Ablaza.
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