tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/reimagining-nsw-29584/articlesReimagining NSW – The Conversation2016-08-04T20:11:50Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/577322016-08-04T20:11:50Z2016-08-04T20:11:50ZReimagining NSW: how a happy, healthy regional and rural citizenry helps us all<p><em>This is part of our Reimagining New South Wales (NSW) series. For this series, vice-chancellors across NSW asked a select group of early and mid-career researchers to envisage new ways to tackle old problems and identify emerging opportunities across the state.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>It’s time for a fresh look at community and policy development in rural and regional NSW – one that will deliver rewarding jobs, a proper say for people in how they’re governed, decent infrastructure, access to essential services, and an enriching environment. </p>
<h2>Looking after the land</h2>
<p>Rural and regional NSW provides the state with much of its food, water and tourism opportunities, as well as crucial hidden services such as regulating the climate. Properly funding projects that preserve regional environments benefits all citizens, but can also help develop regional economies. </p>
<p>Regional NSW is well placed to become a leader in the farming, supply and production of renewable energy, so governments may wish to consider what policy levers are needed to incentivise investment in this area. </p>
<p>It’s also important we involve local experts in finding ways to improve land and water management in regional areas, sustainable agricultural and forestry practices, and develop well-managed protected areas that facilitate biodiversity conservation. </p>
<p>Fostering people’s connection with, and appreciation of, nature can achieve health benefits, facilitate tourism and recreation, and even boost mental health.</p>
<h2>Creating a happy and healthy regional citizenry</h2>
<p>It’s no secret there is a <a href="http://www.doctorconnect.gov.au/locator">shortage of GPs</a> and other specialist medical service providers in regional areas. </p>
<p>Mental illness prevalence rates are similar to metropolitan areas but there is a <a href="http://ruralhealth.org.au/sites/default/files/publications/fact-sheet-mental-health-2016.pdf">lack of mental health services in regional areas</a>, and self-harm rates are much higher.</p>
<p>Mental health prevalence rates are similar to metropolitan areas but there is a <a href="http://ruralhealth.org.au/sites/default/files/publications/nrha-election-mental-health-factsheet-1.pdf">lack of mental health services in regional areas</a>, and self-harm rates increase with remoteness.</p>
<p>Addressing these shortages is important if we are aiming to create a happy, healthy and productive citizenry in regional NSW – and attract highly trained professionals to the regions. </p>
<h2>Attracting highly skilled, mobile and trained professionals</h2>
<p>It’s important that NSW develops better ways to attract highly skilled, highly mobile and highly trained professionals to its regions. In the past, organisations like the <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/people/783795?c=people">Bathurst-Orange Development Corporation</a> gave concessions to industry in the short term to relocate to Bathurst. This model could be revisited more broadly.</p>
<p>Diversity and a culturally rich environment can serve as a strong selling point for urban and international migration to regional areas. </p>
<p>Welcoming and inclusive communities are more likely to retain highly skilled and professional migrants. We need creative campaigns that focus on the promotion of arts and culture heritage, healthy lifestyle, sport and outdoor activities, as well as educational opportunities available outside urban centres. </p>
<p>Regional and rural citizens are crying out for improved infrastructure – better roads and public transport, fast and reliable broadband and telecommunications would help attract high trained professionals to the regions.</p>
<h2>Proper access to legal services</h2>
<p>Citizens in some remote areas of NSW lack access to legal services, and it’s important that policy be developed <a href="http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/ljf/site/articleIDs/6483474887556F6FCA257DAA001D6AA1/$file/Lawyer_availability_RRR.pdf">according to local need</a> in context (rather than a one-size-fits-all “solution”). </p>
<p>It’s crucial that governments plan to ensure <a href="http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/ljf/site/articleIDs/6483474887556F6FCA257DAA001D6AA1/$file/Lawyer_availability_RRR.pdf">a mix of legal services</a> are available to regional and rural citizens. Both private lawyers and public services are needed.</p>
<p>It’s important that key government departments such as the Department of Education, Department of Family and Community Services and the Department of Primary Industries have a stronger and continuous presence in regional areas. </p>
<p>These agencies employ lawyers. Locating these key departments in regional areas also creates opportunities for country lawyers beyond private practice and ensures citizens are getting advice from local lawyers who understand the regional context.</p>
<h2>Breaking down stereotypes</h2>
<p>The urban mindset is preoccupied with an image of the regions as all hay bales and agriculture, as portrayed on television shows like The Farmer Wants A Wife.</p>
<p>The reality is much more varied and nuanced. Vibrant arts communities exist along side long-standing farming industries. While some regional areas have been on a <a href="http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/ljf/site/articleIDs/6483474887556F6FCA257DAA001D6AA1/$file/Lawyer_availability_RRR.pdf">relative decline</a>, much of this has to do with growth in urban areas. Services are clustered in some regional areas, and found wanting in others. </p>
<p>Developing a more accurate picture of what life in rural and regional NSW is really like – through funding regional art communities, social links between urban and regional citizens, and developing more realistic social marketing – would go a long way to breaking down misconceptions about country NSW. </p>
<h2>Inclusion and consultation</h2>
<p>A courageous government could consider creating Regional Advisory Councils, made up of representatives selected across each region. These council members could be trained to use <a href="http://deldem.weblogs.anu.edu.au/2012/02/15/what-is-deliberative-democracy/">deliberative democracy</a> – a form of collective discussion and decision-making – to help tackle complex problems in their local areas.</p>
<p>Lip service is not enough. It’s important that funding be made available to help implement projects that rural and regional citizens say their local areas need. </p>
<p>That means breaking down the traditional silo-based approach to funding, where we run the risk of allocating money to government departments or pet projects based on the ideas of centrally located decision makers. Importantly, governance and oversight mechanisms are needed to ensure there are not conflicts of interest. </p>
<p>Regional policymakers could harvest the vast amounts of data available to allocate funds based on where the need is greatest; making such data publicly available where possible is a key part of <a href="http://resultsaccountability.com/about/what-is-results-based-accountability/">results-based accountability</a> too.</p>
<h2>What’s at stake?</h2>
<p>Recent political events – think Brexit, the rise of Donald Trump and voter dissatisfaction with the major parties in Australia – have underlined how disenfranchised many regional and rural citizens feel in a rapidly changing world.</p>
<p>We need to ensure that regional and rural citizens are not left behind as advanced economies shift away from traditional manufacturing and toward a knowledge economy. Doing so will help preserve social and political harmony for all citizens. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Further reading:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-the-care-economy-could-help-unclog-our-cities-62970"><em>Reimagining NSW: how the care economy could help unclog our cities</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-four-ways-to-boost-community-well-being-and-why-it-matters-63049"><em>Reimagining NSW: four ways to boost community well-being and why it matters</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-good-governance-strengthens-democracy-57573"><em>Reimagining NSW: how good governance strengthens democracy</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-going-beyond-wilderness-and-finding-fresh-ways-to-relate-to-our-environment-62978"><em>Reimagining NSW: going beyond ‘wilderness’ and finding fresh ways to relate to our environment</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-five-ways-to-future-proof-nsws-innovation-ecosystem-62782"><em>Reimagining NSW: five ways to future-proof NSW’s innovation ecosystem</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-tackling-education-inequality-with-early-intervention-and-better-research-57483"><em>Reimagining NSW: tackling education inequality with early intervention and better research</em></a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57732/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alison Gerard works for Charles Sturt University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Branka Krivokapic-Skoko receives funding from ARC and RIRDC. She works for Charles Sturt University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liz Reimer is affiliated with FamS NSW and The Family Centre (Tweed Heads) and works at Southern Cross University.</span></em></p>It’s time for a fresh look at community and policy development in rural and regional NSW – one that recognises that doing things differently will deliver benefits to urban populations as well.Alison Gerard, Associate Professor in Law, Charles Sturt UniversityBranka Krivokapic-Skoko, Economist and Economic Sociologist, Charles Sturt UniversityLiz Reimer, Lecturer in Social Welfare, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/574832016-08-03T20:06:45Z2016-08-03T20:06:45ZReimagining NSW: tackling education inequality with early intervention and better research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117924/original/image-20160408-23932-fqagpn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A helping hand for school children from disadvantaged backgrounds would yield economic benefits for NSW.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Joe Castro</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is part of our Reimagining New South Wales (NSW) series. For this series, vice-chancellors in NSW asked a select group of early and mid-career researchers to envisage new ways to tackle old problems and identify emerging opportunities across the state.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Politicians are fond of paying lip service to the idea that education lifts people out of poverty and benefits society as a whole. But how can governments translate that idea into policy that gives taxpayers the best bang for their buck?</p>
<p>The answer, we think, lies in improving the educational opportunities of children from disadvantaged backgrounds – and the focus should start in pre-school. We also need better ways of knowing what works; we need better independent, evidence-based research evaluating the impact of education policies. </p>
<p>It’s not just the fair thing to do; a large body of <a href="http://jenni.uchicago.edu/papers/Heckman_Moon_etal_2010_JPubEc_v94_n1.pdf">evidence</a> also suggests this strategy could deliver better economic returns on investment for NSW and Australia. </p>
<h2>We have a problem</h2>
<p>Over recent decades income inequality has been steadily <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6523.0">increasing</a> in most of the developed world and NSW is no different. And income inequality can fuel inequality in broader opportunities in life. </p>
<p>Family background is also a very strong determinant of educational attainment in Australia. For proof, take a look at the <a href="https://www.acer.edu.au/ozpisa">Programme for International Student Assessment</a> measure – a triennial international survey which aims to evaluate education systems by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. That measure reveals a substantial gap in scores between children from low socio-economic status and high socio-economic status families. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.cese.nsw.gov.au/images/stories/PDF/Income_Mobility_UoW.pdf">Recent research</a> suggests that a child born into a well-off family can expect their educational attainment to be 30% or 40% higher than a child from a less well-off family. </p>
<p>Genes that are in common in parents and their children account for – in part – the poorer school performance of lower income households. But research in the field of behaviour genetics suggests that <a href="http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118482816.html">the effects of disadvantage remain after genetic factors are accounted for</a>. These children may be underperforming due to socioeconomic constraints, behaviour problems, or something else. Whatever the mechanism, the unmet prospects are greatest among students performing poorly at school. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://pss.sagepub.com/content/27/2/138">magnitude of this effect is greater</a> in countries with greater income inequality. For instance, Australia, England, Germany, Sweden and The Netherlands fare better than the US. In the US, the extent of unmet potential is even more pronounced at lower levels of school ability. </p>
<p>So the greatest potential to move students above and beyond their existing ability lies in delivering opportunities to students who are performing poorly at school. This emphasis will do the most to help achieve educational and wealth equality in NSW and Australia. </p>
<h2>Tackling the problem early</h2>
<p>What is the best way to improve opportunities for educational attainment among disadvantaged children? The current policy debate, and specifically the <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/review-of-funding-for-schooling-final-report-dec-2011.pdf">Gonski report</a>, is focused on needs-based funding for primary and secondary schools.</p>
<p>That’s a no-brainer acknowledged by both major parties. The Coalition’s decision to <a href="http://tenplay.com.au/news/national/december/turnbull-withdraws-from-gonski-funding">withdraw</a> the final two years (2017-18) of Gonski funding is motivated by concerns over mechanisms of delivery, rather than objections to the principle.</p>
<p>The poor performance arising from disadvantage is greatest in early childhood, so it makes sense to focus efforts on this age range where possible. Some existing policies are helping there, like the national agreement on <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/universal-access-early-childhood-education">Universal Access to Early Childhood Education</a> of 2016-17. But more is needed.</p>
<p>Investing in cognitive and non-cognitive skills in early childhood lead to higher wages and productivity, reduced crime, fewer teenage pregnancies and improved health outcomes. And the earlier the intervention, the larger the returns from every dollar spent.</p>
<p>In the US, for instance, an <a href="http://jenni.uchicago.edu/papers/Heckman_Moon_etal_2010_JPubEc_v94_n1.pdf">early intervention program</a> offering extra teaching support and home visits targeted to disadvantaged African-Americans showed a 7% to 10% per year return on investment based on increased schooling and wages. The program also reduced costs in remedial education, health and criminal justice.</p>
<p>The Australian context is different, of course, so it is important to use the best research methods for evaluating education policy in Australia. </p>
<h2>Better evaluation for better outcomes</h2>
<p>While in medicine, randomised experiments are the norm, social programs are <a href="http://ftp.iza.org/dp9696.pdf">hardly</a> <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w22130.pdf">ever</a> randomised in Australia.</p>
<p>The main argument against randomised experiments is that they are unfair on those in the control group, who are denied the benefit of a given program.</p>
<p>One counterargument is that it is unethical to spend scarce tax revenue on unproven programs – and there are ways to conduct experiments to test what policies work best without leaving some children at an overall disadvantage (like, for example, allowing the control group to complete the program after the experiment is over).
Where evidence is not available “off-the-shelf”, we need to ensure we have the rigorous research in hand to know what is working and what’s not.</p>
<p>As some <a href="http://archive.treasury.gov.au/documents/1496/PDF/03_Evidence_Hierarchy.pdf">experts have flagged</a>, Australia could make better use of what academics call “quasi-experimental research”. That means evaluating how a particular change might affect people over time, but without conducting a formal “experiment” (with all its constraints and limitations).</p>
<p>For example, while a formal experiment may use randomised controls, a quasi-experiment may look at how a particular policy change affects a certain group over time and compare it with another group that wasn’t affected by the policy change.</p>
<p>However, important progress is being made in developing better ways to assess education policies. In 2008, Australia-wide testing commenced for the <a href="http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/naplan.html">National Assessment Plan; Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)</a>, which is administered annually at grades 3, 5, 7 and 9.</p>
<p>And in 2009 the tri-annual <a href="https://www.aedc.gov.au/about-the-aedc">Australian Early Development Census</a> started, assessing a range of physical, social and cognitive abilities in pre-school aged children.</p>
<p>With better evidence in hand, policy makers, academics and NGOs will be better able to work towards more equitable education and wealth for the state of NSW. </p>
<hr>
<hr>
<p><em>Further reading:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-the-care-economy-could-help-unclog-our-cities-62970"><em>Reimagining NSW: how the care economy could help unclog our cities</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-four-ways-to-boost-community-well-being-and-why-it-matters-63049"><em>Reimagining NSW: four ways to boost community well-being and why it matters</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-good-governance-strengthens-democracy-57573"><em>Reimagining NSW: how good governance strengthens democracy</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-going-beyond-wilderness-and-finding-fresh-ways-to-relate-to-our-environment-62978"><em>Reimagining NSW: going beyond ‘wilderness’ and finding fresh ways to relate to our environment</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-five-ways-to-future-proof-nsws-innovation-ecosystem-62782"><em>Reimagining NSW: five ways to future-proof NSW’s innovation ecosystem</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-a-happy-healthy-regional-and-rural-citizenry-helps-us-all-57732"><em>Reimagining NSW: how a happy, healthy regional and rural citizenry helps us all</em></a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57483/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Siminski received funding from the NSW Department of Education to conduct research on the role of education in intergenerational mobility in NSW. He also received funding through the Australian Government's HEPPP scheme to conduct an experiment on the effectiveness of supplementary instruction at the tertiary level, with a focus on students from low-SES backgrounds.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marian Vidal-Fernandez is affiliated with IZA and the ARC Life Course Centre. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>William Coventry receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Evidence suggests early intervention to improve educational opportunities for low-income kids yields impressive long term results – but we need to use better evaluation methods to know what works.Peter Siminski, Associate Professor of Economics, University of WollongongMarian Vidal-Fernandez, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of SydneyWilliam Coventry, Lecturer, School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/627822016-08-02T20:17:21Z2016-08-02T20:17:21ZReimagining NSW: five ways to future-proof NSW’s innovation ecosystem<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/131202/original/image-20160720-31134-1ug2vyx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Australia has had enough reports on innovation. It's time for NSW to "do innovation".</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lennykphotography/18227060466/sizes/l">Lenny K Photography/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/lennykphotography/</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is part of our Reimagining New South Wales (NSW) series. For this series, vice-chancellors in NSW asked a select group of early and mid-career researchers to envisage new ways to tackle old problems and identify emerging opportunities across the state.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>There’s been no shortage of talk about innovation recently, with the federal government’s <a href="http://www.innovation.gov.au/">National Innovation and Science Agenda</a> calling for new ideas in innovation and science to: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>harness new sources of growth to deliver the next age of economic prosperity in Australia. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Delivering economic prosperity for all Australians will require an inclusive and collaborative approach across all parts of society, whether near or far from its cities and research hubs. But what would that look like in practice – and how can it help bolster the future of NSW?</p>
<p>Here are five ways to strengthen innovation in NSW, so that all the talk of “being innovative” translates to “doing innovation” into the future.</p>
<h2>1. We have enough reports on innovation</h2>
<p>One thing connecting the 60 <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/Innovation_System/%7E/media/Committees/economics_ctte/Innovation_System/Final_Report/report.pdf">reports</a> produced on innovation in Australia between 1999 and 2016, is the fundamental idea that innovation is generated in an ecosystem – a network of relationships across business, small to medium enterprise, governments, universities, and people in the community. </p>
<p>NSW needs to better align incentives to improve research productivity. That could take the form of, for example, making it easier for entrepreneurs to access university research expertise and equipment. </p>
<p>We also need to develop new incentives to encourage research teams to work on industry and community problems for small to medium enterprises, instead of a silo-based approach. Those incentives could include things like increasing the focus on research impact and engagement, making funds available for collaborative research teams, and industry outcomes to be reflected in university research performance frameworks.</p>
<p>We also need to ease the process of commercialisation of our research and research institutes into the market where all are fairly compensated. The people of NSW could derive substantial benefit from processes whereby industry partners commercialise the intellectual property of researchers under agreements that are fair, timely, and mutually beneficial. </p>
<h2>2. We need a longer term approach to funding</h2>
<p>A longer-term approach to funding could incentivise collaboration, reduce the risk of wasting time, money, and effort for all involved, attract investment and international talent, and bolster business confidence.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/five-things-about-innovation-australia-can-learn-from-other-countries-50966">Smart specialisation</a> generates a depth of expertise in specific areas of science and research. It can be difficult to “pick winners” in terms of areas of research for investment but the depth of specialisation needed to develop new knowledge in a competitive market requires us to focus our limited resources.</p>
<p>Establishing a model of longer term cooperative research between universities, public research organisations and private companies - one that is oriented towards the common state and national good - needs to be supported with a guaranteed level of funding over the longer term (as much as 10 or 20 years). </p>
<h2>3. We need everyone</h2>
<p>As well as thinking about the innovation “big picture”, NSW also has to think about differing levels of access and digital literacy.</p>
<p>Addressing inequity in access to the internet will be vital, with almost <a href="http://apo.org.au/files/Resource/cci_digital_futures_2014_report.pdf">three in ten</a> Australian households in the lowest income group not having home broadband.</p>
<p>Boosting digital literacy among all NSW citizens – including its most vulnerable – will put the state in a better position to take advantage of the opportunities brought by the innovation era. In a practical sense, that could include improving access to access to evolving “e-health” developments such as telehealth and the <a href="https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/about-nehta/nehta-publications/reports/benefit-and-evaluation-reports/1089-evolution-of-ehealth-in-australia-achievements-lessons-and-opportunities">My Health Record</a> services in Australia.</p>
<h2>4. We need to create spaces for innovation to occur</h2>
<p>The internet allows for collaborations and innovations to be nurtured and developed over vast distances.</p>
<p>However, we also need to create physical spaces where innovation can take place. As Sydney’s <a href="http://fishburners.org/">Fishburners</a> (a co-working space aimed at nurturing startups) and incubators like <a href="http://atp-innovations.com.au/">ATP Innovations</a> demonstrate, the physical spaces provided by proximity are important infrastructure supporting innovation. </p>
<p>Governments – local and state – have a role to play in attracting and inspiring such physical spaces for collaboration. Incentives could include planning for such spaces in urban design, making data available to the public, and offering supportive digital infrastructure. </p>
<p>These could also be provided in regional areas, where hubs could be clustered close to large agribusinesses, rural health organisations, and universities. </p>
<h2>5. We need agility, preparation, and leadership</h2>
<p>NSW may look to the US for inspiration on how to plan a whole-of-government approach to a digital future. </p>
<p>There, in 2015, US President Barack Obama established the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/nsci_fact_sheet.pdf">National Strategic Computing Initiative</a> to accelerate development of high performance computing technology. </p>
<p>By combining the expertise of government, industry, and academia, the aim is to plan ahead for oncoming threats and opportunities, and invest appropriate resources towards innovation in rapidly changing environments.</p>
<p>Similarly, NSW will need to increase the capacity of business and research teams to plan for both expected and unknown futures. That will include developing managers and management styles that can respond to and incorporate innovation as it develops. </p>
<p>By strengthening NSW’s innovation ecosystem, we bolster the state’s overall <a href="http://www.industry.gov.au/Office-of-the-Chief-Economist/Publications/Documents/Australian-Innovation-System/Australian-Innovation-System-Report-2015.pdf">ability to adapt and thrive</a> in a rapidly changing world.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Further reading:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-the-care-economy-could-help-unclog-our-cities-62970"><em>Reimagining NSW: how the care economy could help unclog our cities</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-four-ways-to-boost-community-well-being-and-why-it-matters-63049"><em>Reimagining NSW: four ways to boost community well-being and why it matters</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-good-governance-strengthens-democracy-57573"><em>Reimagining NSW: how good governance strengthens democracy</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-going-beyond-wilderness-and-finding-fresh-ways-to-relate-to-our-environment-62978"><em>Reimagining NSW: going beyond ‘wilderness’ and finding fresh ways to relate to our environment</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-a-happy-healthy-regional-and-rural-citizenry-helps-us-all-57732"><em>Reimagining NSW: how a happy, healthy regional and rural citizenry helps us all</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-tackling-education-inequality-with-early-intervention-and-better-research-57483"><em>Reimagining NSW: tackling education inequality with early intervention and better research</em></a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62782/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bronwyn Hemsley receives funding from The Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. She is the Chair of the Research Committee for the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Danielle Logue has previously received research funding from InnovationXChange, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Bremner receives funding from the Australian Research Council and has previously received contract research funding from the the Lockheed Martin Corporation. He has also been employed by European Union Framework projects and partnered on a UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council project. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Meese does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Here are five ways to strengthen innovation in NSW, so that all the talk of “being innovative” translates to actually “doing innovation” into the future.Bronwyn Hemsley, ARC Discovery Early Career Research Fellow, Associate Professor, University of NewcastleDanielle Logue, Senior Lecturer in Strategy, Innovation & Organisation, University of Technology SydneyJames Meese, Lecturer, University of Technology SydneyMichael Bremner, Professor, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/629782016-08-02T20:14:57Z2016-08-02T20:14:57ZReimagining NSW: going beyond ‘wilderness’ and finding fresh ways to relate to our environment<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/131862/original/image-20160725-12618-dmpuvc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Since the 1960s, environmentalism in Australia has largely focused on defending "wilderness".</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cheuk9739/11100836933/in/photolist-hUWG5e-o3C3Yk-7zAZx7-pfKffa-paJXfS-p6Yq5A-o371nL-rAH995-pMcWMG-iRRxdj-7ZK1c3-qsFh8p-foemWB-dCJpb6-pLRtV2-dbTgFE-o98Nqx-9iEx4Y-7UUakz-rfqHL7-aQ4eJg-4Et2PX-qs7TcX-ojn7AP-ouKdSX-foen4P-foeotv-oHv9eu-dMAx8c-GCiNv1-7GQdaD-F1rs6i-rASGhL-5WCWYw-gJqzNC-cqQ5q-o3tyVi-o2wrpa-q76cPy-7yG2Qa-gJrqkp-5fgocE-gJqugy-dH7aRK-bmbN49-puG3ZW-9N1RxU-pCfxoQ-gJqCEQ-qBcLRV">yophotography/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is part of our Reimagining New South Wales (NSW) series. For this series, vice-chancellors in NSW asked a select group of early and mid-career researchers to envisage new ways to tackle old problems and identify emerging opportunities across the state.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>NSW finds itself contemplating life after the mining boom. </p>
<p>It’s a moment of significant challenge but also an opportunity to reflect on the environmental impact of the industry at the heart of Australia’s recent economic growth – and how we can change our relationship with the land for the better. </p>
<p>We envisage a NSW where necessary industrial innovation is coordinated in ways that are environmentally sustainable and socially just. Critical here will be the state’s capacity to drive knowledge-led and <a href="http://www.postcarbonpathways.net.au/2014/06/17/disruptive-social-innovation-for-a-low-carbon-world/#.VxmBMZN96jg">low-carbon innovation</a>. </p>
<p>But we also need to rethink the way humans relate to the environment. </p>
<p>The legacies of past mining enterprises and the impacts of mining waste will likely be felt <a href="http://arena.org.au/australias-mining-legacies-by-gavin-m-mudd/">for many years to come</a>. The NSW landscape is now <a href="https://theconversation.com/disused-mines-blight-new-south-wales-yet-the-approvals-continue-39059">pockmarked by the environmental traces of the mining boom</a>. Its social and economic <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.5172/rsj.2013.22.2.166">effects in local communities</a> live on – and that’s before we even get to the broader global impacts of the carbon emission from coal mines.</p>
<p>What values might guide our future relationship with the NSW environment?</p>
<h2>Beyond ‘wilderness’</h2>
<p>Since the 1960s, environmentalism in Australia has largely focused on defending “wilderness”. Conceptualising nature as a pristine place devoid of humans has underpinned the establishment of many protected areas in NSW and around the world. </p>
<p>While this worldview is being challenged in academia, the notion that we’ve done our bit to protect the environment and biodiversity by declaring a protected area persists in the political realm. And too often areas are declared protected without recognition of, or agreement by, the Aboriginal custodians of the land.</p>
<p>However, protected areas in themselves are <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-have-more-parks-than-ever-so-why-is-wildlife-still-vanishing-34047">not stemming the destruction of biodiversity</a>, and cutting humans out of the picture altogether is <a href="http://theconversation.com/our-national-parks-need-visitors-to-survive-15867">not realistic</a> nor <a href="https://theconversation.com/remote-indigenous-communities-are-vital-for-our-fragile-ecosystems-38700">helpful</a>. </p>
<p>It is also important to remember that the majority of <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-have-more-parks-than-ever-so-why-is-wildlife-still-vanishing-34047">protected areas are marginal or “leftover areas”</a> that were simply too hard to farm, mine or log. So congratulating ourselves on conserving one chunk of land, while intensively farming or developing another piece of land in environmentally unsustainable ways is not only unhelpful – it’s hypocritical. </p>
<h2>A fresh approach</h2>
<p>Instead of clinging to an old-fashioned view of “wilderness”, we should recognise that areas used intensively by humans can support significant biodiversity. We can also improve the design of these places to allow humans to better connect with their environment.</p>
<p>Recent work is re-valuating cities as sites of significant biodiversity. For example, studies on bee biodiversity suggest that <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/urban_environments_could_help_support_pollinators_413na4_en.pdf">cities may support more pollinators</a> than was once thought.</p>
<p>And there is growing interest in the possibilities of urban agriculture as a source of local food production. The greening of cities brings with it huge possibilities: increased connection with nature, mental and physical health benefits and opportunities for engagement with food production. </p>
<p>At the same time, a move toward more sustainable agricultural practices can produce impressive yields while providing habitat for plants and animals. Production and biodiversity need to be treated in tandem in policy-making and practice, rather than presented as a binary choice. </p>
<p>Urban planning agencies could help by boosting the focus on creating green spaces that allow for humans to connect with nature in urban and rural environments – prioritising parks, green spaces and food production grounds close to homes and other buildings. </p>
<p>We could also consider a fresh approach to environmental impact assessments. Traditionally, these are written by consultants <a href="http://www.foe.org.au/digging-eia-%E2%88%92-failures-impact-assessments">funded by developers</a>; in the future, we could consider funding and even peer reviewing such assessments independently.</p>
<h2>Inclusive and creative participation</h2>
<p>We will need fresh ways to boost <a href="http://remakingparticipation.com/">public participation</a> in planning for the way humans relate to their environment. </p>
<p>After Hurricane Sandy hit the US in 2012, <a href="http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD">US Department of Housing and Urban Development</a> and the <a href="http://www.rebuildbydesign.org/">Rebuild By Design coalition</a> in Northeast United States forged a collaboration between <a href="http://www.rebuildbydesign.org/what-is-rebuild-by-design/">designers, researchers, community members, and government officials</a>.</p>
<p>Through a series of design competitions, participants helped rebuild disaster-struck areas in ways that best suited their needs and relationships with local environments. </p>
<p>Sydney <a href="http://www.100resilientcities.org/cities/entry/sydney#/-_/">is collaborating with other global cities in building urban resilience</a>, but more could be done to foster social inclusion and community participation – particularly Indigenous participation – in shaping our environments. We need to include people in the early design stages of urban planning, rather than just asking for feedback on preconceived proposals. </p>
<p>It won’t always be easy, but we envisage a future NSW where community participation is regarded as a vital asset rather than a problem to be overcome.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Further reading:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-the-care-economy-could-help-unclog-our-cities-62970"><em>Reimagining NSW: how the care economy could help unclog our cities</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-four-ways-to-boost-community-well-being-and-why-it-matters-63049"><em>Reimagining NSW: four ways to boost community well-being and why it matters</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-good-governance-strengthens-democracy-57573"><em>Reimagining NSW: how good governance strengthens democracy</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-five-ways-to-future-proof-nsws-innovation-ecosystem-62782"><em>Reimagining NSW: Five ways to future-proof NSW’s innovation ecosystem</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-a-happy-healthy-regional-and-rural-citizenry-helps-us-all-57732"><em>Reimagining NSW: how a happy, healthy regional and rural citizenry helps us all</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-tackling-education-inequality-with-early-intervention-and-better-research-57483"><em>Reimagining NSW: tackling education inequality with early intervention and better research</em></a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62978/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pascal Scherrer chairs the Northern Rivers Region National Parks Advisory Committee and is a member of IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily O'Gorman receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She works for Macquarie University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hannah Power has received funding from the NSW State Government under the NSW State Emergency Management Program Scheme.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Kearnes receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sandie Suchet-Pearson receives funding from the ARC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tanya Latty receives funding the Branco Weiss Society in Science fellowship, the Australian Research Council, Commonwealth of Australia and the City of Sydney. She participates in the Australian Pollinator Think Tank.</span></em></p>Since the 1960s, environmentalism in Australia has largely focused on defending “wilderness”. However, protected areas in themselves are not stemming the destruction of biodiversity.Pascal Scherrer, Senior Lecturer, Southern Cross UniversityEmily O'Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management, Macquarie UniversityHannah Power, Lecturer in Coastal Science, University of NewcastleMatthew Kearnes, Associate Professor & ARC Future Fellow, Environmental Humanities Programme, School of Humanities, UNSW SydneySandie Suchet-Pearson, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Macquarie UniversityTanya Latty, Teaching and Research Fellow in Entomology, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/575732016-08-01T20:09:13Z2016-08-01T20:09:13ZReimagining NSW: how good governance strengthens democracy<p><em>This is part of our Reimagining New South Wales (NSW) series. For this series, vice-chancellors across NSW asked a select group of early and mid-career researchers to envisage new ways to tackle old problems and identify emerging opportunities across the state.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Many people are watching the Donald Trump campaign in the US and wondering: how has it come to this? Anti-politics, populist, and some say even authoritarian candidates such as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/11/its-not-just-trump-authoritarian-populism-is-rising-across-the-west-heres-why/">Trump</a> have risen in recent years across established democracies, along with rising polarisation and increasing political instability.</p>
<p>In Australia, federal instability symbolised by the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd and Abbott-Turnbull machinations has left many Australian citizens concerned that leadership spills may now have become a regular feature of Australian politics. And despite NSW Premier Mike Baird’s historically high personal approval rating, NSW has also recently experienced its fair share of political drama. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-governments-crackdown-on-csg-opponents-bring-out-protesters-20160315-gnjbr3.html">Large-scale</a> <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/keep-sydney-open-thousands-turn-out-in-the-city-to-protest-nsw-governments-lockout-laws/news-story/ee5c6f0cf427af934686e406edc2d719">protests</a> – often centred around lack of consultation – are not <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/its-mabo-its-justice-its-westconnex-protesters-rally-against-mike-bairds-vibe-20160529-gp6ljk.html">uncommon</a> in NSW and are starting to <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-state-election-2015/nsw-state-election-2015-greens-take-ballina-after-27year-nationals-reign-20150328-1ma6kh.html">shift election outcomes</a>. The NSW government has <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/comment/nsw-antiprotest-laws-are-part-of-a-corrosive-national-trend-20160321-gno10h.html">tightened the rules</a> on protest (which has sparked further demonstrations).</p>
<p>The common thread here is governance: the relationship between the state and civil society. Many NSW citizens appear to be indicating they feel disenfranchised, marginalised and silenced when it comes to policymaking. Could doing governance differently make NSW more prosperous?</p>
<h2>Good governance can lead to a stronger NSW</h2>
<p>Governance means different things to different people, but there are some common features. </p>
<p>Governance refers to the processes of public decision-making and the processes by which decisions are implemented. Government, citizens, business, unions, and other civil society organisations are all involved. </p>
<p>The process starts with identifying issues of concern to citizens and ends with evaluating the effects of policy decisions. It involves much more than simply holding periodic elections – it means making and implementing decisions that are participatory, accountable, responsive, transparent, equitable, effective, efficient, and that follow the rule of law.</p>
<p>Most of these principles reflect the core underpinnings for democracy. These principles apply to governance everywhere, from the local school level to national politics. It’s only when these principles are upheld and put into practice that a democracy functions well. </p>
<p>Good governance is the right thing to do, and boosts the legitimacy of decision-making. But if moral chivalry does not appeal to you, here are two more reasons. </p>
<p>Good governance leads to better solutions. Citizens’ capacity to solve problems is greatly undervalued. Better involving citizens in deliberation about how to solve problems may actually result in much better outcomes – socially and economically. We should make better use of the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/comment/democracy-needs-our-help-to-thrive-20160630-gpvvvp">wisdom of the crowd</a>. </p>
<p>Good governance is also cost-efficient. Ensuring support of citizens and other stakeholders may reduce the costs of policy implementation. Involving citizens creates a more legitimate process of decision-making and creates a positive perception of government. Engagement ensures that outcomes of policymaking processes are more widely supported. </p>
<h2>Good governance is happening – but we need more of it</h2>
<p>Good governance as described above can work, and in some cases is already happening in NSW. For example, governments have:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Legislated for engagement: the <a href="http://www.acyp.nsw.gov.au/">Advocate for Children and Young People</a>, in consultation with the relevant minister, is mandated to advise the NSW parliament and monitor progress on policy affecting children and young people. In 2015, it consulted with more than 4,000 children and young people to devise the <a href="http://www.acyp.nsw.gov.au/the-plan">NSW Children and Young People’s Plan</a>. </p></li>
<li><p>Engaged in genuine consultation: in 2014, citizens in the <a href="http://www.metrowater.nsw.gov.au/planning-lower-hunter/2014-lower-hunter-water-plan">Lower Hunter</a> provided fresh solutions to the problem of water supply by coming up with ways to reduce water usage. As a result, the need for expensive desalination plants and complex water treatment schemes was significantly reduced. </p></li>
<li><p>Drawn widely on the experience of the community: a <a href="http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/announcements/panel_of_experts_-_political_donations">panel of experts on political donations</a> established by the Baird government in 2014 used the expertise of Australian researchers working on corruption, money and politics to craft a series of independent recommendations for political finance reform in NSW. </p></li>
<li><p>Invested in platforms for citizen-engaged innovation: in Belgium, the <a href="http://www.g1000.org/en/">G1,000</a> initiative brought citizens together to identify political and social problems and craft policy solutions. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>The challenge is to draw lessons from these positive examples and apply them more broadly. Encouraging engagement between constituents (citizens young and old, organisations, networks and governments) requires enhancing opportunities for citizens to have a voice, as well as fostering a culture of listening among lawmakers. Ongoing commitments beyond one-off events and experiments can cultivate the cultures and skills required for good governance. </p>
<p>One practical step could be the creation of a NSW Citizen’s Forum, tasking a representative sample of NSW citizens with the challenge of imagining an ideal NSW in 2025. Finding out the priorities for the public will give a starting point on what policy changes are needed for implementation. </p>
<p>Creating a specialised agency that facilitates regular citizen engagement in policymaking will also help. The agency may be tasked with engaging citizens in the problem and design stage of policymaking, rather than putting fully developed policy proposals to citizens and asking their response. </p>
<p>A long-term commitment to such an approach would position NSW as a leading state in good governance and produce better long-term policy for a vibrant NSW now and in the future.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Further reading:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-the-care-economy-could-help-unclog-our-cities-62970"><em>Reimagining NSW: how the care economy could help unclog our cities</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-four-ways-to-boost-community-well-being-and-why-it-matters-63049"><em>Reimagining NSW: four ways to boost community well-being and why it matters</em></a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57573/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carolien van Ham receives funding from the Australian Research Council's DECRA funding scheme (project number RG142911, project name DE150101692). The views expressed in this article are the views of the author, based on the author's research, and in no way represent the views of the ARC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anika Gauja receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Philippa Collin receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Noah Bassil does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Good governance is the right thing to do, and boosts the legitimacy of decision-making. If moral chivalry doesn’t appeal, here are two more reasons: it’s cost-efficient and delivers better solutions.Carolien van Ham, Lecturer in Comparative Politics, UNSW SydneyAnika Gauja, Senior Lecturer, Department of Government and International Relations, University of SydneyNoah Bassil, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Director of the Centre for Middle East and North African Studies, Macquarie UniversityPhilippa Collin, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/630492016-08-01T02:36:21Z2016-08-01T02:36:21ZReimagining NSW: four ways to boost community well-being and why it matters<p><em>This is part of our Reimagining New South Wales (NSW) series. For this series, vice-chancellors across NSW asked a select group of early and mid-career researchers to envisage new ways to tackle old problems and identify emerging opportunities across the state.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Healthy, engaged people and communities will be crucial in a prosperous future for New South Wales. That’s not a new idea – it’s another way of saying everyone should have a fair go or we all suffer. </p>
<p>But what practical steps can we take to get there?</p>
<p>Here are four areas of policy focus that will help build a future NSW where every citizen has a chance to contribute to their full potential.</p>
<h2>Access to employment for people with a disability</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/3A5561E876CDAC73CA257C210011AB9B?opendocument">One in five</a> Australians has a disability. <a href="http://www.afdo.org.au/media/1155/afdo-national-disability-strategy-report-five-years-on.pdf">Employing people with disability</a> can help to redress skills shortages, increase productivity, contribute to economic growth, and lessen dependency on welfare. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.and.org.au/pages/resources-business-benefits.html">As noted by the Australian Network on Disability</a>, benefits of employing someone with a disability include low absenteeism and turnover, low incidence of workplace injury, improved employee loyalty and a better understanding of consumers with a disability.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fq_MhpZ31yA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>However, <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4430.0Chapter2002012">data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics</a> shows that people aged between 15 and 64 years with disability have a much lower workforce participation rate than people without disability. People with disability are much more likely to be in the lowest income tier.</p>
<p>An emerging model for enabling people with disability to live to their full capacity is through the use of <a href="http://www.osii.nsw.gov.au/initiatives/social-benefit-bonds/%22%22">social impact bonds</a>. That’s where the government sets a specific, measurable outcome that it wants achieved for a particular segment of society, and promises to pay an external organisation if it achieves that outcome.</p>
<p>For example, the <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases-premier/nsw-delivers-australias-first-social-impact-investment-policy">NSW government</a> signed a seven year social impact bond with UnitingCare Burnside, focused on either safely returning children in out-of-home care to their families, or preventing children from entering care. With a principal of A$7 million, the bond aims for a financial return of 10-12% per annum for investors over its term.</p>
<p>The NSW government should apply the lessons learned from this model more broadly to boost job market participation for people with disabilities.</p>
<h2>Stopping a health crisis before it starts</h2>
<p>Applying the lessons learned from Australia’s <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/tobacco-kff">world-leading approach to tobacco control</a>, governments could consider steps such as boosting taxes on unhealthy foods, more strictly regulating junk food advertising, working with manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt, fat and sugar in processed foods and making the food labelling system more easy to understand. </p>
<p>Standing up to the food and beverage industry is no small undertaking. It requires long-term, persistent <a href="http://parentsvoice.org.au/">community support</a> and enormous political courage.</p>
<p>More funding for mental health support always helps, but we could consider creating better systems for lifelong support of people with mental illness – and their family members. </p>
<h2>The right to a secure, affordable home</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FS21_rev_1_Housing_en.pdf">Housing stress</a> is growing across NSW, <a href="http://www.ahuri.edu.au/downloads/publications/EvRevReports/AHURI_Final_Report_No235_Changes_in_the_supply_of_affordable_housing_in_the_private_rental_sector_for_lower_income_households_2006_11.pdf">seriously affecting very low- to low-income households</a>. Private tenancies in NSW are also notoriously insecure, typically lasting six-to-12 months with landlords able to terminate with short notice.</p>
<p>NSW needs models spanning the growing gap between renting and home-ownership. That could include shared equity ownership, which is where people own a home in partnership with a non-profit community housing provider or the government. </p>
<p>Under this model, the home is built by the housing provider and then sold to a selected buyer at below market cost. <a href="http://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/600567/Australian_CLT_Manual.pdf">Community land trusts</a> present another alternative model.</p>
<p>Practical steps to improve the situation might include a campaign to boost lenders’ familiarity with such alternative housing models and new laws to clarify rights and responsibilities of owners or renters living in such homes. Local and state governments could also include such models in the establishment of <a>affordable housing targets</a> or <a href="http://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/600567/Australian_CLT_Manual.pdf">inclusionary zoning requirements</a>. We could also revise the First Home Owner’s Grant to make it available for <a href="http://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/600567/Australian_CLT_Manual.pdf">shared equity schemes</a> run by registered community housing providers.</p>
<h2>Decarceration as innovation</h2>
<p>NSW has <a href="http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Pages/bocsar_media_releases/2016/MR_NSW_Custody_Statistics_Dec2015.aspx">a record-high adult prison population</a> and increasing <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4517.02015?OpenDocument">imprisonment rates</a>, even though there has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/election-factcheck-is-crime-getting-worse-in-australia-60119">no spike in crime</a>. All but one of the <a href="http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Pages/bocsar_media_releases/2015/Media-Release-NSW-Recorded-Crime-Statistics-Sep-2015.aspx">major offence types is falling or stable</a>.</p>
<p>We need reconciliation and self-determination. Indigenous Australians are drastically over-represented at <a href="https://theconversation.com/data-gaps-mean-indigenous-incarceration-rates-may-be-even-worse-than-we-thought-63044">27% of the prison population,</a> despite comprising 2-3% of our population. Many of those who fill our jails in NSW have been in the out-of-home care system. This group is <a href="http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/18118/The-Drift-from-Care-to-Crime-a-Legal-Aid-NSW-issues-paper.pdf">68 times more likely than average</a> to appear in the Children’s Court.</p>
<p>Prison is also an unconvincing deterrent. Recidivism is at <a href="http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Pages/bocsar_news/Re-offending-in-NSW.aspx">79% for juveniles and 56% for adults</a>. This suggest we urgently need new approaches. </p>
<p>Justice reinvestment projects, such as <a href="http://www.justreinvest.org.au/justice-reinvestment-in-bourke/">the one</a> underway in Bourke, provide one example. Under this model, representatives from the local community, government, service providers and researchers collaborate to design and implement targeted “circuit-breakers” aimed at getting people off a path deeper into the criminal justice system. </p>
<p>In practice, that means programs such as addressing bail breaches and outstanding warrants before they escalate and developing a learner driver program. </p>
<p>It also means collecting better data on the factors associated with contact with the criminal justice system: early life, education, employment, health, housing, child safety, drug and alcohol use. </p>
<p>We envisage a future NSW that is fair, prosperous and inclusive. While some have been pushed to the edges of our society, we can create opportunities for all to participate meaningfully in building a healthy and robust NSW.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Further reading:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-the-care-economy-could-help-unclog-our-cities-62970"><em>Reimagining NSW: how the care economy could help unclog our cities</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-good-governance-strengthens-democracy-57573"><em>Reimagining NSW: how good governance strengthens democracy</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-going-beyond-wilderness-and-finding-fresh-ways-to-relate-to-our-environment-62978"><em>Reimagining NSW: going beyond ‘wilderness’ and finding fresh ways to relate to our environment</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-five-ways-to-future-proof-nsws-innovation-ecosystem-62782"><em>Reimagining NSW: five ways to future-proof NSW’s innovation ecosystem</em></a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63049/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Power receives funding from The Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alison Gerard works for Charles Sturt University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christine Paul receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Cancer Council NSW, Cancer Council Victoria, Cancer Institute NSW, NSW Health, Sax Institute. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hayley Fisher receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liz Reimer is affiliated with FamS NSW and The Family Centre (Tweed Heads) and works at Southern Cross University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louise Crabtree receives funding from AHURI, community housing providers, local and state governments. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Theresa Smith-Ruig is Deputy Chair of Vision Australia - a large disability services provider.</span></em></p>Healthy, engaged people and communities will be crucial for a prosperous future for New South Wales. Here are four areas of policy focus that will help achieve that.Emma Power, Senior Research Fellow, Geography and Urban Studies, Western Sydney UniversityAlison Gerard, Associate Professor in Law, Charles Sturt UniversityChristine Paul, Behavioural Researcher, University of NewcastleHayley Fisher, Lecturer in Economics, University of SydneyLiz Reimer, Lecturer in Social Welfare, Southern Cross UniversityLouise Crabtree-Hayes, Senior Research Fellow, Western Sydney UniversityTheresa Smith-Ruig, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/629702016-07-31T20:10:09Z2016-07-31T20:10:09ZReimagining NSW: how the care economy could help unclog our cities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132145/original/image-20160727-5669-1gexpa6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C112%2C1004%2C527&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The rise of care is the biggest economic story of our time – but one rarely celebrated.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nenzen/8206939291/in/photolist-dvdH8i-7fubgh-5eMBXv-8XfoF7-21YLX-41bF5e-bLagNa-b1181K-7UxBnZ-HBWox-4TkEmN-eb9MM-e7VCP6-4NbdvP-d7zwDm-bzTTMH-HNjch-njRofn-fvpGgA-7bMjki-68MVC-7z7Yfw-8bNRk3-2FTGtW-oQtpn6-fidLDn-5TkuRs-eG5Lbo-HrxeX-4ABTwi-rZsEHr-a3P3gx-8f2Sum-eEfZKk-c4QJzC-49qTe7-jBD81-8UpCXq-eR4JsL-bVfj7-mpaYaH-2A88HK-cie9fG-9vnzkq-m3XnCa-7pU2nT-3faVFL-6hvWhz-8YZCnF-nAqAhQ">Carl Nenzén Lovén/https://www.flickr.com/photos/nenzen/</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is part of our Reimagining New South Wales (NSW) series. For this series, vice-chancellors in NSW asked a select group of early and mid-career researchers to envisage new ways to tackle old problems and identify emerging opportunities across the state.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>The NSW economy is in <a href="http://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/LFR_SAFOUR/LFR_UnemploymentRate">reasonable shape</a>. But it is also increasingly centralised, leading to congestion and housing affordability problems. </p>
<p>Could rethinking the normal economic rules help create more rural jobs and make our regions more attractive and liveable?</p>
<h2>We need to decentralise our economy</h2>
<p>Australia escaped the worst of the global financial crisis that is still plaguing much of Europe, and the end of the mining boom has done little to slow down the state’s economy. But the boom is largely at the centre, concentrated in our biggest city.</p>
<p>The boom is not just in Sydney – it is at the very centre of the city. Over the past five years, <a href="http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/business/business-e-news/business-news-april-2014/city-leads-sydney-jobs-growth">40% of all jobs growth in Sydney took place within the City of Sydney council boundaries</a> – an area that covers just 150,000 of Sydney’s four million residents. </p>
<p>This reflects the changing face of the economy, where the industries that built regional Australia are employing relatively fewer people over time. Many of the industries that are growing – especially finance and some creative industries – like to cluster at the heart of outward-looking, diverse and globally integrated metropolises. </p>
<p>But this model of development raises a number of challenges. People need to live near employment. As the industrial structure has changed, so have house prices. In 1980 a house in the centre of Sydney cost about twice as one 40km away; by 2010 it was more than <a href="http://www.rba.gov.au/publications/confs/2011/pdf/yates.pdf">three times the price</a>. A similar trend has emerged with traffic congestion. Global cities need top-notch planning or they quickly become very unequal and congested.</p>
<p>So what is driving centralisation? The industries that traditionally provided the lifeblood of the regions have changed dramatically. Industries such as agriculture and manufacturing employ fewer people now <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1301.0%7E2012%7EMain%20Features%7EEmployment%20in%20Australian%20Industry%7E241">than a decade ago</a>.</p>
<p>Even the mining boom brought less local economic benefit than often thought. As economist John Quiggin has <a href="http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2014/07/04/Australia-economic-growth-secret-not-mining-not-micro-reform.aspx">pointed out</a>, mining might earn substantial export dollars, but it is also run using largely imported capital – and often temporary fly-in-fly-out workers – so many of the benefits flow straight back out of the communities hosting the mine.</p>
<p>Recent analysis of the NSW government’s <a href="http://evocities.com.au/">Evocities</a> program – designed to encourage families from Sydney to move to regional centres – highlights an important opportunity. Cheaper housing is a major drawcard, but so too are jobs. It is not surprising that the largest migration was to the town with the lowest unemployment rate, <a href="http://www.domain.com.au/news/where-sydneysiders-are-heading-to-buy-a-400000-family-home-on-a-huge-block-20160408-gnzjee/">Dubbo</a>.</p>
<h2>The rise of care</h2>
<p>One industry is driving jobs growth, and has created more new jobs than any other sector since 2000 – <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1301.0%7E2012%7EMain%20Features%7EEmployment%20in%20Australian%20Industry%7E241">health care and social assistance</a>. And that is only set to <a href="http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/work/2013/12/10/top-jobs-2025/">grow further</a>.</p>
<iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/o0HNi/3/" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" width="100%" height="679"></iframe>
<p>The rise of care is the biggest economic story of our time – but one that is rarely celebrated. </p>
<p>Read any of the federal government’s <a href="http://www.treasury.gov.au/PublicationsAndMedia/Publications/2015/2015-Intergenerational-Report">intergenerational reports</a> and you can see economists tend to view rising healthcare needs as a burden rather than a source of employment and well-being. Yet health and other care services add directly to well-being, help build communities and provide quality jobs with career prospects. </p>
<p>Importantly, those jobs are decentralised. <a href="http://cje.oxfordjournals.org/content/31/6/845.short">Recent research</a> in the UK suggests an increase in health and education spending helped revitalise northern England after mining and manufacturing employment <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/datablog/2013/apr/08/britain-changed-margaret-thatcher-charts">declined</a> during the Thatcher era. </p>
<p>Because care and education are delivered according to need, they can naturally cluster outside the big cities. Often the same centres in need of more care workers are those with high local unemployment. </p>
<p>The biggest challenge is ensuring our economic system recognises the value of care work. A recent equal pay case established that <a href="http://jir.sagepub.com/content/54/3/377.short">care is underpaid</a> because it has been seen as “women’s work”. Paying decent wages and shifting social attitudes about the gendered nature of work open up enormous potential for employment.</p>
<h2>Other ways to boost regional economies</h2>
<p>Another opportunity comes from a similarly counter-intuitive economic trend. <a href="http://www.powertopersuade.org.au/blog/social-service-futures-what-is-productivity/11/4/2016">Recent research</a> by the Productivity Commission has highlighted that in many sectors of manufacturing, conventional measures of productivity are actually falling. Yet these are the same (few) areas where employment is growing. So what’s going on?</p>
<p>Take bread manufacture. Productivity there is plummeting as consumers switch from factory-made bread (which is capital intensive) to artisan-style, store-made bread (which is labour intensive). That has meant more money in the industry, more jobs and healthier products. But because there is less bread produced per hour worked, productivity has declined.</p>
<p>The switch to artisan-style manufacturing is a great opportunity for the regions. It allows us to “value add” to agricultural production. That means more local jobs and the kinds of local food cultures that attract younger workers. </p>
<p>It is not just bread – wine, <a href="http://tasmanianfoodguide.com.au/blog/a-cheese-lovers-guide-to-tasmania.html">cheese</a>, pickles and <a href="http://www.visitvictoria.com/Food-and-wine/Craft-breweries">beer</a> all have the same dynamic. This is already happening in places such as <a href="http://eatdrinkplay.com/sydney/foodies-guide-to-orange-nsw/">Orange</a>. The <a href="http://www.businesschamber.com.au/NSWBC/media/Misc/Ask%20Us%20How/Australias-Wine-Industry.pdf">success of the Australian wine industry</a> also attests to how public policy can support cooperation between diverse producers.</p>
<p>Translating more attractive food centres into broader economic success stories also requires a more traditional economic idea – infrastructure. If younger workers and small businesses can access fast broadband and transport links, then moving to Orange might make more sense than just trying to set up shop in Surry Hills.</p>
<p>The NBN is helping (as its <a href="http://www.nbnco.com.au/content/dam/nbnco2/documents/super-connected-jobs-report.pdf">recent report on future jobs</a> outlines), but we have let our regional rail network wither. Closing some lines and operating others at a fraction of their potential speed because of poorly maintained tracks hasn’t helped. </p>
<p>It is possible to spread economic success outside of NSW big cities, but it might mean thinking a little outside the box.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Further reading:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-four-ways-to-boost-community-well-being-and-why-it-matters-63049"><em>Reimagining NSW: four ways to boost community well-being and why it matters</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-how-good-governance-strengthens-democracy-57573"><em>Reimagining NSW: how good governance strengthens democracy</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-going-beyond-wilderness-and-finding-fresh-ways-to-relate-to-our-environment-62978"><em>Reimagining NSW: going beyond ‘wilderness’ and finding fresh ways to relate to our environment</em></a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/reimagining-nsw-five-ways-to-future-proof-nsws-innovation-ecosystem-62782"><em>Reimagining NSW: five ways to future-proof NSW’s innovation ecosystem</em></a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62970/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Spies-Butcher has received funding from the Building the Education Revolution Evaluation Taskforce and ACE National. He is a member of the Policy Advisory Group of COTA NSW, a Board member of Shelter NSW, and a member of the Greens.</span></em></p>Often the same centres in need of more care workers are those with high local unemployment.Ben Spies-Butcher, Senior Lecturer in Economy and Society, Department of Sociology, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.