102-497 A Century of Australian Social Policy

Admission to relevant Masters coursework or Honours programs.

This subject explores the history of Australian social policy, interweaving five themes: the rise and fall of state-regulated wages, the ways that income support was shaped by this arbitration system, the gendering and de-gendering of the welfare system and its relationship to the family, the separate and privileged position of veterans' welfare, and the distinctive place of the faith-based welfare sector in the mixed economy of welfare. This historical survey is combined with examination of theories on the comparative analysis of welfare regimes. The subject starts from the principle that to understand where we are going involves understanding where we have come from, and that we need historical depth to comprehend contemporary transformations in the type of policy regime constructed in Australia. Through an investigation of the antecedents of 'welfare reform', industrial relations deregulation, the de-gendering of welfare, and the shift towards contracting non-government welfare agencies to administer the poor, the subject provides an opportunity to examine the present in the light of the past.

• have developed research skills, through the competent use of library and other information sources;

• have developed the skills of critical thinking, argument and analysis, through recommended reading, essay writing, and seminar discussion;

• have developed skills in written and oral communication, time management and planning, through completion of course requirements;

• have developed the capacity to think in theoretical terms, through class requirements and engagement with theories and methods of policy analysis;

• have developed the capacity to think creatively, through course work and course discussion, and by critical analysis of competing arguments.

A book review of 1000 words 20% (due week 6 of semester) and a research essay of 4000 words 80% (due during the examination period). Students must complete all assignments and attend at least 80% of classes to be eligible for assessment.

A subject reader will be available from the Bookroom at the beginning of semester.