Family Matters articles from March 1999

Family Matters archives from March 1999

Director's Report.
March 22, 1999... The Minister for Family and Community Services announced on 26 November 1999 that I had been appointed to the position of Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies. I am very pleased to have had the opportunity of working with...

Families, welfare and social policy.
March 22, 1999... Earlier this year, the editorial team of Family Matters commissioned a set of papers for a special issue of the magazine devoted to the question of social policy and its impact on family life in Australia. Every author that we approached...

Welfare reform and the family.
March 22, 1999... There is a culture of poverty which means that many long-term welfare claimants lack the capacity to take advantage of employment opportunities even when they arise. The answer, the author claims, lies in a policy of `help and hassle' which...

Welfare dependency and economic opportunity.
March 22, 1999... In the United Kingdom the sharp shrinkage of the job market for semi-skilled and unskilled workers has been the catalyst for the rising welfare rolls. And once on the rolls for what appears like an indefinite period there are changes in...

Welfare reform in Britain, Australia and the United States.
March 22, 1999... In the United States, radical welfare reform now leaves individuals with no alternative to finding and keeping a job, and the government has forced lone parents into employment whether they want it or not. Although the principle of...

Positive and negative welfare and Australia's indigenous communities.
March 22, 1999... The provision, without reciprocity of income support to able bodied people of working age can be seen as `negative' welfare, inducing passivity and dependence. My first concern lies with the situation and prospects of the marginal and...

The commonwealth government's approach to family policy.
March 22, 1999... This article outlines the Government's objectives and achievements in family policy and reveals that future directions for family policy will focus on prevention and early intervention with a view to strengthening families. The aims of the...

Is the Australian family becoming an endangered species?
March 22, 1999... Australians are having fewer children and this is driving our birth rate to record lows and contributing to the development of a society and institutions that are not sensitive to children. Also of concern is the disproportionate number of...

Developing a National Family Policy.
March 22, 1999... Evidence suggests that the breakdown of marriages and the disintegration of family structures is a common factor in a range of worsening social problems such as youth suicide, youth homelessness, child abuse, and alcohol and drug abuse among...

Taxation and family income.
March 22, 1999... One of the results of the tax changes from the 1970s onwards has been that families with dependent children have been disadvantaged relative to the rest of society. We need to rethink our conceptions of `social justice' to reflect the...

Impact of new tax legislation on households.(Statistical Data Included)
March 22, 1999... Recent legislation promises far-reaching changes to taxation which will have a large impact on Australian families. The legislation has two main parts -- the replacement of existing indirect taxes by a new goods and services tax, and large...

Mothers in the labour force.
March 22, 1999... A step forward and two back? BELINDA PROBERT looks at a wide range of policy changes that are affecting mothers' participation in the paid workforce, including labour market de-regulation and workplace `reform' as well as changes in...

Child poverty across the industrialised world.(Statistical Data Included)
March 22, 1999... Whether measured in relative or real terms, child poverty varies widely across industrialised countries. Those with higher levels of national income tend to have lower real poverty rates, but the United States is an exception. Australia has a...

Families in the news.(Brief Article)
March 22, 1999... Families moved into the centre of the media's gaze in the last couple of months. The approaching end of the millennium, and the release of ABS reports -- Marriage and Divorces, Australia 1998 in August, and Births, Australia 7998 in November...

RESEARCH IN PREMARRIAGE EDUCATION.
March 22, 1999... INSTITUTE HOSTS ROUND TABLE How effective are premarriage education programs in promoting strong and stable marital and family relationships? ROBYN PARKER reports on a round table held at the Australian Institute of Family Studies that...

NATIONAL FAMILIES STRATEGY: UPDATE.(Australia)(Brief Article)
March 22, 1999... In the last issue of Family Matters we published an article by the Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Jocelyn Newman, outlining the government's new National Families Strategy, and we promised to keep readers up to date with...

CAMCARE PARENT YOUTH MEDIATION SERVICE.(Australia)(Brief Article)
March 22, 1999... Camcare helps families to talk and listen to each other, to sort out their problems, and to find their own solutions. Camcare has recently launched its parent youth mediation service aimed at resolving conflicts between young persons aged...

NEW DIRECTOR FOR AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FAMILY STUDIES.(David Stanton)(Brief Article)
March 22, 1999... As reported on page two of this issue of Family Matters, the Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Jocelyn Newman, has announced the appointment of Mr David Stanton as Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies. ...

AIFS PANEL SURVEY UPDATE.(Australian Institute of Family Studies)(Brief Article)
March 22, 1999... As the Institute's Research Manager, Peter Saunders, explained in the previous edition of Family Matters (p. 5), the Australian Institute of Family Studies is developing a panel survey that will monitor family wellbeing. This is timely, given...

AT THE WORK AND FAMILY AWARDS.(Brief Article)
March 22, 1999... The Foundation Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies Dr Don Edgar (left), and the new Director, Mr David Stanton, share anecdotes at the 1999 Australian Financial Review/Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Corporate...

Individualism, economic development and the decline of the western family.
March 22, 1999... The main check on the individualistic side of our natures has historically come from religious morality. In the west, however, Christianity evolved as an individualistic religion, and pursuit of individual gratification was only held in check...

NEW ON THE AIFS WEB.(Australian Institute of Family Studies)(Brief Article)
March 22, 1999... www.aifs.org.au/ New publications and email discussion lists feature in the Institute's `What's new on the Web site' for the last quarter. Publications online The Institute's Annual Report 1998-99 and a number of new Institute...

SOCIAL POLICY ON THE WEB.
March 22, 1999... Few would dispute the contention that a wide range of government policies have a significant impact upon the resources, opportunities, constraints and choices available to family members, including those concerning employment, industrial...

The private costs of children in 1993 - 94.(Statistical Data Included)
March 22, 1999... For many years, Family Matters has provided updated estimates of the cost of raising children. In the last issue, we carried two papers which calculated new sets of estimates based on two different methodological approaches. We now follow...

Social policy on welfare and the family.
March 22, 1999... The following references have been selected from the Australian Family & Society Abstracts database, produced by the Australian Institute of Family Studies to monitor the research, policy and practice literature on family and social issues....

Engendering Social Policy.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Engendering Social Policy, Sophie Watson and Lesley Doyal (eds) Open University Press, Buckingham, UK, 1999, 222 pp. It is no doubt an irony that at a time in which family, children and the negotiation of public and private rights and...

A Certain Age: Women Growing Older.(Review)
March 22, 1999... A Certain Age: Women Growing Older, edited by Marilyn Poole and Susan Feldman, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, 1999. Price: $24.95. This collection of papers examines a range of issues concerning older women in Australian society. Topics...

When My Parents Split Up.(Review)
March 22, 1999... When My Parents Split Up, edited by Tricia McGeachie, (2nd edition), Children's Interests Bureau, Adelaide, 1999. Price: free of charge. This booklet, written with the assistance of young people themselves, aims to provide practical...

`But I Want to Stay With You': Talking with Children about Separation and Divorce.(Review)
March 22, 1999... `But I Want to Stay With You': Talking with Children about Separation and Divorce, by Jill Burrett, Simon and Schuster, East Roseville, 1999. Price: $19.95. This book gives practical advice to parents on the emotional topic of how to...

First Steps in Parenting the Child Who Hurts: Tiddlers and Toddlers, and Next Steps in Parenting the Child Who Hurts: Tykes and Teens.(Review)
March 22, 1999... First Steps in Parenting the Child Who Hurts: Tiddlers and Toddlers, and Next Steps in Parenting the Child Who Hurts: Tykes and Teens, both by Caroline Archer, Jessica Kingsley (for Adoption UK), London, 1999. Price: UK 11.95 and 13.95. ...

Fathers, Marriage and the Law.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Fathers, Marriage and the Law, by Ros Pickford, Family Policy Studies Centre, London, 1999. Price: UK 10.95 This report from the United Kingdom examines the issues surrounding fatherhood and marriage, especially the differences in legal...

Children of Parents with Mental Illness.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Children of Parents with Mental Illness, edited by Vicki Cowling, ACER, Camberwell, 1999. Price: $24.95. This book examines the often forgotten issue of children whose parents suffer from mental illness. While the parents may be receiving...

Challenging Silence: Innovative Responses to Sexual and Domestic Violence.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Challenging Silence: Innovative Responses to Sexual and Domestic Violence, edited by Jan Breckenbridge and Lesley Laing, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, 1999. Price; $35.00. This collection of papers examines contemporary Australian research...

Australian Social Policy 1999, Issue 1.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Australian Social Policy 1999, Issue 1 Department of Family and Community Services, Canberra, bi-annual. Price: $14.95 single issue. Two-year subscription (4 issues) $54.95. For many years, the Department of Social Security published the...

Relationships into the New Millennium: Papers to Celebrate 50 Years of Relationships Australia.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Relationships into the New Millennium: Papers to Celebrate 50 Years of Relationships Australia, edited by Gaff Bateman and Dawn Lamont, Relationships Australia, Deakin, 1999. Price: $18.00. This collection celebrates 50 years of service...

The Family Court book.
March 22, 1999... The Family Court of Australia recently released The Family Court Book- a plain language information booklet aimed to help separating couples better understand the Family Court system. The book is not intended to replace the need for legal...

Social Capital and Social Policy in Australia.(Review)
March 22, 1999... Social Capital and Social Policy in Australia, edited by Ian Winter, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2000. $29.00 plus $3.00 postage and handling. What does social capital mean for public policy?' From this core question the...

Youth Suicide Prevention: Programs and Activities: Second National Stocktake.(Bibliography)
March 22, 1999... Youth Suicide Prevention: Programs and Activities: Second National Stocktake, compiled and published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies for the National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy, 1999. 380 pages. The Australian...

The Looking After Children Approach in Australia.(Review)
March 22, 1999... The Looking After Children Approach in Australia, by Sarah Wise, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 1999. 76 pages, $15.00 plus $3.00 postage and handling. Research conducted in Australia and overseas has found clear evidence of...