John Button School Prize
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— John Button School Prize Winning Essays 2020 Supported by the John Button Fund Table of Contents _ The John Button Foundation and the School Prize 3 Melbourne School of Government 4 2020 Winner 5 Amelia Lemanis, Camberwell Girls Grammar School 6 'Why Australia Needs to Engage in Justice Reinvestment to Reduce Indigenous Incarceration Rates and Help Close the Gap ’ 2020 First Runner-Up 13 Nalini Jacob-Roussety, Nossal High School 14 ‘Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite: Tackling Fatigue in the Australian Workplace’ 2020 Second Runner-Up 21 Mia Koufalas, Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School 22 ‘Navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Australia's need to moderate the integration of artificial intelligence into the workplace’ More Information 29 2 The John Button Fund and the School Prize The John Button Fund The John Button Foundation was established in 2009 in memory of John Button, the late Industry Minister, Senator and writer. In 2016 the Foundation donated the fund to the University of Melbourne to be managed within the Melbourne School of Government. Donations to the Fund can be made through the School of Government’s website at the following link: https://government.unimelb.edu.au/engagement/the-john-button-fund The John Button School Prize The School Prize awards the Professorbest essay on a subjectJohn concerning Howe Australia’s future by a Victorian student who is in Years 10 to 12 andDirector is younger than 19. Essays submitted for the School Prize will discuss Australian politics or policy. They might address such topics as Australia’s population, climate change, reconciliation with Indigenous Australians, water, asylum seekers, education, health, the state of the arts — big ideas for Australia’s future. The 2019 winner was announced at the Melbourne Writers Festival on 3 September 2019, at the annual John Button Oration. The Judging Panel for 2019 consisted of 5 members: • Judith Troeth, member, Melbourne School of Government Board, former Liberal Senator for Victoria • John Langmore, Professorial fellow, Melbourne School of Government, former Labor MP for Fraser • Gerard Martin, Curriculum Manager (History and Civics), Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority • Alistair King, Communications Manager, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority • Chair: Tom Gerald Daly, Assistant Director, Melbourne School of Government 3 Melbourne School of Government The School’s Mission Our mission is to inspire and equip governments, businesses, social partners and individuals to meet the challenges of contemporary governance. Through interdisciplinary, innovative teaching and research, we seek shared and sustainable solutions to these challenges. The School's activities centre around our thematic areas: renewing democracy; governance and regulation; and troubling policy. In these areas we aim to: • Harness the University's diverse resources in our graduate and executive teaching to equip the current and next generation of leaders. • Facilitate research that meets the needs of governments, industry and social partners. • Be the platform for exploration, debate and innovation nationally and in our region. Empowering Younger Generations The John Button School Prize forms part of the School of Government’s activity in educating and empowering younger generations. As well as the School Prize, other key initiatives include: • Undergraduate breadth subjects on understanding policy, climate change, and the inner workings of government. • The Master of Public Administration (MPA), which prepares professionals to take on leadership roles working in and with government. • The Pathways to Politics Program for Women, a non-partisan initiative run in partnership with the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia and Trawalla Foundation, which provides a select group of female University of Melbourne students and alumni the opportunity to gain the skills and networks to reach elected office at local, state and national levels. 4 Winner 2020 _ 5 _ Why Australia Needs to Engage in Justice Reinvestment to Reduce Indigenous Incarceration Rates and Help Close the Gap _ Amelia Lemanis 6 Australia’s justice system features a decades old gap between our Indigenous and non‐Indigenous community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make up 2% of the population, but 28% of our prison population as of 2018.1 Despite multiple inquiries into this, and a consensus that change is necessary, not much progress has been made.2 Increasing calls from Indigenous activists and Black Lives Matter protests have highlighted this problem, with activist Helen Eason stating that the deaths in custody constitute “continued genocide”.3 It is then clear that Australian governments must commit to the only course of action which is consistently supported by both research and community recommendations: community‐based justice reinvestment programs. The cost of tough on crime policies and mitigating the criminal ‘justice’ gap Australian justice systems rely on the theory of deterrence, where punishment of minor crimes is seen as necessary to deter more significant crimes. For example, while property crimes fell from 2001‐2010 in Western Australia, mandatory sentencing guidelines are still used to emphasise “deterrence, incapacitation and greater consistency in sentencing”. 4 This places financial burden on the correctional system, and affects Indigenous Australians at a greater rate. Since 2010, the number of prison inmates has increased by 39%, 36,000 prisoners currently in Australia. 5 This growth is problematic as data from 2015 shows an expenditure of $100,000 per prisoner per year (the comparable OECD average being $69,000), with little benefit‐ as 45% of released prisoners return to prison within 2 years.6 Our current system is then one of high cost and little return in terms of either deterring crime or rehabilitating criminals. Efforts by state governments to maintain this ‘tough on crime’ stance then result in the counter‐productive practice of prisoners serving many short sentences, with no real opportunity of rehabilitation or skill development. For example, over half of Victoria’s Ravenhall Correctional Centre’s inmates are incarcerated for less than 3 months before release, and a rehabilitation program is only available to those incarcerated for over 90 days.7 This problem exists nationwide: Australia spending $1.8 billion on incarcerating non‐violent offenders in 2016, almost half of the entire correctional budget.8 Punishing petty crime as a deterrent is also a primary factor for the high incarceration rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who are 12.5 times more likely to be incarcerated than non‐Indigenous people.9 One reason for this is laws which have a greater negative impact remote communities, such as driving with a license, which requires nearby licensing services to be available. These laws disproportionately impact Indigenous peoples as 18.6% of all Indigenous peoples live in remote and very remote communities compared to 1.5% of the non‐Indigenous community according to the 2016 census.10 1 Cunneen, C. and Russell, S. (2018). As Indigenous incarceration rates keep rising, justice reinvestment offers a solution. Retrieved 25/09/20 from https://theconversation.com/as‐indigenous‐incarceration‐rates‐keep‐rising‐justice‐reinvestment‐offers‐a‐solution‐107610 2 Bartels, Lorana. (2019). Australian government should follow the Act’s lead in building communities, not prisons. Retrieved 25/09/20 from https://theconversation.com/australian‐governments‐should‐follow‐the‐acts‐lead‐in‐building‐communities‐not‐prisons‐111990 3 Kohlbacher, Sonia. (2020). Indigenous activists urge more BLM support. Retrieved 02/10/20 from https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6786948/indigenous‐activists‐urge‐more‐blm‐support/ 4 Baker, David. (2013). Tough on crime: The rhetoric and reality of property crime and feeling safe in Australia. Melbourne, Australia: University of Melbourne, pp.1,7. Retrieved from https://www.tai.org.au/sites/default/files/PB%2056%20Tough%20on%20crime.pdf 5 Knowles, Lorna. (2017). Australia spending more on prisons, policing than other comparable countries: report. Retrieved 23/09/20 from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017‐08‐08/australia‐spending‐more‐on‐prisons‐than‐other‐oecd‐countries/8784466 6 Ibid 7 Ilanbey, Sumeyya. (2020). Crowded jail stymies programs to turn prisoners away from life of crime. Retrieved 25/09/20 from https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/crowded‐jail‐stymies‐programs‐to‐turn‐prisoners‐away‐from‐life‐of‐crime‐20200319‐ p54bt4.html 8 Oxley, Robyn. (2020). Defunding the police and abolishing prisons in Australia are not radical ideas. Retrieved 26/09/20 from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/17/defunding‐the‐police‐and‐abolishing‐prisons‐in‐australia‐are‐not‐a‐radical‐ ideas 9 Whittaker, Alison. (2019). Aboriginal woman Tanya Day died in custody. Now an inquest is investigating if systemic racism a role. Retrieved 25/09/20 from https://theconversation.com/aboriginal‐woman‐tanya‐day‐died‐in‐custody‐now‐an‐inquest‐is‐investigating‐if‐ systemic‐racism‐played‐a‐role‐122471 10 Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2018). Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Retrieved 22/09/20 from https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal‐and‐torres‐strait‐islander‐peoples/estimates‐aboriginal‐and‐torres‐strait‐islander‐ australians/latest‐release#:~:text=Of%20the%20states%20and%20territories,Capital%20Territory%20(7%2C500%20people). 7 Another reason for the overrepresentation