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2013 Annual Report 2013 Annual Report 1 Enquiries about reprinting information contained in this publication should be made through: Melbourne Social Equity Institute The University of Melbourne Victoria 3010 e: [email protected] Editors: Prof Bernadette McSherry, Charlene Edwards, Kathleen Patterson Design: Gary Dickson Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed or approved by the University. The information in this publication was correct at time of printing. The University reserves the right to make changes as appropriate. For more information visit: www.socialequity.unimelb.edu.au Contents Background 4 Message from the Director 5 Directorate 6 Theme Leaders 7 Advisory Board 8 Reference Group 8 Research Themes 9 Seed Funded Projects 10 - 13 Featured Projects 14 - 15 PhD Students 16 Partnerships and Collaborations 17 Publication Highlights 18 Key Events 19 Financial Statement 20 Background The Melbourne Social Equity Institute (MSEI) sup- ports interdisciplinary research on social equity is- sues across the full spectrum of social life including health, law, education, housing, work and transport. The MSEI brings together researchers from across the University of Melbourne to identify unjust or unfair practices that lead to social inequity and work to- wards finding ways to ameliorate disadvantage. Our research is currently linked to four themes: • Access to Public Goods • Citizenship & Diversity • Human Rights • Social Policy Across the Life Course Each theme has a leader who is committed to achiev- ing real change in his or her field. Cutting across these themes, the MSEI supports research which addresses the needs of population sectors where disadvantage may be experienced by reason of gender, age and/or disability. The contribution of those who have lived experience of social inequities is essential to our work. The MSEI facilitates partnerships with community organisations and service providers in order to ensure the perspec- tives of those who have experienced disadvantage are central to research development. Such partnerships Dr Berhan Ahmed, President, Team Africa will continue to be supported and formalised in en- Photo courtesy Kate O’Hara. suing years. 4 Message from the Director Some five years ago, the first seeds were planted for for a project dealing the development of what is now the Melbourne Social with how best to reduce Equity Institute. The gestation period prior to the the use of seclusion and MSEI’s formal establishment in mid-2012 has meant restraint of individu- that much of the important and potentially comple- als with severe mental mentary research already being undertaken across health problems. It has the University of Melbourne under the broad banner also established net- of social equity was identified prior to my coming on works for those research- board as Foundation Director in March 2013. This ing in the disparate (but has made my role much easier than expected and I often interconnecting) am exceptionally grateful to the Interim (and now areas of disability, family Deputy) Director Professor Julie McLeod, Executive violence and gender as Officer Charlene Edwards, the theme leaders and the well as for those work- members of the reference group for being so welcom- ing on projects involving ing. Kathleen Patterson, with whom I have worked for children. the better part of ten years, agreeing to becoming the MSEI’s Project Co-ordinator has also been of invalua- An advisory board, constituted by members outside of ble assistance in my taking up the directorship. the university and chaired by Jan Owen AM, has been established to ensure that research supported by the The main aims of the MSEI over the past year were to MSEI translates into policy and practice. In all, this raise its profile both within and outside the university has been a year in which all involved with the MSEI and to concentrate on building social equity research have hit the ground running. capacity. The addition of a part-time Communications Officer, Gary Dickson, to the directorate has been The MSEI is now well on its way to achieving its vision instrumental in establishing a social media presence to influence government policy, public opinion and and numerous seminars, forums, lectures and our in- social practices through the highest quality scholar- augural conference have all helped build the MSEI’s ship in order to create fairer societies. profile and showcase the important interdisciplinary work already under way. Over the past year the MSEI seed funded eight inter- disciplinary projects and brought in significant fund- Professor Bernadette McSherry ing from the National Mental Health Commission Foundation Director 5 Suburbs sshb on Flickr Directorate Professor Bernadette McSherry Kathleen Patterson Foundation Director Project Co-ordinator Bernadette joined the University of Melbourne from Kathleen joined the University of Melbourne from Monash University, where she was an Australian Monash University, where she was the Executive Research Council Federation Fellow and the Director Officer of the Centre for the Advancement of Law and of the Centre for the Advancement of Law and Mental Mental Health. Kathleen has a Bachelor of Computing Health. Bernadette has made significant scholarly (Information Systems) from Monash and previously contributions to the areas of criminal law, mental worked as an IT systems administrator in the USA health law and psychology. and New Zealand. Professor Julie McLeod Gary Dickson Deputy Director Communications Officer Julie is a professor at the Melbourne Graduate School Gary is a graduate student of journalism at the of Education and an Australian Research Council University of Melbourne. His thesis is looking at com- Future Fellow. Her research areas encompass youth parative coverage of men’s public and private violence and gender studies, curriculum history, feminism and in print media. His undergraduate studies were in his- education. Her Future Fellowship project is exploring tory and Spanish and he previously worked in com- youth identity and educational inequality since 1950. munications at La Trobe University. Charlene Edwards Executive Officer Charlene has a background in partnership develop- ment and community engagement within the UK higher education sector. She holds an honours degree in music and drama from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Graduate Certificate in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Charlene has recently joined the Community Advisory Committee for the Royal Women’s Hospital. 6 Wheelchairs Lifeontheedge on Flickr Theme Leaders Professor Helen Sullivan Dr Deborah Warr Social Policy Across the Life Course Citizenship and Diversity Helen is the Director of the Melbourne School of Deborah is a sociologist and Senior Research Fellow Government. Her work examines theories and prac- at the McCaughey Centre for Community Health and tices of collaboration in democratic governance Wellbeing. Deborah’s work has spanned locational (particularly at the local level). She has extensive ex- disadvantage, refugees, the social determinants of perience evaluating government bodies and publishes health and more. She has a long-standing commit- widely on relationships between the state and society. ment to participatory and collaborative research. Associate Professor John Tobin Associate Professor Carolyn Whitzman Human Rights Access to Public Goods John is an Associate Professor in the Melbourne Law Carolyn is an Associate Professor in Urban Planning School where he researches and teaches in the area of in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning. human rights. He has a particular interest in children’s Her research interests include building healthy, eq- rights and economic and social rights. He is current- uitable cities, planning tools for violence prevention, ly working on an ARC Discovery Project entitled community safety and overcoming barriers to afforda- ‘Children’s Rights: From Theory to Practice’. ble housing in the central city. 7 Manus Island Department of Immigration & Border Protection The MSEI is advised by an external board of prominent Australians with practical experience of working with diverse social groups, and a reference group, which includes our directorate, theme leaders and University of Melbourne academics with demonstrated strengths in social equity research. Advisory Board Jan Owen AM (Chair) Hugh Evans CEO, Foundation for Young Australians CEO, Global Poverty Project Durkhanai Ayubi Roz Hansen Australian Communications and Media Authority Former Chair, Metropolitan Planning Strategy Robin Banks Michael Traill AM Anti-Discrimination Commissioner (Tasmania) CEO, Social Ventures Australia Michael Black AC QC Former Chief Justice, Federal Court of Australia Reference Group Professor Sean Cooney Professor Guyonne Kalb Melbourne Law School Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research Dr John Furler General Practice Professor John Murphy Faculty of Arts Associate Professor Louise Harms Department of Social Work 8 Street vendor in Jakarta prayitnophotography on Flickr Research Themes Access to Public Goods Human Rights This theme examines how spatial access to public In contemporary discussions about justice, the dis- goods affects social equity. In order to create the best courses of human rights and social equity are fre- chances for individual and community wellbeing, a quently heard. For example, UNICEF has recently healthy community needs: adopted an equity approach to matters involving chil- (1) adequate,
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