Lucy Macmillan

How do we improve independent scrutiny during policy reform? Independent scrutiny is critical to sound public policy governance, but how do we get the most out of it? 1️⃣ Who commissions the review matters! 2️⃣ Choose truly independent consultants. 3️⃣ Ensure a direct line to decision-makers. 4️⃣ Protect confidentiality. ➡️ Learn how to fix your reviews for better policy-making in my latest article: https://lnkd.in/gGzy-4Xm #PublicPolicy #Governance #PolicyReview

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How does your LGA measure the impact of grant programs? Impact reporting is crucial for Australian local government areas (LGAs) to make data-driven decisions, evaluate spending effectiveness, and demonstrate community improvements. A key concept to understand is attribution vs. contribution: 🔹 Attribution: Change is solely due to your project. 🔹 Contribution: Acknowledges the role of other influencing factors alongside your project. Knowing the difference can transform how you evaluate program success! Read more at the link in the comments.

RCMP Open Government Office launches first public consultation on PlaceSpeak The RCMP's Open Government Office is excited to announce the launch of the pilot of its online public consultation platform. This initiative marks a crucial step in fostering greater transparency and engagement with the communities we serve. We invite all members of the public to participate by sharing their feedback on the Draft Transparency Policy. The consultation will remain open until November 22, 2024. The Draft Transparency Policy, developed by the RCMP's Open Government Office, lays the foundation for a more open, accountable, and responsive organization. It seeks to promote a culture of transparency while ensuring a careful balance between openness and security among the government and the public. By participating in this consultation, you have a direct opportunity to shape the future of how the RCMP operates, ensuring our policies reflect the values and expectations of Canadians. We understand that the public's voice is vital in this process. That is why we are actively seeking feedback from individuals across the country to guide our decision-making and ensure that the resulting policy aligns with public needs. This initiative is part of our broader commitment to act with integrity, take responsibility, and increase public trust. By being open and transparent in our actions, we strengthen the bond with the communities we serve, upholding our core values and mandate for accountability. We have partnered with a secure online consultation platform designed specifically to facilitate public participation. The platform ensures that all feedback is confidential and anonymous while verifying that participants are real individuals. The separation between identity verification and privacy ensures that you can share your views freely without concern about personal data being collected. The RCMP will only gather feedback related to the policy and will not collect any personal information during this process. We encourage the public to take part in this important consultation. Your insights and suggestions will play a critical role in shaping RCMP governance and helping us build policies that are transparent, fair, and reflective of the communities we serve. By participating, you are helping to forge a stronger, more accountable RCMP. If you'd like to participate, submit your feedback by November 22, 2024, through our secure online platform at https://lnkd.in/eVt78PyN. https://lnkd.in/gb5M5pyF

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🚨 WEBINAR ALERT: State of the Sector Report Launch - Data Drives Decisions Project 🚨 Local government professionals don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to dive into the numbers that matter! 📊 Join us as we launch the State of the Sector Report, developed through our Data Drives Decisions Project. 🗓 Thursday 31 October 2024 🕙 1.00pm – 2.00pm 💻 Online via zoom Why Attend? ✅ Data-Informed Decision-Making – Discover the power of real data from WA’s local governments, gathered over the past 4 years (2019–2023) through trusted sources like the Grants Commission Information Return, Asset Registers, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. ✅ Actionable Insights – Learn how metrics like revenue, expenditures, asset value, and FTEs (on a per capita basis) are shaping better governance decisions. ✅ Diverse Perspectives – Hear firsthand from the Shire of Mount Magnet and the City of Rockingham about their key learnings and practical applications from the data. 💡 Why is credible data important? Using accurate data enables you to make better decisions, allocate resources efficiently, and create more transparent governance. It’s the key to improving outcomes for your community! ❗ Register Now and find out more about the Data Drives Decisions Project 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gY-2XZdW The full report will be available on the LG Professionals WA website following the webinar. #LocalGovData #StateOfTheSector #DataDrivesDecisions #PowerofData #InformedDecisionMaking

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Indigenous Sovereignty and Colonial Frameworks: A Comparative Analysis of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Australia. #SBLAAR24 #ACREL https://lnkd.in/dYMFgUFB

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📢  Sustineo has reached a major milestone for our work with Partnerships for Social Protection (P4SP)! 🎉 📖 Our extensive literature review and annotated bibliography on social protection in the Pacific and Timor-Leste has been published. This research is the first of its kind in the Pacific. This Development Policy Centre blog by Sustineo’s Kate Lanyon and Matt Allen and P4SP’s Ginevra Jarmaine gives a comprehensive summary of the research. 👇 There are many opportunities for research into social protection in the Pacific and Timor-Leste, and we hope to see local researchers supported to lead this work in the future. 👏 Shout-out to everyone involved in this project: Kate Lanyon, Matt Allen, Tom Sloan, Ellis Mackenzie, Lauren Waring, Lauren Bland, Rohit Rao, Inge Stokkel, Asenati Liki, Desmond Amosa, and the P4SP team Ginevra Jarmaine, Jesse Doyle, Rachel Payne. #socialprotection #pacific #timorleste #pacificregion #research #firstofitskind #literaturereview #evidencereview #annotatedbibliography #socialprotectionsystems #socialprotectionresearch #socialscienceresearch #projectmilestone

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The "Mapping Social Cohesion 2024" report provides valuable insights into social cohesion in Australia but has notable shortcomings. Methodologically, it over relies on the Scanlon Index, which simplifies complex social dynamics. The shift to online surveys introduces potential bias, excluding digitally marginalised populations. The report fails to adjust for these changes, limiting its longitudinal comparability adequately. Analytically, it lacks intersectional insights, failing to explore how systemic issues like socio-economic inequality, gender, and ethnicity interact with discrimination. Economic challenges are overemphasised as drivers of cohesion issues without critically addressing systemic causes like housing or income inequality. Furthermore, marginalised groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) communities, are underrepresented, with First Nations issues treated tokenistically. Conceptually, the report conflates cohesion with other metrics, such as happiness, and avoids critical reflection on multiculturalism’s shortcomings or systemic inequality. Policy recommendations are weak, with limited actionable solutions for challenges like financial stress and discrimination. Biases towards optimism, despite measurable declines in trust and belonging and insufficient critique of divisive government policies or media influence, undermine its objectivity. While the report provides valuable data, it falls short in addressing systemic, intersectional, and policy-driven challenges to social cohesion comprehensively.#SocialCohesion #MappingCohesion #MulticulturalAustralia #PolicyGaps #InclusionMatters #Intersectionality #SystemicChallenges #FirstNationsVoice #EconomicInequality #CulturalDiversity #TrustInGovernment #SocialJustice #Discrimination #CommunityEngagement #AustralianSociety

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It is great to have this recording of an important panel discussion, 'Climate change response is essential work for feminists' at the recent Equality Rights Alliance Symposium in Melbourne moderated by Victoria McKenzie-McHarg (Women's Environmental Leadership Australia) with WCC Steering Circle member, Dr Mary Picard, PhD, Bianca McNeair (Buyungurra Nyarlu Turtle Monitoring Program) and Clare Gibellini (Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA). Speaking about the WCC, Mary says: "I think women are the connectors internationally as well as nationally and know that’s one of the things that the Women’s Climate Congress is really interested in doing – is basically mobilising women to have these fairly positive conversations at community level and with parliamentarians to develop a sustainable future. So that’s really about bringing a gender equality lens and women’s leadership and empowerment to these conversations, and I think groups like this (i.e., international women’s organisations), and the Women’s Climate Congress, are really important for cutting across because I think that government structures are inherently inflexible. So, it’s a lot of work but I think that is something that we can do." Yes - we can! #womenrising SHE Changes Climate Project Dandelion https://lnkd.in/gkfgNAQx

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- Federal contracts have been awarded to 'Indigenous' enterprises without proper verification, raising concerns about non-Indigenous businesses circumventing ownership requirements. - A joint investigation uncovered instances where non-Indigenous companies may have exploited Indigenous procurement programs for financial gain. - Questions have been raised about the legitimacy of some businesses claiming Indigenous heritage and the need for greater scrutiny in awarding contracts. United Nations UNESCO #decolonise National Indigenous Australians Agency Aboriginal Affairs NSW Government of Canada #policy #fraud #Aboriginal #economy https://lnkd.in/d4NwaZzQ

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Australia leads the way with the International Digital Policy Observatory (IDPO), a pioneering online database to track global digital policies and regulations. The IDPO is a semi-automated and collaboratively curated database designed for academics, regulators, industry, advocacy groups and their advisors. Developed by researchers from University of Sydney, UNSW, and University of Technology Sydney, this world-first initiative aims to demystify misinformation and provide insights into digital governance. The IDPO, supported by the Australian Research Council, will initially focus on misinformation and fake news, expanding to cover AI regulation, online harms, cybersecurity and digital identity. It's a one-stop-shop for comprehensive, open-source information on internet regulation worldwide 🌍💡 Read more about it here: http://srkr.io/6048K2o GovTech Review #DigitalGovernance #AIRegulation #AustralianInnovation

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The "Community Engagement Review Report to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy," conducted in December 2023, underscores the necessity of robust community engagement in Australia's transition from coal-fired electricity to renewable energy sources. It outlines the challenges and opportunities for enhancing community involvement, with recommendations for improving engagement outcomes. For Landcare NSW, this report identifies critical challenges working with landholders, highlighting the importance of community participation, the need for effective engagement strategies, and the chance to influence environmental and planning reforms. This aligns with Landcare NSW's commitment to sustainable development and environmental conservation, emphasising its role in advocating for and facilitating sustainable community and farming practices leading to equitable outcomes during this critical transition. https://bit.ly/42oElGy

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The "Community Engagement Review Report to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy," conducted in December 2023, underscores the necessity of robust community engagement in Australia's transition from coal-fired electricity to renewable energy sources. It outlines the challenges and opportunities for enhancing community involvement, with recommendations for improving engagement outcomes. For Landcare NSW, this report identifies critical challenges working with landholders, highlighting the importance of community participation, the need for effective engagement strategies, and the chance to influence environmental and planning reforms. This aligns with Landcare NSW's commitment to sustainable development and environmental conservation, emphasising its role in advocating for and facilitating sustainable community and farming practices leading to equitable outcomes during this critical transition. https://bit.ly/42oElGy

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The "Community Engagement Review Report to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy," conducted in December 2023, underscores the necessity of robust community engagement in Australia's transition from coal-fired electricity to renewable energy sources. It outlines the challenges and opportunities for enhancing community involvement, with recommendations for improving engagement outcomes. For Landcare NSW, this report identifies critical challenges working with landholders, highlighting the importance of community participation, the need for effective engagement strategies, and the chance to influence environmental and planning reforms. This aligns with Landcare NSW's commitment to sustainable development and environmental conservation, emphasising its role in advocating for and facilitating sustainable community and farming practices leading to equitable outcomes during this critical transition. https://bit.ly/42oElGy

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The "Community Engagement Review Report to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy," conducted in December 2023, underscores the necessity of robust community engagement in Australia's transition from coal-fired electricity to renewable energy sources. It outlines the challenges and opportunities for enhancing community involvement, with recommendations for improving engagement outcomes. For Landcare NSW, this report identifies critical challenges working with landholders, highlighting the importance of community participation, the need for effective engagement strategies, and the chance to influence environmental and planning reforms. This aligns with Landcare NSW's commitment to sustainable development and environmental conservation, emphasising its role in advocating for and facilitating sustainable community and farming practices leading to equitable outcomes during this critical transition. https://bit.ly/42oElGy

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The "Community Engagement Review Report to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy," conducted in December 2023, underscores the necessity of robust community engagement in Australia's transition from coal-fired electricity to renewable energy sources. It outlines the challenges and opportunities for enhancing community involvement, with recommendations for improving engagement outcomes. For Landcare NSW, this report identifies critical challenges working with landholders, highlighting the importance of community participation, the need for effective engagement strategies, and the chance to influence environmental and planning reforms. This aligns with Landcare NSW's commitment to sustainable development and environmental conservation, emphasising its role in advocating for and facilitating sustainable community and farming practices leading to equitable outcomes during this critical transition. https://bit.ly/42oElGy

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