Author Archives: vittorio1

The death of Chloe Valentine: the future of professional social work in child protection

In January 2012, four year old Chloe Valentine died in appalling circumstances at the hands of her mother and her mother’s partner. Both were found guilty of manslaughter and jailed. During her short life Chloe was the subject of many … Continue reading

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AASW Constitutional changes: Planning for the past and stripping the rights of student members

Very few members of the AASW will have so far engaged with the proposed changes to the Constitution of the AASW. Reading a lengthy document or attending a meeting is something most of us will avoid. Consequently it is disappointing … Continue reading

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Beyond Charlie Hebdo: The miracle question – free speech, church, state and civil society

In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo massacre news coverage was dominated by the vision of politicians linking arms at a unity march in Paris. These politicians could be neatly divided into two groups: those who actually suppress free speech … Continue reading

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Moving to a zero carbon economy: a conversation with Professor John Wiseman on social justice and the environment

Professor John Wiseman is the Deputy Director of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute at the University of Melbourne. His current research focus is the social, economic and political transformations needed to reduce the risks of runaway climate change and achieve … Continue reading

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Let’s scare away the dark

What a dark year! The seeds were sown back in the day by John Howard. Tax cuts and the Tampa. He lost an election- but not before these policies became bi-partisan. From 2005 to 2012 we bled $169 billion on … Continue reading

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An open letter to social work academics: please stand up for publicly funded education

Dear Heads of the Schools of Social Work and Senior Academics As you know, the enthusiasm of Vice Chancellors for the proposed “reforms” of higher education certainly does not reflect the views of many academics or students. These reforms will … Continue reading

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The demise of Medicare Locals: What social workers in private practice should do about it

Fours years ago on a sunny autumn day in Canberra, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and NSW Premier Kristina Keneally took a stroll through the roses in the gardens of Federal Parliament. Both were bleeding political capital and desperate to do … Continue reading

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Moral failures and market failures: why we should abandon intercountry adoption

In April this year the Centre for Independent Studies (independent of what?) published a scathing attack by Jeremy Sammut on current out of home care policies. His argument is as follows, Child protection data for 2012–13 show that Australia’s OOHC … Continue reading

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The road from citizen to consumer: outsourcing altruism

Back in May, Tony Nicholson, the Executive Director of the Brotherhood of St Laurence gave a speech on the future of the community welfare sector. He said in part, I want to consider the path our community welfare sector will … Continue reading

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Nauru child abuse investigation: AASW President asks some pointed questions

AASW President Professor Karen Healy has written an excellent piece for Crikey that you can find here- http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/10/10/the-overwhelming-moral-questions-facing-nauru-child-abuse-investigator/ She deftly exposes the lack of investigatory power or skill of the public servant appointed to deal with the matter. For those … Continue reading

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