In partnership with Paul Ramsay Foundation and in collaboration with civil society leaders from across Australia, the Lab has embarked on an ambitious project to strengthen civil society and build community resilience.
A crucial feature of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the response of civil society. From advocating in the halls of government for essential national policy measures to coordinating community-based food deliveries for people in need, Australia’s multitude of independent, non-government ‘for purpose’ organisations have responded to the crisis in a variety of ways.
The COVID-19 pandemic, closely following the extraordinary 2019-20 bushfires, has presented Australian for-purpose organisations with challenges and opportunities both old and new. To support the sector and the communities they serve, the Sydney Policy Lab and the Paul Ramsay Foundation seeks to understand:
How do for-purpose organisations respond to the needs of people and communities? How can they be supported to strengthen their practice, rising to social and environmental challenges as they unfold?
The Sydney Policy Lab research team has primarily examined these questions through a capability lens, exploring four interconnected skill areas for those attempting to build and support community aspirations:
Through a series of reflective interviews, workshops and public events, the Strengthening Australian Civil Society research team has worked with a wide variety of civil society leaders and organisations on publications and other projects which are building an evidence base around civil society capability.
The Strengthening Australian Civil Society research team produced a short communique – Supporting people and communities in need: Australian civil society’s response to COVID-19. This initial statement of principles around civil society capability was guided by the broad expertise of the project’s Advisory Panel and initial insights from in-depth relational interviews and workshops with civil society leaders from across the country.
In 2021, the Sydney Policy Lab and Paul Ramsay Foundation commissioned Essential Media to develop a pilot Australian Civic Engagement Index to explore how Australians connect to their communities. The inaugural index consisted of a national online survey made up of 16 questions, which 1,098 participants responded to. The index scores individuals based on their levels of trust, participation and connection with other members of their community.
Key findings:
During the height of the Delta outbreak in NSW, the Sydney Policy Lab held an online discussion with civil society leaders across the country to identify what needed to be done to tackle the social inequalities left in the wake of the pandemic.
In this webinar, the Lab also launched the Australian Civic Engagement Index and Marc Stears’ new book, Out of the Ordinary: How everyday life once inspired a nation and how it can again (Harvard University Press, 2021).
Any kind of progress or social change requires strong movements, passionate leaders, effective organisations, compelling stories, and bold voices that speak from experience. However, this sort of work can take a toll on personal health and wellbeing.
So, how do we respond to, and rebuild from COVID-19 whilst taking care of ourselves, our organisations and our movements?
In partnership with the Paul Ramsay Foundation, the Sydney Policy Lab delivered a lunchtime webinar for civil society practitioners and leaders across Australia to reflect on how work in the sector can be sustained with a focus on personal health and wellbeing.
Globally acknowledged leader and advocate for women’s rights Elizabeth Broderick AO was joined by academic and Gomeroi First Nations woman Amy Thunig, Executive Officer of Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia Karen Willis OAM, Changemakers host and GetUp! Co-founder Amanda Tattersall, and inaugural Director for the Sydney Policy Lab Marc Stears in a lively discussion and Q&A.
The Sydney Policy Lab prepared a case study that draws on the knowledge and practice of the Bourke Tribal Council through Marangnuka, a community-led initiative based in the town of Bourke in Western NSW.
Specifically, the case study examines the Maranguka Cross Sector Leadership Group, a formal meeting point for governments, non-government organisations, philanthropists and service providers to engage directly with local Aboriginal community leadership.
The report, funded primarily by Dusseldorp Forum, offers four lessons for other government and non-government organisations wishing to align policy and resources towards supporting community-led agendas for change:
The Sydney Policy Lab partnered with Australian and New Zealand Third Sector Research Inc (ANZTSR) in 2021 to host a series of webinars on advocacy. These webinars created a forum for leading scholars and activists across various sectors to reflect on what it means to advocate for change and provided a space for members of the public to engage in the conversation.
1. Growing Civil Society’s Advocacy Muscle
The first webinar, held on 31 August 2021, examined the strategies that could be utilised to maximise the impact of advocacy. The line-up of speakers on the panel included:
Read an overview of the conversation here
2. The NDIS: How did we get here and where to from here?
Following the positive reception from the first webinar, the Sydney Policy Lab followed up with a webinar on the success of the NDIS campaign and the importance of elevating the voices of people with disability in a meaningful way. The line-up of speakers on the panel included:
This major report of the Strengthening Australian Civil Society initiative is based on a series of reflective conversations with civil society leaders about their experiences in 2020 and 2021 attempting to support people and communities during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
These conversations were examined through the lenses of four capability areas that civil society leaders use to support community aspirations: leadership, community connection, networks and systems, and advocacy and influence.
The report examines barriers and enablers to working in each of these four capability areas, offers stories and insights which demonstrate these capabilities in practice, and makes six core recommendations for nurturing and strengthening links across civil society:
For civil society organisations:
For legislators and policy makers:
For philanthropists and other funders:
Download the full report here.
For each of the four capability areas – leadership, community connection, networks and systems, and advocacy and influence – the Strengthening Australian Civil Society research team has produced separate downloadable chapters. Built on insights from civil society leaders and key areas of literature, each chapter explores factors which impede or enable civil society organisations in each capability area, and offer three key principles as focal points for those looking to strengthen civil society capability
Civil Society Capability – Leadership (pdf, 1.7MB)
Civil Society Capability – Community Connection (pdf, 1.3MB)
Civil Society Capability – Systems and Networks (pdf, 2.5MB)
Civil Society Capability – Advocacy and Influence (pdf, 1.2MB)
In addition to these summaries, the research team has also surfaced four COVID-19 stories from Australian civil society that illustrate the interconnectedness of these capability areas in action.
In the wake of the federal election, the Strengthening Australian Civil Society project’s research lead, Mark Riboldi, has published an opinion piece in ABC Religion & Ethics. In the piece, Riboldi reflects on how the election has been a win for local politics, attributing this to the power of community organising and localised campaigning.
Throughout 2022, the Sydney Policy Lab has collaborated with various partners to deliver Policy Options, a series of webinars aimed at making a valuable contribution towards public debate across specific policy areas.
1. Women and Insecure Work
On 31 August 2022, the Sydney Policy Lab partnered with Australia New Zealand Third Sector Research (ANZTSR) to deliver a webinar on the issue of women and insecure work. Speakers examined how the COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to systemic problems in Australia’s labour market and offered policy options aimed at improving the working lives of all women. The line-up of panellists included:
2. Leadership for Changing Systems
The Sydney Policy Lab partnered with Health Justice Australia and The Front Project in November to unearth ideas around the styles of leadership that are required for systemic social change. Key speakers shared some of the experiences and challenges of operating with(in) a systems’ change framework and provided food for thought on how best to tackled ‘wicked’ societal issues in a collaborative manner. The line-up of panellists included:
The Strengthening Australian Civil Society research team’s approach to examining the effectiveness of Australian civil society organisations applies the Lab’s distinct relational and collaborative research method. This is intended to create original insights for broader dissemination, as well as generating a subsequent research agenda around for-purpose sector capability beyond the pandemic.
For more information about the project, or to find out how you and your organisation might participate, please contact policy.lab@sydney.edu.au.
Chief investigator: Professor Marc Stears
Project and Research Lead: Mark Riboldi
Research team: Lisa Fennis, Leah Emmanuel, Lara Smal, Alison Orme, Danny Cooper, Nancy Lee, Katie Gabriel, Sylvie Ellsmore, Amy Tong and Jananie Janarthana
Advisory Panel: Maha Abdo OAM (Muslim Women Association), Tara Day-Williams (Stronger Places, Stronger People, Australian Government Department of Social Services), Jason Glanville (PwC Indigenous Consulting, Australian Indigenous Governance Institute), Devett Kennedy (Queensland Community Alliance), Edwina MacDonald (Australian Council of Social Service: ACOSS), Liz Skelton (Collaboration for Impact), Anita Tang (Australian Progress), Dame Julia Unwin (Civil Society Futures) and Anandini Saththianathan (Paul Ramsay Foundation).
“COVID-19 has disrupted and changed countries all over the world, but what is clear is that it is civil society that has helped communities survive, and any economic, social and health recovery, anywhere, depends upon re-energised, renewed civil society.” Civil Society Futures Chair, Dame Julia Unwin
“As the world continues to adjust to a new way of life. securing our safety and wellbeing, together we can bring back peace with compassion. Through our interactions and relationships with one another, we can facilitate peace, by serving with compassion, kindness and hope that’s wrapped in faith, sincerity, and authenticity, for together, we are better.” Muslim Women Association Executive Officer, Maha Abdo OAM
“Building the civil society of the 21st century has never been more important. It involves strengthening and agitating existing organisations, as well as creating new institutions. Reflecting on this practice in partnership with others, with the discipline of research partners, can have a long-term benefit to the civil society groups that are essential to our common life and democracy.” Queensland Community Alliance Lead Organiser, Devett Kennedy
This partnership is generously funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
Find out more about the Strengthening Australian Civil Society project and how you and your organisation might participate.
Lead image courtesy of Addison Road Community Organisation. Used with permission.