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Member Newsletter
Quarter 1 2026
We hope you have had a good start to 2026.
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We are pleased to have received a number of new memberships this year. Welcome to ASPA!
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We also commenced the year with our 2026 Management Committee: Sue Regan (President), Katherine Curchin (Vice President), Gaby Ramia (Secretary), Bingqin Li (Treasurer), Bruce Bradbury, Gerry Redmond, and Michelle Peterie.
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We would like to acknowledge Ben Edwards and Kelly Hand, who stood down from the committee in 2025. Ben and Kelly made significant contributions to the association, and we wish them well on their new ventures.
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We hope you enjoy our first quarterly issue of 2026.
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Australian Social Policy Association
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The Australian Journal of Social Issues
The latest edition of the Australian Journal of Social Issues has been released. This issue covers a range of contemporary topics spanning domestic and family violence, child protection, crime, justice and homelessness.
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Snapshot of insights from AJSI Vol. 61(1)
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- Rak et al. shared the narratives of young women who use violence, highlighting the "complex interplay between individual agency, systemic factors and intersectional experiences" (p.70).
- Stewart et al. finds that when young people experience domestic and family violence in the home they may stop attending school, begin to struggle to properly engage with educational activities, and start to 'fall behind' academically. Yet, these young people showed low rates of help-seeking in school settings.
- Kavaarpuo et al. finds that a higher-than-expected proportion of households seek support for homelessness in Victoria on a regular basis, and that regular service users tend to cross-over with other social systems including out-of-home care, domestic and family violence, substance use, mental health, and the criminal legal system.
- Mercer et al. examines youth diversion schemes in Australia, finding that definitional clarity creates substantial challenges for effective and consistent design, implementation and evaluation.
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As ASPA members, you have free access to this journal so we encourage you to explore the wealth of research that it has to offer. You can access AJSI below.
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The Australian Social Policy Conference 2026
We have now received abstracts for the 2026 Australian Social Policy Conference (ASPC2026), ASPA's flagship event. The organising committee will notify authors of the papers selected for the conference shortly.
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This will be a great event, bringing leading researchers, policymakers, and advocates together to address pressing social, environmental, and economic challenges. You won't want to miss it!
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Where: The University of Queensland (Meeanjin/Brisbane)
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When: 30 September — 2 October 2026
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Theme: Positive futures: towards social, environmental, and economic justice.
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Registrations will be open soon.
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For registration details, or to join the APSC mailing list, click the links below.
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Calling all HDR students!
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We have created a community on LinkedIn for you to share ideas, connect with others, and ask your burning questions. We hope that this can be a collaborative and supportive space for you as you navigate your HDR journey.
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If you are planning to attend the Australian Social Policy Conference, this group will be a great opportunity to connect with your HDR peers.
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If you, or someone you know, are currently enrolled in a HDR program, you can join the conversation by scanning the QR code or sending us a request to join.
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Note: this group is currently only available to ASPA members.
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Accessing the Members Area
A reminder that member benefits are accessible via the Members Area on the ASPA website!
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To access the Members Area, you will need to go the Members Area and click on the 'visit the password reset' link to set up your access. Use the email address you provided in your membership application as your username (the email we have used to contact you) and then set up a password.
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There, you can access the Australian Journal of Social Issues and read all editions of ASPA's quarterly newsletter (from December 2025 onwards).
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ANZSOG - Developing Policy Acumen
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Registrations are now open for the Australia and New Zealand School of Government's new one-day course Developing Policy Acumen.
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A practical program for public sector professionals to strengthen policy capability, judgement and influence across complex policy environments.
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This course will be run on 2 June,
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The Australian Consortium for Social & Political Research Inc. is running a series of short methodological courses as part of their 2026 Winter Program.
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Visit their website to find out more about the courses on offer and sign up. Courses will run from June 29 - July 10 2026.
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Do you have something that you would like to promote?
Send us an email at hello@aspa.org.au! We would love to share your next event or job opportunity with our social policy community.
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What's on
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Our Journal
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We are on LinkedIn! Follow us to stay in contact.
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