Following the outbreak of COVID-19, governments have spent unprecedented sums of money to accommodate people experiencing homelessness, often in underutilized hotels. This intervention contrasts with the policy stasis and "poverty of ambition" that characterized responses to rising homelessness over the past decade in countries such as Australia, the UK, the US, and much of Europe. This is a situation that has prevailed despite rigorous evidence on both the harms of homelessness and the ability of policy to address it. Using Australia as a case study, this policy review examines this sudden change in approach. After detailing various initiatives to respond to COVID-19, we show how these interventions are rationalized by the threat posed to people who are homeless, and the threat posed by homeless populationswho are at high risk of contracting and transmitting the disease-to the health of the non-homeless population. We discuss how these findings contribute to debates about how the framing of homelessness as a problem shapes policy.
Addressing the cultural drivers of domestic and family violence (DFV) has become a core policy priority for governments across Australia. Over the last five years, the Queensland Government has taken a particularly strong stance on the issue through its Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Strategy 2016-2026. This strategy identifies the Queensland Government's leading aim of changing the community culture that drives DFV. Although there is significant evidence to support this aim, there is equally important evidence suggesting that public policies often contain problematic assumptions and ideologies that limit their ability to achieve their aims. This article presents a critical discourse analysis of Queensland's Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Strategy 2016-2026 and related policy documents to examine the assumptions and ideologies underpinning Queensland's policy and their potential to impact on policy outcomes. The findings broadly identify three areas of concern, namely an assumed link between attitudes and behaviours; a disproportionate focus on general community members compared to DFV perpetrators; and an implicit reinforcement of the gender hierarchy. The article concludes with a discussion of the broader implications of these findings for future policy development in Australia.
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