
Advertise on podcast: Making & Breaking Social Policy
This podcast has
36 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Dr Ben LohmeyerExplicit
No
Date created
2021/08/09
Latest episode
2026/05/05
Average duration
47 min.
Release period
54 days
Description
Featuring a range of guests involved in making and breaking social policy, this podcast is about how we all live together (social) and how we make that work (policy). This podcast was created as the central content for teaching social policy topics to Social Work students at Flinders University. It is hosted by Dr Ben Lohmeyer (www.flinders.edu.au/people/ben.lohmeyer).
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Unaccompanied child homelessness with A/Prof Catherine Robinson
2026/05/05
This week, we are talking with Associate Professor CatherineRobinson about child and youth homelessness. Catherine challenges us about the person we imagine when we think about homeless children and young people. She showsus that who we imagine is homeless makes it easier for us to ignore the issue, but also changes how we might respond.
We also discuss the potential changes to negative gearingand capital gains tax. We use Carroll Bacchi’s WPR question 6 to think about where these ideas are disseminated, disrupted and reproduced.
Want to learn more about Catherine? Her profile is here: https://discover.utas.edu.au/Catherine.Robinson
Catherine also recently published a report on: Supportedaccommodation for unaccompanied children and young people experiencing homelessness. The full report can be found here: https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/459
Follow:
Tin at Flinders
Tin on LinkedIn
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
Thinking about the subjects of school bullying with A/Prof Deb Green
2026/04/29
This week we are talking with Associate Professor Deb Greenabout school bullying and the subjects of social policies. Deb’s research has focused on the persistent bully, or those who keep bullying despite intervention. She also helps us think about the other people, institutions and social norms that make bullying in schools possible.
We also briefly discuss the major changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme announced by the Australian Federal Government. We use Carrol Bacchi’s WPR question 5 to think about the discursive, lived and subjectification effects of these changes.
What to hear more about Deb? Her profile is here: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/deborah.green
Follow:
Tin at Flinders
Tin on LinkedIn
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
Other resources:
Today’s bloated NDIS would never have been greenlit, itsformer head says. How did we get here?
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/apr/25/todays-bloated-ndis-would-never-have-been-greenlit-its-former-head-says-how-did-we-get-here
NDIS eligibility will be based on ‘functional capacity’,not diagnostic labels. But what does that mean?
https://theconversation.com/ndis-eligibility-will-be-based-on-functional-capacity-not-diagnostic-labels-but-what-does-that-mean-281319
Presenting a proposed revised definition of schoolbullying World Anti-Bullying Forum, 1-3 November
https://delegia-virtual.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/projects/delegia-wabf/WABF_summary_of_new_definition.pdf
Youth Voice, Loneliness and Silences in Youth Policy with the South Australian Youth Forum
2026/04/07
This week we are talking with the South Australian Youth Forum about loneliness and the importance of youth voice in research and decision-making.
The SA Youth Forum help us understand the value for youngpeople and for research on important topics like loneliness of including them as much as possible in making decisions and designing projects.
We also make a connection to the work of an earlier guest onthe podcast, The Guardian for Children and Young People, and her recent report on the state of holding cells in the Youth Court.
Find out more about The SA Youth Forum here: https://www.sayouthforum.com.au/
And on Linked in here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/south-australian-youth-forum
Follow:
Tin at Flinders
Tin on LinkedIn
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
Other resources:
Youth detention watchdog calls for upgrade to 'harmful'cells to improve children's access to justice
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-06/watchdog-calls-for-upgrade-to-harmful-youth-cells/106522446
Social media and young people's participation with Prof Phillipa Collin
2026/03/31
This week we are talking with Professor Philippa Collinabout young people’s political participation and the impact of recent policy that restricts access to social media.
Philippa helps us think about ideas like child rights, digitalcitizenship and how society (including adults) might benefit from young people’sparticipation in decision-making and policy.
Professor Philippa Collin is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University and co-director of the Young and Resilient Research Centre. She researches the role of the digital in the social, cultural and political lives of young people, with a focus on the implications for health and wellbeing. Her work is alsoconcerned with new forms of political participation, identity and governance as they relate to the dynamics of elitism and exclusion.
Find out more about Philippa here: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/thri/team/members/philippa-collin
And on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippa-collin-7a65284a/
Follow:
Tin at Flinders
Tin on LinkedIn
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
Other resources:
Young and Resilient Research Centre: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/young-and-resilient
Black, R., Walsh, L., Waite, C., Collin, P., Third, A.,& Idriss, S. (2022). In their own words: 41 stories of young people’s digital citizenship. Learning, Media and Technology, 47(4), 524–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2044848
Osman, K., Dezuanni, M., Genon, L. J., Scott, R., Notley,T., Collin, P., ... & Third, A. (2025). Young Australians’ perspectives on the social media minimum age legislation. https://apo.org.au/node/332901
Domestic and Family Violence with Dr Alice Campbell: Gender, Power and Presumptions
2026/03/24
We are talking with Dr Alice Campbell about Domestic and Family violence and examining underpinning presuppositions and assumptions.
We also think about the presuppositions and assumptions within the reporting on the One Nation result in the recent SA Election.
This episode was recorded on the 24/03/26. The election results discussed in this episode are not yet finalised and are discussed based on the reporting at the time.
Dr Alice Campbell is a Lecturer in Social Research at the University of Tasmania. Her research examines inequalities in gender, intimate relationships and families across the life course. Her work on sexual fluidity among women and inequalities by sexual identity established her as a leading quantitative scholar in this field.
Find out more about Alice here: https://discover.utas.edu.au/Alice.Campbell
Follow:
Tin at Flinders
Tin on LinkedIn
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
Other resources:
If you need support around Domestic and Family Violence, the resources mentioned in the podcast included:1800 Respect (1800 737 732)Our Watch - Change the story News articles:
Varieties of Democracy - University of Gothenburg’s article
ABC – 2022 SA Election Party Totals - https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa/2022/results/party-totals
ABC – 2026 SA Election Party Totals -
https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/sa/2026/results/party-totals
Problem representations and algal blooms with Dr Kirsten Macaitis
2026/03/18
We are talking about problem representations in social policy through the lens of the reporting on the algal bloom in South Australia.
Dr Kirsten Macaitis from JBI at Adelaide University joins us to help make sense of the ways that different types of knowledge shape how we respond to social issues.
Find out more about Kirsten and JBI here: https://jbi.global/
Follow:
Tin at Flinders
Tin on LinkedIn
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
ABC - “What the government knew about SA’s toxicalgal bloom and what it told the public”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-16/toxic-algal-bloom-south-australia-government-four-corners/106386884
The Guardian - “Stripped of life: the deadly SouthAustralian algal bloom is still spreading one year on”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/mar/14/algal-bloom-south-australia-update-one-year-on
CSIRO -“Researchers find harmful algae species wasn't newto South Australian waters”
https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2026/March/Researchers-find-harmful-algae-species-wasnt-new-to-South-Australian-waters
InDaily -“Algal bloom disaster sinks millions of dollars,new report reveals”
https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/just-in/2026/03/12/algal-bloom-disaster-sinks-millions-of-taxpayer-dollars-new-report-reveals
News.com - “Report reveals staggering cost of algal bloomcrisis”
https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/report-reveals-staggering-cost-of-algal-bloom-crisis/news-story/51856919d75e28fb1997672add5e81e0
The complexity of “ramping” and healthcare in South Australia – with Dr Jodie Curth-Bibb
2026/03/10
We are talking about “ramping” in South Australia with the excellent Dr Jodie Curth-Bibb, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Flinders University.
It is just 11 days away from an election at the time of recording and Jodie helps us understand the complexity of the political landscape in South Australia and Australia. This context is important for thinking about making a case for change in Social Policy in Australia.
Find out more about Jodie and her work here: https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/jodie.curthbibb
Follow:
Tin at Flinders
Tin on LinkedIn
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
The ABC news stats on ramping we discussed are here:
SA election promises ramped down as ambulance crisisproves hard to solve: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-08/analysis-sa-election-promises-ramped-down/106427786
Public Education and Transport – A new era for Making and Breaking Social Policy
2026/03/03
It’s a new era at Making and Breaking Social Policy with a new format and co-host! Welcome (back) to Dr Tin Ablaza!
We are recording live each week for the next 8 weeks with arange of guests and topics.
In this episode, we chat about the new format, our different approaches to social policy and some proposed policies in the upcoming South Australian Election focussing on Public Education and Transport.
Follow:
Tin at Flinders
Tin on Linked In
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
The policies we discussed are:
50 cent Fares for Regular Adelaide Metro trips - SA Liberal
Making Public School Free - SA Labor
Employment, Precarity and Workforce Australia with Tin Ablaza
2025/08/26
Tin drops in to tell us about her research on Workforce Australia and how it measures up as a way to tackle precarity and unemployment in Australia.
We chat about Work for the Dole, Mutual Obligations and the casualisation of work. Honestly, it was a huge chat and we could have talked for ages. Thanks Tin!
Follow:
Tin's Flinders Profile
Tin on Linked In
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
The realities of borrowing from the bank of Mum and Dad to buy a home with Dr Julia Cook
2025/05/06
Julia drops in to tell us about her research on what it is really like when people borrow from the bank of Mum and Dad when they want to buy a home... or from their siblings! We then break down the pros and cons of the policies Labor, the Coalition, and the Greens took to the 2025 Federal election.
Follow:
Julia at University of Newcastle
Julia on BlueSky
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
Listening to those who know with Shona Reid - SA Guardian for Children and Young People
2024/11/19
Shona chats about her approach to working with children and young people in Child Protection and Juvenile Justice to raise their voices and insights about legislation that impact their lives. Talking about recently proposed changes to the Children and Young People (Safety and Support) Bill 2024, Shona describes how this approach provided important insight into issues like Child Rights and Privacy.
Follow:
The Office of the Guardian for Children and Young People's Website
OoGCYP LinkedIn
OoGCYP Facebook
Ben on LinkedIn
Ben at Flinders
Other resources:
The OOGCYP submission on the Children and Young People (Safety and Support) Bill 2024
Zapping Tinnitus and Self-Compassion: 3MT success with Tharin Sayed and Leah Smolarek
2024/10/22
Tharin and Leah share about their PhD projects and the challenges and rewards of competing in the Flinders Uni 3 Minute Thesis competition. Tharin is investigating a solution for Tinnits that involves zapping brains and Leah is investigating the impact on self-compassion in how we act to ourselves and others.
Tharin on LinkedIn or email [email protected]
Leah on Instagram: @bumblebee_yoga
Leah on LinkedIn
Ben on twitter: @lohmeyerben
Ben on LinkedIn
Yarning and Indigenous Data Sovereignty with Luke Cantley
2024/05/30
Luke - now an official friend of the Pod ;) - chats about his new paper about Yarning as a culturally protected practice and how it can be used appropriately in social work research.
Luke's Paper: Cantley, L. (2024). Indigenous Data Sovereignty: What Can Yarning Teach Us?. Australian Social Work, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2024.2328169
Luke on Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-cantley-99792a2a8
Luke @ Flinders: https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/luke.cantley
Ben on twitter: @lohmeyerben
Ben on LinkedIn
Contextual Safeguarding and Family Group Conferencing with Dr Rachael Owens
2024/05/02
Dr Rachael Owens explains Contextual Safeguarding and how it complements Family Group conferencing in the UK. She also shares about her career in creative arts and how it informs her Social Work practice and scholarship.
More about Rachael here -
https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/rachael-owens/
Find some of her work
here:
Lloyd, J., Hickle, K., Owens, R., & Peace, D. (2023). Relationship‐based practice and contextual safeguarding: Approaches to working with young people experiencing extra‐familial risk and harm. Children & Society, https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12787
Contextual Safeguarding & Community Group Conferencing
Resources here: https://www.contextualsafeguarding.org.uk/resources/toolkit-overview/community-group-conferences/
Ben on twitter: @lohmeyerben
Ben on LinkedIn
Youth loneliness and undesirable connections with A/Prof Keming Yang
2024/04/11
A/Prof Keming Yang chats about his research on loneliness among 14 year olds utilising the Millennium Cohort Study. He describes the need to rethink the way we conceptualise loneliness to account for the presence of undesirable connections and relationships (like bullying).
More about Keming here - https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/keming-yang/
Find some of his work
here:
Yang, K., Petersen, K. J., & Qualter, P. (2022).
Undesirable social relations as risk factors for loneliness among 14-year-olds
in the UK: Findings from the Millennium Cohort Study. International Journal
of Behavioral Development, 46(1), 3-9.
Ben on twitter: @lohmeyerben
Ben on LinkedIn
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