Insecure work, unemployment, and Australia after the COVID-19 crisis

On this Policy Forum Pod, social policy researcher Peter Whiteford and expert in public health responses to humanitarian crises Kamalini Lokuge join us to discuss supporting Australians out of work, in vulnerable or insecure jobs, and what policymakers must learn from the COVID-19 crisis.

With insecure workers among the most at risk during the COVID-19 crisis, what policy changes would provide this growing number of Australians with greater support and strengthen Australia’s social model? Why has the Australian Government allowed unemployment benefits to drop so substantially relative to the poverty line? And what are the key lessons policymakers must learn in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Professor Whiteford and Associate Professor Kamalini Lokuge speak with hosts Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter about why Australia must further increase unemployment payments and provide greater support to people in insecure work.

Peter Whiteford is a Professor at Crawford School of Public Policy. He works on child poverty, family assistance policies, welfare reform, and other aspects of social policy, particularly ways of supporting the balance between work and family life. He has published extensively on various aspects of the Australian and New Zealand systems of income support.

Kamalini Lokuge OAM is an expert in public health responses to humanitarian crises and Senior Fellow at the Research School of Public Health at The Australian National University, where she leads the Humanitarian Research Program.

Sharon Bessell is Professor of Public Policy and Director of Gender Equity and Diversity at Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU.

Arnagretta Hunter is a cardiologist, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer for ANU Medical School.

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