Data

General Issues
Health
Specific Topics
Health Care Reform
Location
New South Wales
Australia
Scope of Influence
Regional
Files
Reimagining Care Report
Start Date
End Date
Time Limited or Repeated?
A single, defined period of time
Purpose/Goal
Make, influence, or challenge decisions of government and public bodies
Develop the civic capacities of individuals, communities, and/or civil society organizations
Approach
Co-governance
Spectrum of Public Participation
Involve
Total Number of Participants
40
Open to All or Limited to Some?
Open to All With Special Effort to Recruit Some Groups
Recruitment Method for Limited Subset of Population
Stratified Random Sample
Targeted Demographics
Indigenous People
Racial/Ethnic Groups
General Types of Methods
Deliberative and dialogic process
Legality
Yes
Facilitators
Yes
Facilitator Training
Trained, Nonprofessional Facilitators
Face-to-Face, Online, or Both
Face-to-Face
Types of Interaction Among Participants
Discussion, Dialogue, or Deliberation
Information & Learning Resources
Expert Presentations
Written Briefing Materials
Communication of Insights & Outcomes
Public Report
Type of Organizer/Manager
Academic Institution
Funder
Paul Ramsay Foundation
Type of Funder
Philanthropic Organization

CASE

Australia Cares Care Labs and People's Assemblies on Care

May 31, 2024 friedel.marquardt
April 23, 2024 friedel.marquardt
April 16, 2024 friedel.marquardt
April 10, 2024 friedel.marquardt
General Issues
Health
Specific Topics
Health Care Reform
Location
New South Wales
Australia
Scope of Influence
Regional
Files
Reimagining Care Report
Start Date
End Date
Time Limited or Repeated?
A single, defined period of time
Purpose/Goal
Make, influence, or challenge decisions of government and public bodies
Develop the civic capacities of individuals, communities, and/or civil society organizations
Approach
Co-governance
Spectrum of Public Participation
Involve
Total Number of Participants
40
Open to All or Limited to Some?
Open to All With Special Effort to Recruit Some Groups
Recruitment Method for Limited Subset of Population
Stratified Random Sample
Targeted Demographics
Indigenous People
Racial/Ethnic Groups
General Types of Methods
Deliberative and dialogic process
Legality
Yes
Facilitators
Yes
Facilitator Training
Trained, Nonprofessional Facilitators
Face-to-Face, Online, or Both
Face-to-Face
Types of Interaction Among Participants
Discussion, Dialogue, or Deliberation
Information & Learning Resources
Expert Presentations
Written Briefing Materials
Communication of Insights & Outcomes
Public Report
Type of Organizer/Manager
Academic Institution
Funder
Paul Ramsay Foundation
Type of Funder
Philanthropic Organization

The Australia Cares project was established in response to a number of royal commissions into care and the gaps in care revealed during the pandemic. The Sydney Policy Lab set up a community-led initiative to inform policy to respond to the "crisis of care".

Problems and Purpose

In an attempt to respond to both the crisis of care and the crisis of democracy, Sydney Policy Lab set up pilot People's Assemblies on Care to hear from citizens and enable them to deliberate on the key issues concerning care. [1]

Background History and Context

The People's Assemblies are part of a broader initiative called Australia Cares which also included Care Labs. This came about in 2022 after discussions among public policy experts, care recipients and practitioners and in response to the growing dissatisfaction with care and the state of democracy. [2]

There were three aims the initiative sought to achieve in this process:

  • "Rethink the premises of our entire care system, including by having a purposeful debate about what we mean by care
  • Examine how we can improve the practice of care to reflect our new needs and understandings
  • Explore new ways to make our nation-wide care system broader, stronger, more sustainable and better" [3]

Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities

Philanthropic organisation, the Paul Ramsay Foundation, financially supported the initiative. [4]

The Sydney Policy Lab did most of the organising and delivery of the assemblies.

Participant Recruitment and Selection

20 participants took part in each assembly. Participants were recruited through stratified random sampling, with special efforts made to recruit key demographics in the region. Broken Hill has a large Aboriginal population and the area also has an ageing population along with high levels of chronic illness. Therefore, efforts were made to ensure there was appropriate representation of Aboriginal people as well as people experiencing chronic illness in the People's Assembly. Westmead and the surrounding area has a high Indian population, which meant efforts were made to ensure there was an appropriate number of Indian participants in the assembly. Participants were given a stipend, meals and required materials to participate in the assemblies. [5]

38 participants were involved in the Care Labs. [6]

Methods and Tools Used

People's Assemblies

Care Labs

What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation

The pilot People's Assemblies took place in two locations where the University of Sydney (where the Sydney Policy Lab is housed) is situated: Broken Hill, a regional town in western New South Wales, and Westmead, a suburb in Western Sydney. Both of these areas are in key health districts, with Broken Hill in the Far West Local Health District and Westmead contains the Westmead Health Precinct. [7]

The People's Assemblies took place in two phases. The first phase happened mid-week and was a time for participants to reflect and share about how they view care. They were then asked to consider the challenges their communities faced regarding care and identify the issue that matters most for further deliberation. The second phase took place for a full day on a weekend. It began with reflections from the first phase, resources and expert presentations and deliberation to reach recommendations. [8]

Dates for the Assemblies were as follows: 22 August 2023 in Broken Hill, and 12 September and 4 November 2023 in Westmead. [9]

Only one event was held in Broken Hill with the second scheduled event postponed out of respect for First Nations wishes. The second event was scheduled to take place in October 2023, which was also the month a referendum was held in Australia to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution through establishing a Voice to Parliament. The referendum failed, and to give First Nations participants time to reflect on the outcome, the second People's Assembly event was postponed. [10]

Care Labs were also used as part of the Australia Cares initiative. These labs involved a number of online workshops to generate principles of care. Four principles were generated, with the final Care Lab taking place in Canberra at the Parliament House and included politicians and decision makers. [11]

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

While still in development, the intention was to present the recommendations to policy makers. The project team also seeks to hold more assemblies on care and establish a People's Commission on Care, which would act as an "anchor, a resource and an innovator" for this new approach to policy making on care. [12]

Analysis and Lessons Learned

The project showcases the benefit of integrating community participation into policy issues. Sydney Policy Lab presented a framework for how to approach policy that prioritised community input and recommended "community-led policies developed and implemented on an iterative basis" as "a way forward for care policy in Australia". [13]

See Also

References

[1] Sydney Policy Lab (2023) Reimagining care report. Accessed at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-policy-lab/news-and-analysis/latest-news/2023/07/31/peoples-assemblies-on-care.html

[2] Sydney Policy Lab (n.d.) Australia Cares. Accessed at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-policy-lab/research-and-policy/australia-cares.html

[3] Ibid. p. 4

[4] Sydney Policy Lab (2023) Reimagining care report. Accessed at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-policy-lab/news-and-analysis/latest-news/2023/07/31/peoples-assemblies-on-care.html

[5] Ibid.

[6] Sydney Policy Lab (2024) Community-led policymaking charts a path through care crises. Accessed at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-policy-lab/news-and-analysis/latest-news/2024/03/20/community-led-policymaking-charts-a-path-through-care-crises.html?mc_cid=799788642c&mc_eid=aed85f1cb1

[7] Sydney Policy Lab (2023) Reimagining care report. Accessed at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-policy-lab/news-and-analysis/latest-news/2023/07/31/peoples-assemblies-on-care.html

[8] Ibid.

[9] Personal correspondence with Sydney Policy Lab.

[10] Sydney Policy Lab (n.d.) Australia Cares. Accessed at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-policy-lab/research-and-policy/australia-cares.html

[11] Sydney Policy Lab (2024) Community-led policymaking charts a path through care crises. Accessed at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-policy-lab/news-and-analysis/latest-news/2024/03/20/community-led-policymaking-charts-a-path-through-care-crises.html?mc_cid=799788642c&mc_eid=aed85f1cb1

[12] Sydney Policy Lab (2023) Reimagining care report. Accessed at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-policy-lab/news-and-analysis/latest-news/2023/07/31/peoples-assemblies-on-care.html, p. 7

[13] Sydney Policy Lab (2024) Community-led policymaking charts a path through care crises. Accessed at: https://www.sydney.edu.au/sydney-policy-lab/news-and-analysis/latest-news/2024/03/20/community-led-policymaking-charts-a-path-through-care-crises.html?mc_cid=799788642c&mc_eid=aed85f1cb1

External Links

Notes