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Speech
CONSIDERING THREE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS
KEYNOTE ADDRESS CIVICUS NATIONAL FORUM ON CIVIL SOCIETY "GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE, COMMUNITY - BREAKING THE BARRIERS" By The Hon. Dr David Kemp MP - Minister for Education, SYDNEY, 26 MARCH 1999
I am very pleased to be here today to discuss the importance of partnerships of Government, business and the communities in Australia. I congratulate Civicus on bringing together such a diverse and impressive range of speakers to consider how we are, and how we could be, "Breaking The Barriers", and creating a society of contributing partners drawn from government, the corporate sector, and the community. The Howard Government has a strong commitment to this ideal, and has actively forged creative and effective partnerships. Such partnerships also have a particular relevance to my own portfolio. This is an appropriate moment in Australia’s development as a nation for debate about the role of institutional and community partnerships in our society, and what sort of society we want to build through these partnerships. Australians have a great tradition of rewarding initiative, pitching in and having a go, and helping those in genuine need – exactly the ethos behind successful community partnerships. At the same time, Australia is today going through an era of great social change. That change is being powered firstly by economic restructuring as we face up to the challenge of global competition. That restructuring inevitably leads to acute stress in many communities and families. It intensifies the need to keep finding new and better ways to govern. Change arises also from the continuing determination of Australians to press ahead with the great democratic agenda which has driven social and political change throughout our modern history – the democratic agenda which decrees the equal dignity and equal rights of all Australians – men and women, indigenous and immigrant, from whatever cultural background or religious faith. As we intensify our efforts to realise these ideals, traditional family, community and economic patterns of life find themselves forced to change to accommodate. The strength of any society, and the quality of the lives of individual people, ultimately comes from the quality of human relationships in the families and the communities of that society. If those relationships are based on respect for the dignity of each person, if they combine a recognition of personal responsibility with a strong sense of community and willingness to work co-operatively with others to solve problems, a nation will be built on firm foundations. Much of the anxiety and pain that many experience in Australia today arises from the breakdown of those basic relationships of family and community. It is also true, however, that many others find meaning and purpose in their lives as a result of the vitality of those relationships in Australian communities. The starting point for any policy development should always be a clear understanding of the sort of society the policy outcome will deliver, or encourage. A policy may result in an immediate outcome – such as the provision of a specific service. But it may also have a broader impact, by adding to the community’s understanding of the role of government, and their own view of their relevance to the activities of the government. There is an intimate connection between the institutions that we put in place, and the attitudes and culture which they generate, which often accumulate over decades. Obviously these attitudes and culture can be positive and may enhance our society’s structures and hence, the quality of our lives. Alternatively, our institutions and their accompanying flavour and effects can become self-serving, rather than a means of serving the interests of a strong democratic society. In other words, governmental policies can affect and shape our national culture. Through its policies on education, taxation, social security, and others, wise governments can help Australians to confidently take charge of their lives. Equally, through unwise policies poor government can undermine our future. The Howard Government’s commitment to the principle of mutual obligation is an example of the application of this concept – of how the impact of policy goes further than the immediate effect. We want to encourage a greater sense of individual obligation and duty among citizens, encouraging individuals to give back to the community that looked after them. The system should be about choice and responsibility – providing young people with the opportunity for training and education but also making them fully responsible for their choices and for themselves. This principle underpins the Youth Allowance which encourages those in receipt of government benefits to finish school and better their chances in the labour market. It also holds true for the Government’s Work for the Dole Scheme. Work for the Dole has provided young Australians with training and skills, social contact and restored links with their communities. For many, it has ignited the work ethic that is fundamental to sustainable lasting work. It’s broken the cycle of boredom and despair that is the bane of the young unemployed. I am very pleased that nearly a third of scheme participants have gone on to fulfilling jobs as a result. Through a number of initiatives, the present Federal Government has been engaged in a major renovation of Australia’s national policy framework to ensure that families and communities have the best possible chance of seizing the opportunities which change brings. The key to this reform process has been securing flexibility in our institutions and laws so that people can take the best decisions in the light of the experience and knowledge only they possess. We need to give several examples:
So a key issue for government is, what sort of culture do we want to engage? What values will our policy decisions demonstrate to younger Australians, who are still in the process of establishing their life goals and developing expectations? I believe that Australian culture has a quality that complements the partnerships concept. Perhaps the major reason why Australia is a country that most of its inhabitants would prefer to live in compared with anywhere else in the world is because relationships between Australians are generally based on a keen sense of mutual respect for individuality and differences, alongside recognition of the mutual obligations members of a community have to each other. Australians feel free to achieve while being ever ready to help those in need. This is a wonderful combination of complementary values of which we are rightly proud. They are also the qualities that will carry Australia forward, for achieving a truly great future, and tackling entrenched social problems, requires all members of society to work together. It means that individuals should move away from the starting assumption that "the government should do something about that", and acknowledge that securing a better future for all Australians means effort from everyone. It is a task that requires communication, consultation and partnerships among governments of all levels, industries and the community. It is clearly the way of the future if we want effective government that generates optimal outcomes for citizens, and achieves a better-functioning democratic society. This approach to policy is now attracting great contemporary emphasis rather than a longstanding feature of government, although partnerships are a logical extension of Australia’s long history as a nation of volunteers. Volunteering has always played an important role in many aspects of Australian life, and it is one of the range of national characteristics to which I referred earlier. Australia is one of the great volunteer nations of the world, and the tradition goes back a long way. Volunteering is one of the valuable legacies of the pioneering era, when co-operation with local communities was often the only way to achieve results. Australians are rightfully proud of their record of volunteering during times of war, both at home and abroad. Many Australians are well-loved by the community because the community treasures their contribution as volunteers, often over many years – the late Weary Dunlop is great example. Volunteers build parks and community facilities, and care for the elderly and sick and help our school teachers teach children how to read and write. Volunteers care for our great outdoors and wildlife, run scouting and guiding units and organise thousands of sporting events every weekend. Volunteering is an important element in giving this country a quality of life which others envy. Recently the Federal Government launched a new youth initiative, the National Youth Roundtable. Perhaps I should not have been surprised, but I found it remarkable how many of the (almost one thousand) young people who applied for selection were active as volunteers in their communities. The tradition of volunteering is strong and vital, though I am sure that there is also much that can be done to strengthen it as we move into the next century. But despite this obvious aptitude as volunteers, the full value of this resource has for many years been under-utilised. In previous decades the trend has been a fairly centralised model of government, with clear and rigid limitations as to where policy was initiated, and who provided services. And with this came corresponding rules regulating how government should interact with other components of society, such as the corporate sector or community organisations. In other words, everyone kept to their own turf, despite the likely benefits of a more interactive relationship. Governments throughout the world, including of course the Howard Government, are now looking with unprecedented clarity at the capacities and limitations of traditional governmental activities in achieving a better functioning democratic society. The restrictive divisions of the past are increasingly being abandoned as more effective ways of governing continue to develop. I hope that what I describe does not sound like merely the latest new theory of government, that in reality is remote from the needs and aspirations of citizens -- something that is more relevant and interesting to a politics student than the person in the street with real needs, worries and aspirations. On the contrary, there is a direct relationship. For example, Australia’s level of drug addiction is a massive social problem that has, in some way, touched many Australians. Maybe they suffer from addiction themselves, or know someone who does. Perhaps they have been a victim of drug-related crime, or they are concerned about the disposal of used needles in their own neighbourhood. Every day, organisations like the Salvation Army and the Society of St Vincent de Paul display their capacity to administer to those in need, in relation to drug dependency. These organisations have years of expertise and knowledge that cannot be replicated by government – nor should it be. Traditional state-centred welfare has failed to prevent social problems and has encouraged dependency, rather than a re-engagement with the community, and work. This does not mean that the government should reduce its assistance for those in need. Instead, the government needs to work closely with non-government organisations and enhance their role, as well as opening up new possibilities with the community and business groups. The Prime Minister has outlined his vision of a social coalition within our community. The social coalition that Government seeks to build more effectively in the Australian community, is one that brings together the energy, skills and commitment of the welfare sector and industry. It brings these sectors together productively in a self sustainable three sector partnership. The business sector too has a strong stake in ensuring that communities remain dynamic and prosperous. Business depends on the community for its employees and its markets. Enterprises can only be as strong as the communities in which they operate. The nature of community partnerships does not simply relate to industry donations and sponsorships. It refers to the recognition that all sectors are part of the community. Australian business has traditionally made generous contributions to the community. There is nothing new about business giving. What is new is a growing recognition of the potential for business, schools and local communities to work together to actively forge partnerships for mutual benefit. Increasingly, industry is realising that a strong business case for community partnerships can be made. Community partnerships can improve business efficiencies and effectiveness, enhance credibility and relationships, develop positive cultures and enhance corporate image – all factors which influence the bottom line. The Government is already seeing benefits from this approach, and has overseen the introduction of some significant partnerships. Some of the programs contribute to advancing Australia’s interests economically and physically, while others focus on improving the daily lives and welfare of the individual citizen:
No less important are the partnerships operating on a local level. Last week I had the pleasure of presenting the Enterprising Communities awards, which were established to reward strong local partnerships between schools, small businesses and volunteer agencies. The purpose of the awards, which are Australia-wide, is to recognise the work of schools contributing to the development of an enterprise culture in their community. The community gains from the projects undertaken while students benefit from a valuable learning experience. Importantly, the students learn the benefits of an enterprising culture at an early age. The range of projects undertaken by the schools were quite extraordinary. Wooragee Rural School, which was a Victorian winner, is a rural, sole teacher primary school. Their local partnership with local businesses and community groups was fighting land degradation. Apart from overhauling their own physical environment, they planted a reservation and have produced a data base of local weeds for farmers. The school has also been involved in research work for the CSIRO. The Howard Government strongly supports initiatives of this kind, and is a sponsor of the Enterprising Awards. Last year, the Prime Minister convened a meeting of business and community leaders to develop strategies to improve business and community sector partnerships and to offer proposals on how government can best encourage greater community contributions from business. To encourage a focus on the benefits of partnering, this Government has provided funding of $13.4 million over four years from 1998-99 to encourage businesses and communities to form strategic partnerships with each other and the Federal Government with the aim of ensuring corporate generosity is used to generate social capital. Administered by the Department of Family and Community Services, a range of grants to advance this agenda were recently approved, including to the Sydney Leadership Program run by the Benevolent Society of NSW and to Deakin University to organise a Conference on Corporate Citizenship. An additional $6.5 million over the same period was also provided to support increased funding for the volunteer management programme and to assist the integration of volunteer effort in shared community objectives. Challenges for the portfolio: I would like to turn now to the challenges of my own portfolio and outline my vision for the future. There is little doubt that the nations which will succeed in the 21st century will be ‘knowledge societies’ – societies rich in human capital, effective in their capacity to utilise and deploy their human resources productively and successfully in the creation and commercialisation of new knowledge. Appropriate education will be fundamental to the ability of people to prosper in this demanding but exciting world of opportunity. The Government has adopted a policy strategy with a number of elements designed to address both deficiencies and to heighten key values, including:
The need to encourage alternative pathways While this Government has done much to encourage our young people to stay in education and go on to university, by far the majority of young Australians (around 70 per cent) do not go from school to university. The 70 per cent who don’t go on to university are entitled to equal educational and employment opportunities and a sound pathway to employment and a career. In the past, school curriculum has generally tended to focus on the needs of the academically minded 30 per cent. These young people receive the clearest career advice and guidance in selecting subjects and stand to enjoy the best employment prospects. The redefinition and expansion of the role of schooling to cater for the 70 per cent has begun. The focus of our efforts in vocational education and training has been on increasing the flexibility and choice, and ensuring effective outcomes measurement to lift standards. A key aspect to this change has been to break down barriers between work and business, and create an "overlap" of knowledge and skills. Partnerships benefit schools, businesses and the community are an essential element in the solution. We have:
these initiatives are beginning to increase school retention rates again and to expand the number of students engaged in vocational education courses in school. Still, more needs to be done to secure quality opportunities and pathways for the 70 per cent. Australian industry has taken up the challenge and is prepared to offer workplace skills to young people while they are still at school, and work in partnership with schools to bring those young people into the workplace. Employers have been saying for far too long that young people are leaving school without a clear awareness of the new world they are moving into. This is an historic change in attitudes in Australia to the nature of education and training. We are no longer saying that students need to be taught in isolation from industry, or that schools have little to do with employment and the later careers of students. Schools have a truly broad role, and their influence will often be clear years after students complete their last lesson. Our efforts will be focussed on expanding vocational opportunities in schools, implementing quality curricula, facilitating partnerships with TAFE and sustaining successful school/business initiatives. There is also a need for a major expansion in school-based apprenticeships. Quality training delivered in the workplace, such as that delivered by McDonalds in Victoria, needs to be recognised and accredited. Access to satisfactory advice on career pathways and career planning needs to be improved. Australia continues to experience unacceptably high drop-out rates from further education and training, including university courses, apprenticeships and traineeships. While there are many factors contributing to drop-out rates, it is fair to assume that ill-informed decision-making is a factor in a significant number of cases. Despite the expansion of education and training opportunities there remains a sizeable group of young people who, for one reason or another, fail to make a successful transition from youth to a productive engagement in society as adults. Evidence from longitudinal studies suggests that up to 15-20 percent of Australian school leavers experience sustained difficulties in entering full-time employment after leaving school. Young people, who have left school early, or with a record of low achievement, often have other problems which have contributed to their difficulty at school. These problems, which may include homelessness, learning disabilities, and family problems are likely to cause ongoing difficulties in their search for work. We must focus specific attention on developing solutions for these young people who "fall through the cracks". Partnerships in Pathways Increasingly schools, community organisations and local businesses must work together in partnership. We must work to help business become learning organisations which view lifelong learning as important to business success. We must create an environment where students, parents and teachers understand the important role that vocational education and training can play. And we need to enlist the aid of the welfare sector with their particular understanding of the human implications of marginalisation and vulnerability in the community. We have developed the concept of full service schools, in which the school becomes a focal point for the provision of services so that the needs of students with several disadvantages can be adequately met. VET in schools programmes provide evidence that school to work transition is more successful when programmes engender among local communities a sense of ownership of the problems facing their young people and responsibility for developing local options to deal with them. Schools need to take a strategic view of school to work transition, involving young people in decisions and working in partnership with employers and the broader community. In turn, we need to encourage more businesses to recognise the benefits of working closely with schools and young people in the development of the productivity for their business. I am aware of numerous examples of remarkable partnership initiatives in the field of employment, education and training. Earlier I mentioned the excellent work by schools which is highlighted by the Enterprising Communities Award. And I understand you have already heard about the fantastic work of the Body Shop and the Brotherhood of St Lawrence who together manage a Youth Retail Traineeship Scheme. This scheme involves young people completing a comprehensive course covering job search and interview techniques, vocational skills and personal development followed by a one year on-the-job programme of work experience and training. However, while there are examples of Australian businesses supporting the community sector and Australia has derived much benefit from the dedication of the community sector and the generosity of business, there is still scope for a more dynamic engagement between private enterprise and community organisations. Australia needs to see more Body Shop type examples. I am impressed and heartened by how small businesses, volunteer agencies, community members, parents and teachers in schools have all seized the opportunity to invest productively towards the future through working closely with young people in schools. The projects – and personal benefits for students – are well worth the effort. Conclusion The Commonwealth Government is steadfast in its commitment to increasing opportunities for individuals, families and communities to help one another and in doing so help themselves. I believe that by working together we can ensure that each Australian, irrespective of the lottery of birth, is offered the same, high quality opportunities to strive to be their best - to reach their full potential. Developing tripartite partnerships will enable us to build a better and more cohesive society to take us into the next century. This is a shared endeavour. We need all three sectors to be involved and pool their expertise. That is the way we will build a better, stronger future for this country.
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