Introduction to Parliament, Policy

And Public Sector Influence
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Enrol

This course currently has no scheduled dates. To express interest in this course or to discuss bespoke options for yourself or your organisation, please submit an expression of interest or contact the Short Courses Team on +61 2 5114 5573 or shortcourses.cbr@unsw.edu.au
Duration

2 days

Delivery mode

In-person

Location

Old Parliament House Canberra

Standard price

$2090.00
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Overview

This program is designed to provide learners with a new perspective on the relationship between politics and evidence to inform their understanding of policy work and the role of advocacy work.

Throughout the program, ‘taken for granted’ assumptions about Ministers having the final say, policy being apolitical, and that growing bodies of evidence drive policy acceptance, will be challenged through contemporary examples. In response, participants will be provided with practical strategies and tools to enhance their policy work and understand the role of advocacy in parliament.

Course content

This course is broken into the following core topics: 

  • Understanding parliament & policy

  • “No, Minister” – the new parliamentary norm

  • Understanding the crossbench and back bench 

  • A new perspective on policy and evidence

  • Applying the ‘marginal member’ heuristic to policy and advocacy work

Learning outcomes

By completing this course, learners will be able to: 

  • Explain parliamentary and policy ideals, as well as critique them with real-world practicalities.

  • Analyse the relative influence of politics and evidence for their policy and advocacy work.

  • Design approaches to lift the influence of evidence in political settings. 

  • Deliver plans to support policy success with different political audiences.

  • Apply a ‘marginal member’ heuristic to design policy and understand to role of advocacy. 

Who should attend

This short course is best suited for mid-level public sector employees, government relations managers, and advocacy groups who seek to use evidence to inform their policy and to better understand the role and influence of advocacy. It will also be of interest to peak body or agency executives who are interested in lifting their influence within parliament. 

Prerequisites: 

There are no prerequisites for this course.