Parliament, Policy and Advocacy

A new perspective on the relationship between parliament, politics, and evidence, to inform policy work and advocacy.

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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

$2,200.00

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Overview

This course is an elite-level, in-person program designed to provide a new perspective on the relationship between parliament, politics, and evidence, to inform understandings of policy work and the role of advocacy.

Led by national and international experts in the field, this course will challenge ‘taken for granted’ assumptions about policy creation, and provide practical tools for formulating and delivering successful policy. 

Course content

This course is broken into the following core topics:

  • Theories of policy creation in Australia and contemporary criticism
  • “No, Minister” – the new parliamentary norm
  • Understanding the crossbench and back bench
  • New perspectives 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 Australian policy ideals, as well as critique them with real-world practicalities.
  • Analyse the influence of politics on policy creation and policy advocacy.
  • Understand the opportunities and limitations of evidence-based policy.
  • Apply a ‘marginal member’ heuristic to design policy and to understand the role of non-Executive advocacy in policy outcomes.
  • Develop practical strategies and tools to enhance policy work in the APS.
  • Plan for, and evaluate, policy success with different audiences

Who should attend

This short course is best suited for SES level employees, and EL public sector employees who wish to pursue their careers at SES level in the future, who seek to use evidence to inform their policy and to better understand the role and influence of advocacy on government policy processes. 

Prerequisites: 

There are no prerequisites for this course. 


Facilitators

Prof Brenton Prosser

Brenton Prosser is Professor of Public Policy and Leadership at UNSW Canberra. He has worked in senior leadership roles across public, private, health and social service sectors, as well as at leading Australian and UK universities. He was Chief of Staff to Senator Nick Xenophon during the period when he held the balance of power. He was also senior policy and media advisor to the parliamentary leader of the South Australian Democrats.

Brenton has also been a senior executive in the APS, Director with a peak social services body and Director (Policy) with an international management consultancy agency where he specialised in national policy evaluations and helping non-government bodies to build their evidence-base. He was co-author, with Richard Denniss, of Minority Policy: Rethinking Governance when Parliament Matters, which examined the implications of minority government on public policy theory and practice.

Cancellation policy

Courses will be held subject to sufficient registrations. UNSW Canberra reserves the right to cancel a course up to five working days prior to commencement of the course. If a course is cancelled, you will have the opportunity to transfer your registration or be issued a full refund. If registrant cancels within 10 days of course commencement, a 50% registration fee will apply. UNSW Canberra is a registered ACT provider under ESOS Act 2000-CRICOS provider Code 00098G.