LITERATURE REVIEWs & policy analysis
Sydney law and policy reform project
During her undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney, Victoria volunteered to research and analyse policies on behalf of the University of Sydney and to prepare reports for non-government and government organisations on policies of interest. Below are the executive summaries for reports prepared for:
The Australian Human Rights Commission, 2020
The New South Wales Council on Social Services, 2020
NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, Submission to the Inquiry into the Drug ‘Ice’, 2019.
Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Literature Review: Non-Legislative Overseas Government Responses to Racist Extremism
This literature review discusses and evluates non-legislative overseas government responses to racist extremism. In October 2020, the National Race Discrimination Commission to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) address the Australian Senate with a submission proposing the development of a national anti-racism strategy. As violent extremism moviated by racist, ethno-nationalist and far-right ideologies continues to feature among Australia’s domestic security concerns, a national anti-racism strategy must be informed by effective policy and tried non-legislative responses.
This review examined a representative sample of 61 overseas responses to racist extremism using a meta-synthesis of peer reviewed journals, government and non-government reports, websites and online databases. Accordingly, the authors identified three overarching themes involved in the globals architecture to Prevent and/or Counter Violent Extremism (P/CVE)
Strategies pertaining to the countering of violent extremism through de-radicalisation, disengagement, rehabilitation and reintegration;
Strategies pertaining to the prevention of racist group membership, the spread of extremist ideologies and the perpetuation of racist violence; and
Research and academic inquiry to improve P/CVE.
New South Wales Council of Social Services (NCOSS), Literature Review: Correlations between electronic gaming machines, problem gaming and homelessness in New South Wales
It is well established that gambling can contribute to financial hardship and that financial hardship is a potential pathway to homelessness. However, little research has been undertaken in New South Wales to determine whether there is a correlation between electronic gaming machine (EGM) use and homelessness.
This review investigated literature published after 2001 and identified links between EGM use, financial hardship and the risk of homelessness. These correlate to:
Structural elements, including EGM distribution, venue environment, regulation and machine design, and
Individual predispositions, including socio-economic disadvantage, personality traits, substance abuse, the experience of trauma and mental health problems.
NSW Premier and Cabinet, Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug' ‘Ice’: To what extent does the LGBTQI community require specialised or target services to assist individuals affected by amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) use.
This paper has been researched and submitted by the University of Sydney Policy Reform Project in response to question 3.1.12 in Issues Paper 3: Health and Communities, with a focus on the target population of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) People. Therefore, this paper will explore to what extend the LGBTQI community requires specialised or targeted services to assist individuals affected by amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) use.
This paper establishes that the LGBTQI community engages in disproportionate use of the drug ice, as gay and bisexual men; lesbian and queer women; and transgender people all demonstrate significantly higher rates of drug use than their heterosexual or cisgender counterparts. Of notable distinction, the LGBTQI community engages in unique practices of sexual activities while on drugs, such as ice, that greater expose them to sexually transmitted infections and other diseases.
To support policymakers’ response to the issues of ice within the LGBQTI community, this paper recommends the following as part of a targeted approach:
Approaches to tackle the issue of ice use within the LGBTQI community should be viewed under the guise of a public health issue in recognition of the correlation between sexual activities and prevalence of STIs
Community-led peer education and other support services should be established, as a priority, to de-stigmatise perceptions of the LGBTQI community and encourage early testing of high-risk populations
Targeted programs should take into account intersectionalities within the LGBTQI community, which include disadvantages faced by gay and bisexual me; lesbian and queer women; and transgender people.
Training programs should be established for health care professionals working with the LGBTQI community to ensure contextually relevant services are available which are culturally competent and sensitive to the needs of the community.
Safer alternatives to injecting equipment are integrated within the NSP so as to reduce the transmission risk of blood-borne diseases via shared equipment.
About the Sydney Law and Policy Reform Project
The University of Sydney Policy Reform Project (‘Project’) facilitates University of Sydney students to write research papers for policy organisations, and submissions to government inquiries, under supervision from University of Sydney academics. The Project is a volunteer, extra-curricular activity.
The Project is an initiative of the Student Affairs and Engagement Team within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Division of Alumni and Development, at the University of Sydney. The Project is funded by a donor to the University of Sydney.