Change the Story

We debrief the 2022 Federal Budget to explore how children are reflected in the national economic plan.

Amanda Robbins and Alicia Mollaun from Equity Economics share their analysis of the implications for kids and families and explore how the Budget process could better deliver big picture reform for those without a seat at the table, or a vote at the ballot box.

As some nations explore the use of child-centred budgets, what’s the best way to use this annual accounting process and public spending to inform good social policy and make real improvement to kids’ lives?

This episode is rounded off with a catchy rap written by primary school boys in Western Sydney as part of the Respect program which focuses on educating kids about the nature and causes of family and domestic violence.

Tevita Ngata, now 15 years old, reflects on his experience participating in the program run by Outloud, an intersectional, CALD-focused social impact arts organisation that creates meaningful opportunities for young people in Western Sydney.

With thanks to: Amanda Robbins, Alicia Mollaun, Tevita Ngata, Craig Taunton and the Outloud team.

This podcast is now called Change the Story.

For more information about the original Life's Lottery season 2, see https://www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au/news-resources/lifes-lottery-backing-kids

Produced by UTS Impact Studios

• Executive Producer: Olivia Rosenman
• Audio Producer: Nicole Curby
• Researcher/writer: Jackie May
• Theme music and Sound Design: James Milsom
• Graphic design: Celia Neilson

We live in a wealthy nation but the experiences of Australian children are diverse, with many experiencing real challenges in their everyday lives. Two years into the pandemic, there are strong concerns about the impact on kids and the cost to their wellbeing, especially for those who were already behind.

We hear from National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds, who is calling for a concerted effort to elevate the rights, needs and voices of children in the national conversation. She wants action around systems that affect our kids and she’s putting political leaders and policy makers on notice.

We also meet Kaytlyn Johnson, a student and musician from north-west Tasmania.

Kaytlyn, a Palawa woman and the 2022 Young Tasmanian of the Year, offers her observations on navigating the challenges faced by young Australians.

This podcast is now called Change the Story.

For more information about the original Life's Lottery season 2, see https://www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au/news-resources/lifes-lottery-backing-kids

Produced by UTS Impact Studios

• Executive Producer: Olivia Rosenman
• Audio Producer: Nicole Curby
• Researcher/writer: Jackie May
• Theme music and Sound Design: James Milsom
• Graphic design: Celia Neilson

In season 2 of Life’s Lottery we explore how we can best support and back children through better policy making and public investment.

How do we create a society where all kids can thrive? Join us for a series of thought-provoking conversations about how to put children at the centre and why it makes sense for all of us.

This podcast is now called Change the Story.

For more information about the original Life's Lottery season 2, see https://www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au/news-resources/lifes-lottery-backing-kids

Music credit: Kedalak Night Time. Written and performed by the Ngaalang Moort Singers.

Produced by UTS Impact Studios:

• Executive Producer: Olivia Rosenman
• Audio Producer: Nicole Curby
• Researcher/writer: Jackie May
• Theme music and Sound Design: James Milsom
• Graphic design: Celia Neilson

If we want to inform better public policy to end poverty and disadvantage, hard data and facts are more important than ever.

This sets up both a challenge and an opportunity for organisations as philanthropy in Australia develops even further. In this episode, we draw together the threads of our earlier conversations.

We talk to Susan Urahn, from the Pew Charitable Trusts, about philanthropy’s role in bringing diverse groups together and governments to the table. She shares her insights from over two decades of work as a pioneer in the field, especially in relation to sentencing and corrections reform in the United States.

And we also hear from Anhaar Kareem, a young Australian woman, with her imagining of what a better future looks like.

This podcast is now called Change the Story.

For more information about the original Life's Lottery season 1, see https://www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au/news-resources/lifes-lottery-season-one

Produced by UTS Impact Studios

• Executive Producer: Olivia Rosenman
• Audio Producer: Nicole Curby
• Researcher/writer: Jackie May
• Theme music and Sound Design: Frank Lopez
• Production music: Blue Dot Sessions
• Graphic design: Celia Neilson

No major social problem has a single cause so why would a single approach or organisation be able to solve it? Collective Impact starts with social objectives that are agreed upon across all sectors of society.

This episode considers the idea at the heart of Collective Impact: that large-scale social change comes from better cross-sector coordination rather than from the isolated intervention of individual organisations.

How does abandoning individual agendas and short-term solutions kick-start long term processes of social change?

Matthew Cox shares the experience of building Logan Together from the grassroots up. The project is making gains around a singular focus - to improve life outcomes for children in a region with some of the most entrenched poverty in the country.

We’ll also hear how justice reinvestment works to tackle existing systems and structures geared towards ‘isolated impact’.

Julie Williams and Judy Duncan from Just Reinvest NSW give insights into their lived experience of the criminal justice system and talk about their holistic efforts to divert young people away from it for good.

This podcast is now called Change the Story.

For more information about the original Life's Lottery season 1, see https://www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au/news-resources/lifes-lottery-season-one

Produced by UTS Impact Studios

• Executive Producer: Olivia Rosenman
• Audio Producer: Nicole Curby
• Researcher/writer: Jackie May
• Theme music and Sound Design: Frank Lopez
• Production music: Blue Dot Sessions
• Graphic design: Celia Neilson

Most people in jail have experienced disadvantage at some point in their lives, and it’s a legacy that often passes from parent to child.

Could transforming policies and systems for parents in prison reduce the intergenerational transmission of offending and disadvantage?

What can help prisoners maintain strong relationships with their children, and why are these investments worth it? Might this be a way to ensure a prison sentence becomes an offramp to break the cycle of disadvantage?

This episode examines current Australian research into the experience of mothers in the criminal justice system with Professor Susan Dennison from Griffith University.

Her research project, Transforming corrections to transform lives, explores how having a parent in prison shapes the development and life outcomes of their children. A better understanding of parental identity in prison could help to improve the experience of those parents, and promote their rehabilitation.

We’ll also meet Tegan in this episode. Tegan is serving a sentence at the Darwin Correctional Centre, and her mum is there too. We’ll hear what it’s like for Tegan trying to parent three young children from inside prison.

Tegan’s story is excerpted from Birds’ Eye View, the first podcast made by women in the Darwin Correctional Centre. For more information, and to listen to the podcast in its entirety, visit birdseyeviewpodcast.net

This podcast is now called Change the Story.

For more information about the original Life's Lottery season 1, see https://www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au/news-resources/lifes-lottery-season-one

Produced by UTS Impact Studios

• Executive Producer: Olivia Rosenman
• Audio Producer: Nicole Curby
• Researcher/writer: Jackie May
• Theme music and Sound Design: Frank Lopez
• Production music: Blue Dot Sessions
• Graphic design: Celia Neilson

We examine systems change and possibility thinking with a leader in the field.

Charlie Leadbeater is a creative systems innovator who works with organisations around the world to address long term problems, such as unacceptable rates of poverty.

He says it’s time to reframe social issues to create meaningful solutions that are driven by a more inclusive set of values.

Can we imagine a place for love and creativity in policy innovation?

This approach has influenced the Family by Family project run by the Australian Centre for Social Innovation. We meet participant Melissa Hughes who shares her experience of how a relationship with a mentor family helped her move through a tough time and become a more confident and resilient parent.

We’ll also explore the challenges put to the educated and the powerful, including philanthropic organisations, to foster new ways of thinking to influence better public policy and evidence-based programs on the ground.

This podcast is now called Change the Story.

For more information about the original Life's Lottery season 1, see https://www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au/news-resources/lifes-lottery-season-one

Produced by UTS Impact Studios

• Executive Producer: Olivia Rosenman
• Audio Producer: Nicole Curby
• Researcher/writer: Jackie May
• Theme music and Sound Design: Frank Lopez
• Production music: Blue Dot Sessions
• Graphic design: Celia Neilson

Australians believe our country is the land of the fair go. A meritocracy where if you work hard you can be successful, no matter what circumstances you were born into. But how true is this? Is intelligence and hard work really enough to break out of a cycle of disadvantage?

This episode interrogates the idea of meritocracy and how it was established in the Australian context with Alison Pennington from the Centre for Future Work.

We also hear from the author and Saturday Paper social affairs journalist Rick Morton. He questions the reality of merit and social mobility at a time of widening wealth inequality and what that says about our commitment to provide opportunities for all.

This podcast is now called Change the Story.

For more information about the original Life's Lottery season 1, see https://www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au/news-resources/lifes-lottery-season-one

Produced by UTS Impact Studios

• Executive Producer: Olivia Rosenman
• Audio Producer: Nicole Curby
• Researcher/writer: Jackie May
• Theme music and Sound Design: Frank Lopez
• Production music: Blue Dot Sessions
• Graphic design: Celia Neilson

Birth is a throw of the dice. The consequences can last a lifetime. A child born into disadvantage today will struggle to break out in adulthood - no matter how hard they work.

Life’s Lottery is a podcast about new ways to break the cycle of disadvantage, from the Paul Ramsay Foundation in collaboration with UTS Impact Studios. In conversation with policy and research leaders, expert practitioners and people whose lives have been touched by disadvantage, we’ll look towards a brighter future.

After almost two years of upheaval caused by the Covid pandemic, how can we seize the chance to build back better?

This podcast is now called Change the Story.

For more information about the original Life's Lottery season 1, see https://www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au/news-resources/lifes-lottery-season-one

Produced by UTS Impact Studios.