While the health-related benefits of intimate partnership are well documented, little attention has been paid to couples exposed to high levels of social stigma and exclusion. In this project we investigated an important site of stigma for partnerships by collecting accounts of changing hepatitis C (HCV) status (“sero-change”) among couples that inject drugs. We explored what these accounts reveal about the meaning of HCV for these couples, and how this understanding contributes to our collective...

This is the final report of the Early Review of the reform to the NSW Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) Program. The reform, known as Going Home Staying Home (GHSH), was implemented from July 2014. The Early Review was conducted by researchers from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW Sydney (the University of New South Wales). The Early Review is the first assessment of the reform transition...

The Child Sexual Offence Evidence Pilot (the Pilot) represents a key initiative by the NSW Government to strengthen the criminal justice response to child sexual abuse. The Pilot seeks to introduce measures to reduce the difficulties for child witnesses so as to lessen the stress and duration of court proceedings for the child victim without unfairly impinging upon the defendant’s right to a fair trial. The Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW Sydney, together with...

The Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW Sydney was commissioned to conduct a formative evaluation, whereby the My Choice Matters (MCM) processes and outcomes are evaluated as the program is implemented, with feedback provided to stakeholders to allow them to modify program elements as necessary. The overall objectives of the evaluation were to explore: • How MCM increases people’s skills and knowledge • How those skills and knowledge have led to people taking action, and...

This report presents the findings of a research project exploring the status, operation, and use of Special Disability Trusts in Australia. The project aimed to identify the facilitators and barriers to establishing and maintaining a Special Disability Trust for people with disability and families, identify strategies to increase awareness of Special Disability Trusts, and recommend areas for future legal reform of the trust mechanism.

This is the first of two evaluation reports on the Better Places, Stronger Communities (BPSC) Program, which is transferring the management of designated South Australian (SA) public housing dwellings to the community housing sector. The Social Policy Research Centre and City Futures Research Centre, both at UNSW Sydney, were commissioned by Housing SA to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of the BPSC Program, where the management of 1,100 public housing dwellings across two estates in Adelaide...

This review aimed to investigate methamphetamine use among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Australia and other developed regions to help build an understanding of the contexts where high-risk sex and drug use practices occur. This information can be used to inform the development of treatment and prevention interventions specifically for MSM.

The Tasmania Gay Community Periodic Survey is a cross-sectional survey of gay and homosexually active men recruited online throughout Tasmania. The major aim of the survey is to provide data on sexual, druguse and testing practices related to the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) among gay men. The most recent survey, the second to be conducted in Tasmania, was conducted inNovember-December 2016.

Extended Throughcare is a voluntary program that provides support to detainees returning to the community at the end of their custodial sentence at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC; the ACT’s only adult correctional facility). ACT Corrective Services clients can be characterised as experiencing multiple disadvantages, including mental health issues, substance abuse issues, low levels of literacy and numeracy, interrupted education and sporadic employment history, as well as high level ofhomelessness. The findings of this report...

The project was funded by the Australian Research Council under Linkage Project grant LP120200481, with additional cash and in-kind support provided by Catholic Social Services, Australia; United Voice (National Office); and the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS). A budget standard indicates how much income a particular family living in a particular place at a particular time needs to achieve a particular standard of living. It is derived by specifying every item that is needed...

This report presents the findings of an independent evaluation of the Supported Decision Making Phase 2 (SDM2) project. It was an 18-month pilot program funded by the NSW Government Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) and undertaken by the NSW Public Guardian (PG). The SDM2 project was based on recommendations from an earlier SDM pilot project in NSW, run by FACS with PG and the NSW Trustee & Guardian (NSWTG) as partners. The SDM2...

This report provides aggregate level information about the characteristics, activities and resources of Australian charities which had some involvement overseas in 2014. Most information has been drawn from the 2014 Annual Information Statements (AIS) collected by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). The report provides information for three nested groups of charities with international involvement and compares these to the wider charity sector. The three groups are: - Charities with some international involvement; -...

The Queensland Community Periodic Survey is a cross-sectional survey of gay and homosexually active men recruited at a range of gay community sites around Queensland and online. From its start in 1997, the project has been funded by the Queensland Department of Health. The major aim of the survey is to provide data on sexual, drug use and testing practices related to the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) among gay men....

Baden Pailthorpe’s new body of work, Pitch Deck (2017), explores the potential application of financial analysis and machine learning in contemporary art. Combining elements of high quality 3D animation, custom gaming PCs, liquid cooling, roman armour, web scrapers, champagne and startup chic, Pitch Deck is conceived as a pitch to potential investors in a business based on cultural capital. The central form of this body of work is a real company, Petricore Pty Ltd. Borrowing...