Welcome

‘Social justice is for everyone’ (previously 2020socialjustice) invites you to join a conversation about racism, gender and sexuality, (dis)ability and refugee policy, abuse of workers and bullying, children and older people, death and euthanasia, health and mental health, economic in(justice), access to education, power relations, and other issues of social justice and human rights.

‘Social justice is for everyone’ considers every issue of social justice as part of THE issue of social equity. Everyone has as contribution to make. Every contribution counts. Social equity is a collective work in progress.

You can navigate ‘Social justice is for everyone’ from Categories in the sidebar or start browsing below.

Some essays contain material that may be confronting or disturbing. If you feel distressed by what you read, your usual supports and ways of responding are important. Contact numbers for helplines (such as Lifeline: 13 11 14 in Australia) may also be useful.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are advised that this site may include images and other references to people who have passed away. It may also contain links to sites that may use images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased.

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin nation as the traditional owners of the land on which I live and write. I pay my respects to elders, past, present and emerging. I acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.

Joan Beckwith, PhD.

 

Most recent ...

This is what it’s like to need income support

April 16th, 2016   

Following a media report that “around a quarter of dole recipients are skipping job interviews or rejecting work,” I collated responses from those at the pointy end of the “dole bludger” narrative. I have reproduced these responses (with initials only, not names) – pretty much as they were posted on my Facebook page. They speak for themselves.

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Have you ever wanted to rewind refugee policy?

April 9th, 2016   

A poem by Brian Bilston cleverly reflects polarised positions on refugee policy, and an interview with the Minister for Immigration epitomises Australia’s entrenchment at the negative pole. Both pieces of work are included in full in this post, for the record, and in the hope that we will find our way back in the way of the poem.

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The writing on the wall for public education

April 5th, 2016   

The neoliberal behemoth hovers over education. Saving our public system is not so much about changing our Prime Minister as about unravelling the mindset that has taken occupation within, across, and beyond party lines…A job for the people…Joan Beckwith.

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“JOURNEY” – Propaganda extravaganza to deter asylum seekers

April 3rd, 2016   

“JOURNEY” is a government-funded movie intended to deter people from seeking asylum in Australia, and is part of a $70.7 million dollar budget allocated for the purpose over a six-year period. It is a sadistic piece of work to my eyes (despite virtuous spin about “saving lives at sea”) and this post provides a record of the grim political times that give rise to such a movie…Joan Beckwith.

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More free play + less homework = better mental health + less medication?

March 31st, 2016   

If more free play and less homework are better for children’s mental health, what are we waiting for? Especially if that could mean fewer children taking less medication?

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When parents are in prison

March 24th, 2016   

What would it be like to have a parent in prison? How would it change everyday life? How would you go about dealing with courts, police and jails? What supports would be useful along the way? These important questions are largely ignored in existing research, and who is left standing to pursue them in current sociopolitical times? (Joint post with guest blogger, Natasha Graham.)

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TALKING ABOUT POWER with Penelope Fowler 2020socialjustice student award-winner 2015

March 11th, 2016   

We met – to talk about power – on a beautiful summer afternoon when many others would have been at the beach. We did not previously know each other, but Penny Fowler is the 2015 winner of the 2020socialjustice student award, and this post is a Q&A with her in four areas of Indigenous families, mental health, fathers in family work, and the challenge of balancing support and monitoring dimensions of social work roles. We would greatly value your comments and feedback.

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Dear fella-whitefellas on Australia Day…

January 26th, 2016   

Is this a good time to talk about racism? Probably not. Nobody WANTS to do that. Not when the barbie’s hot, and the beer’s cold. Just the same, it’s way past time, don’t you think, to pin white privilege with a steely eye, chip away layers of white fragility, and LISTEN to Aboriginal voices?…Joan Beckwith

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Social justice – under the neoliberal table

January 8th, 2016   

I used to believe it was possible to work for social justice by working against discrimination, and that economic justice would follow as a corollary of social equity. This now seems naive. The influence of neoliberal ideology on Australian politics has turned the fight for economic justice into a priority and prerequisite. In this post I talk about my own awakening and the need for interdisciplinary thinking…Joan Beckwith.

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“Australian leader eats raw onion whole” and other gems from a jaw-dropping era

November 8th, 2015   

Tony Abbott’s parliament (18 September 2013 to 15 September 2015) got above the radar for cringe-worthy reasons including praise of coal as good for humanity, and criticism of marriage equality as a threat to cattle exports. This post includes media headlines from the era, sampled from a compilation by Evan Williams…Joan Beckwith.

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