SWB108: Australian Society, Social Justice and Policy Essay Report

Assessment Task 1  

Task overview 

Assessment name: Critique (Written) 

Task description: 

A critical approach to social problems and social policy responses helps to  make sense of what's happening and identify alternatives to current policy.  

In this task, you will be required to undertake an analysis and critique (using Bacchi’s abridged WPR framework) of one of four choices of a media or policy speech and the associated policy area. This topic will be the focus of your  essay.  

Your analysis and critique using Bacchi’s abridged (WPR) framework should critically analyze and discuss the representation of the issue in the article that you have chosen and examine the underpinning policy agenda, ideology and  assumptions about the nature of structural and social relations or groups within society from a critical perspective. You can use either a specific critical theory to support your analysis e.g. critical theorist (Bourdieu, Gramsci, Morely) or apply critical theory perspective broadly. (See Garrett 2018 for theorists and also Van Krieken et al. 2020). 

A Note on Bacchi and the Task 

Policies are often considered to be solutions to social ‘problems’. Bacchi’s (2009) ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’ (WPR) approach challenges  this idea, through analysis, poses an alternative option. The WPR approach suggests that policy solutions actually create or give shape to ‘problems’ by  representing them in particular ways. When we critically analyze a solution that is offered by political parties and other stakeholders (policy actors) to ‘fix’ a ‘problem’, we can learn something about how the problem is being  thought about, that is, being represented. The WPR approach provides a series of questions that can be used as a framework to critically analyze policy solutions and uncover what the problem is represented to be within them. 

Learning outcomes  measured: 

1. Describe essential normative, structural and institutional foundations of Australian society in relation to global context and the welfare state
2. Critically analyze important contemporary Australian social issues, discourses  and social policy responses in relation to global context using critical theory.
3. Critique popular perceptions and constructions of social policy and Australian  society.

Task details 

What you need to do: 

1. Read the Criterion Reference Assessment Sheet.  
2. Pick one of the options from the list. There is capacity to negotiate with your tutor, a different option/medium. 
3. Using the below outline, which employs an approach to critical discourse analysis based on Carol Bacchi’s WPR framework, explain the Bacchi approach and apply it to critically analyze and discuss social policy and the representation of the issue in the option that you have chosen.  
   • Specifically, you will use WPR questions 1, 2 and 4 to analyze the underpinning policy agenda, ideology and assumptions about the nature of structural and social relations or groups within society from a critical perspective.  
   • Hint: The journal article on education (Citation in Wk 2 Bb after videos) using Bacchi’s approach is the best source for this assessment piece. 

4. Your critique must respond to the following structure and questions: 
   1. Introduction
      1. Identify your topic and chosen option, including political party
      2. Outline the purpose of the paper and what will be covered in the paper 
   2. Brief overview of Bacchi’s (2009) WPR approach 
      1. Explain the aims of Bacchi’s WPR approach, its key elements and how it is used to critically analyze policy issues and representations
   3. Discuss and apply Question 1 of the WPR approach to your chosen option.
      1. Explain the goal/purpose of question 1 by identifying what is considered to be the problem and how it is represented in the option by the political party or mainstream media (What’s the  ‘problem’ represented to be in a specific policy) 
      2. Hint: At a minimum, use Bacchi and your chosen policy statement for this section. 
   4. Discuss and apply Question 2 of the WPR approach to your chosen option.
      1. What presuppositions and assumptions underlie this representation of the ‘problem’? 
      2. Explain the goal/purpose of question 2. Then apply question 2 to the option. In your answer:  
         • Identify the conceptual logic that supports the statement  about policy by analyzing the assumptions that underpin  the problem representation 
         • Discuss how language, binaries, metaphors, key concepts  and categories are used to shape the way in which the issue is represented by the political party or mainstream  media 
      3. Hint: At a minimum, use Bacchi and your chosen policy option here. Additional reading on values and ideologies will be useful for this section. 
   5. Discuss and apply Question 4 of the WPR approach to your  chosen option.
      1. What is left unproblematic in this problem representation? 
      2. Explain the goal/purpose of question 4. Apply question 4 to the policy option. In your answer:  
         • Consider what has been left unproblematic in the problem  representation. This involves considering the silences or  the issues that have been ignored in the representation of  the problem 
         • Identify an alternative counter-hegemonic conceptualization by a different political party or policy  actor/policy commentator  
         • Discuss how the alternative framings challenges the  assumptions that lead to the silences in your chosen  option’s representation of the issue 
      3. Hint: Bacchi, alternative options, additional media articles, policy reports (The Australian Institute, ACOSS), policy books and academic journal articles about the framing of your issue will assist you in this section 
      4. You can use images, political cartoons and figures to illustrate points  
   6. Conclusion
   7. Reference list  
      1. You must reference Bacchi  
      2. You must include a reference or link for the options 
      3. You must have a minimum 8 authoritative sources that are carefully chosen academic books, journal articles, policy reports (Australian Institute or ACOSS UNSW), and news media
      4. This assessment task must use the above outline to frame headings and use APA referencing.  

Assessment Task 1 Options 

We have provided you with four options for this assessment task. Carefully read through the options and  select ONE for the basis of your policy analysis and critique.

Option 1: Economy and the Budget 

Stimulus: 

1. Treasurer Jim Chalmers speaks about the economy, rising interest rates | ABC News Click on the link to view the Federal Government’s media statement: Economy and rising interest  rates

Key points: 

• Treasurer Jim Chalmers spoke to the media in Canberra about Australia's economic  challenges. The Federal Labor Government inherits debt.
• See also Nationals Senator Matt Cannavan in mainstream media: Senator Matt Canavan  admits Coalition overspent during its last year in power as he calls on Labor to end 'blame  game' 7 June 2022 Sky News

Option 2: ‘Welfare is not your money!’ Parliament Speech 2018. 

Stimulus: 

1. Media snapshot from Parliament mainstream news: ‘[Former] Senator Leyonhjelm talks about his  reasons for supporting the previous Government's cashless welfare card 2018.  
2. View the snapshot. Click on Welfare is not your Money. 
3. In a circa 2018 speech, former Senator for New South Wales, Leyonhjelm of the Liberal Democrats (Australia) (20143-2019), provided support for the Cashless Welfare Card.  
4. The Commonwealth Labor Government put through the bill in Parliament on 27 July 2022. See ABC media report ‘Labor's bill to end cashless debit card sparks mixed feelings, alcohol misuse fears in  remote WA’, for differing perspectives. 

Option 3: ‘Smells like rent control’: Housing affordability inquiry chair rubbishes  affordable housing 

Stimulus: 

1. Media snapshot from mainstream newspaper Sydney Morning Herald 9 September 2021.  
2. The then Federal Government Liberal MP leading the Commonwealth’s inquiry into housing  affordability has equated social housing with “housing commission” and criticized affordable  schemes as rent fixing that drive up prices and limit supply elsewhere. 
3. Former Mackellar MP Jason Falinski also said federal money should be withheld if “real and  sustainable” housing reforms weren’t achieved..’
4. Mr Falinski added, “the issue that you have is social housing is housing commission…. It has  lowered the price of housing in the private sector, it’s increased the price of it, and it’s handed  administration of affordable housing to the least transparent and, it’s simply a fact, the most venal  level of government we have.”
5. See also Parliament of Australia media release: The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Tax and Revenue report titled The Australian Dream: inquiry into housing affordability and  supply in Australia, 18 March 2022.

Option 4: Own Choice  

Stimulus: 

You can select your own piece for analysis from either media (print, online, newspaper or television) or  policy speech (transcript) in an associated social policy area such as housing, child protection, young  people, climate energy, taxation, inequality, disability, education, neoliberalism, climate change,  employment, community service, or privatization. Discuss this option with your tutor. 

You can access an item from: 

• Media such as The Guardian, ABC News online, or mainstream media: Courier Mail, The Australian,  Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Mail Australia or 
• Television: Populist e.g. A Current Affair, Sunrise or public media – ABC or SBS or
• Radio e.g. ABC Radio National (Public) or 2GB (Populist) 
• Policy speech: Hansard or Press Club Doorstep Interview