The Breaking Down Barriers Report Series, produced as part of an ongoing partnership between the Paul Ramsay Foundation and the Melbourne Institute, was the subject of a recent policy roundtable attended by several Commonwealth department and agency representatives.

The aims of this series are to deepen our shared understanding of disadvantage and inform future policy settings that enable offramps from the cycle of disadvantage.

The Paul Ramsay Foundation invited Equity Economics to facilitate a discussion of the policy implications arising from the report series, based on an accompanying series of policy briefs, developed specifically for the roundtable.

Many of the suggested strategies are ‘place-based’ or correspond to the experience of key ‘cohorts’, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, single mothers and young workers in regional areas facing employment decline. The full report series and accompanying policy briefs can be downloaded through the links below.

Key authors and facilitators:

Melbourne Institute:

Professor A. Abigail Payne (Director)

Kristen Marriner

Professor Roger Wilkins

Dr Rajeev Samarage

Dr Esperanza Vera-Toscano

Dr Maxim Ananyev

Equity Economics & Development Partners:

Amanda Robbins (Founder)

Dr Angela Jackson (Lead Economist)

The full report series and accompanying policy briefs can be accessed below:

Report No. 1: Does poverty in childhood beget poverty in adulthood in Australia?

Report No. 2: Spatial and Community Dimensions of Income Poverty

Report No. 3: Measuring Individual Poverty: Correlates and Variation Over Time