19/10/2026
In early October, QNADA Operations Support Officer Aadhya Babu, attended the Australian Social Policy Conference 2026 (ASPC2026) at The University of Queensland, exploring key issues across social policy, inequality, child wellbeing and community support.
Some of her highlights from the conference were:
• Angela Jackson, Commissioner (Social Policy) at the Australian Productivity Commission, delivered the opening keynote, speaking about productivity, real income growth and the importance of trust in government, and highlighting the need to deliver better outcomes for communities.
• Katherine Curchin explored the ethics of social security debt recovery and lessons from Robodebt, highlighting the importance of understanding the impact of digital welfare systems on people.
• Iryna Kolesnikova and Jenny Povey presented research on children in out-of-home care, exploring their socio-emotional wellbeing and the challenges of recruiting and retaining foster carers.
• Sessions on community-based policy design explored the importance of integrating services, strengthening community input and ensuring policy responses reflect people’s needs.
• The panel discussion on lived experience in social policy explored how people directly affected by policies can help shape decision-making, highlighting the importance of valuing their perspectives and ensuring their involvement is meaningful rather than superficial.
The conference was a valuable opportunity to explore how social policy, inequality and access to support intersect and how these broader factors shape health and wellbeing, including for people accessing alcohol and other drug services.
