Public policy seminar to target poverty

Community sector agencies are encouraged to attend a Department of Human Services’ public policy seminar focused on poverty and social exclusion.

The seminar will ask the question: ‘What do we know about poverty and inequality in our community and what can we do about it?’

It will be held at the Riverside Convention Centre, 457 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, on Friday, March 30, between 12 noon and 2pm and is free.

Organisers hope the seminar will contribute to discourse and debate around public policy in human services and develop partnership relationships between the State Government, local government and non-Government agencies.

The seminar is the first of the 2001 series and follows a successful public policy forum last year.

This year’s series is being undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Premier and Cabinet, acknowledging social policy issues have a wider relevance across Government.

Keynote speaker at the Poverty and Social Exclusion seminar will be LaTrobe University School of Social Work and Social Policy’s Associate Professor Alison McClelland.

The panel will include Good Shepherd Youth and Family Services Research Manager Marilyn Webster, the Victorian Council of Social Services’ Gavin Dufty and Netty Horton of the Council to Homeless Persons.

Associate Professor McClelland led a Regional Poverty and Social Exclusion seminar in Bendigo on March 2.

She will also address a Hume Region seminar to be held at the LaTrobe University campus in Wodonga on March 23 between noon and 2pm.

The Regional seminars acknowledge issues of poverty and inequality are of great importance to rural Victoria.

• For more information contact Dale Ryan on 9616 2591 or email dale.ryan@dhs.vic.gov.au. Hume Region details are available from Lee Sinclair, email lee.sinclair@dhs.vic.gov.au.