Macquarie University Social Inclusion Plan 2009-2012
In 2008, Macquarie University Council endorsed the Strategic Directions 2008-2012 document. Within the document is a clearly stated commitment to Social Inclusion. In the document the following objectives for Macquarie University were identified:
Enhance levels of engagement with regional and indigenous communities, and with the State and Commonwealth Departments of Education to encourage new students, particularly in the sciences
Diversify our student catchment
Expand our scholarships program, particularly for those in financial need
Develop the curriculum so that student experience is enriched from both local and global perspectives
Provide additional support
These objectives have informed the development of the Social Inclusion Plan 2009-2012 and are addressed inter alia.
Social Inclusion: Key concepts and principles
It is beyond the scope of this document to provide an exhaustive history of the development of the concept and term social inclusion. Maddox (2008) however, suggests that its emergence was shaped by EU developments addressing labour market issues such as poverty and worker mobility and then developed differently in a range of contexts. In the UK, for example, social inclusion has been described as an attempt by New Labour to enhance labour market re-entry, delimit state benefits dependency and create safer communities through greater regulation of those sub groups deemed to be a threat to social cohesion (Percy-Smith, 2000). By contrast, the Canadian policy and discursive environment is oriented to rights protection and participatory citizenship. Perhaps one of the most comprehensive descriptions of social inclusion comes from the Laidlaw Foundation (who have produced a Working Paper series on Social Inclusion) in Toronto:
Social inclusion is about social cohesion plus, it is about citizenship plus, it is about the removal of barriers plus, it is anti-essentialist plus, it is about rights and responsibilities plus, it is about the accommodation of differences plus, it is about democracy plus, it is about a new way of thinking about the problems of injustice, inequality and exclusion. It is the combination of the various pluses that make the discourse on social inclusion so incredibly exciting (Saloojee, 2003 p.15).
In Australia, the commencement of the new government in 2008 heralded a new era with respect to social inclusion: it appeared as a national priority area with the Deputy Prime Minister appointed as Minister for Social Inclusion and the concurrent creation of the federal Social Inclusion Unit. Additionally, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion, Senator Stephens, was charged with establishing a national board, the Social Inclusion Board.
Broadly, the federal government has identified the benefits of adopting a social inclusion approach as having advantages including everything from the enhancement of policy coherence and focus to creating more “joined-up” services, to an increased recognition of the cumulative and localised nature of disadvantage across generations (Hayes, Gray & Edwards, 2008). Perhaps in response to the UK experience, they also acknowledge that one of the risks of a social inclusion agenda is both the “gentrification” of spaces and the stigmatisation of sub groups and communities identified as socially excluded.
The Social Inclusion Principles for Australia were released by the federal government in November 2008 by the Social Inclusion Unit and appropriately serve as a key reference point for the Macquarie plan. They are summarised as follows:
Ensure people in need benefit from access to good health, education and other services.
Increase social, civic and economic participation
Help everyone to get the skills and support they need so they work and connect with the community, even during hard times.
Give a greater voice, combined with greater responsibility
Governments and other organisations giving people a say on what services they need and how they work, and people taking responsibility to make the best use of the opportunities available.
Build on individual and community strengths
Make the most of people’s strengths, including the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders and people from other cultures.
Build partnerships with key stakeholders
Governments, organisations and communities working together to get the best results for people in need.
Develop tailored services
Services working together in new and flexible ways to meet each persons different needs.
Early intervention/prevention
Heading off problems by understanding root causes and intervening early.
Build joined-up services and whole of government(s) solutions
Getting different parts of and different levels of government to work together in new and flexible ways to get better outcomes and services for people in need.
Use evidence and integrated data to inform policy
Finding out what programs work well and understanding why so that good ideas can be shared and to put into effort things that work.
Using locational approaches
Working in places where there is a lot of disadvantage.
Planning for sustainability
Doing things to help people and communities deal with problems they face now and in the future.
Social Inclusion: Foci for Macquarie
In the higher education sector the major focus through which the federal agenda of building a more inclusive Australia will be realised is through enhancing participation across the board. Specifically, the goal is to increase the percentage of 25-34 year olds in higher education to 40% by 2025, up from a current level of 32%. Priority groups identified are those from low SES backgrounds and indigenous students; the target for low SES is for 20% by 2025 (undergraduate), currently at a national level of 15%. Whilst there is no specific target for indigenous students in higher education, there is the prioritisation of “halving the gap” of year 12 completions by 2020. There are positive indicators in the sector in the different states that a collaborative approach between universities will be adopted in order to meet the overall sector targets.
Whilst these priorities and targets are important and will shape many of our actions and directions at Macquarie now and in the years to come, it is important to note that they are only a subset of the broader goal of building a more inclusive milieu for the entire Macquarie community – students and staff alike. As a corollary, it is also our hope that we will enhance levels of meaningful and mutually beneficial community interaction and engagement.
There are 4 broad goals addressed in this plan:
Build a more diverse student population over time prioritising indigenous and low SES students (as per federal agenda)
Ensure a safe, positive and supportive experience and environment for all students and staff to maximize achievement levels
Develop inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning & teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery
Generate new knowledge through basic, applied and evaluative research into socially inclusive policy and practice
Social Inclusion Plan 2009-2012
Goal 1: Build a more diverse student population over time prioritising indigenous and low SES students
Marketing and recruitment strategies aimed at indigenous and low SES students
School outreach and mentoring activities
Map and coordinate outreach and mentoring programs within Macquarie
Expand existing and develop new programs with indigenous communities and disadvantaged schools
Creating diverse pathways for entry
Increase number and diversity of TAFE articulations
Develop and expand alternate entry admissions
Enhance OU and DE offerings and articulations
Expand number and availability of Equity Scholarships
Goal 2: Ensure a safe, positive and supportive experience and environment for all students and staff to maximise achievement levels
Student and staff wellbeing
Individual and group safety
Enhance levels of understanding of personal rights and responsibilities
Develop flexible, inclusive and culturally appropriate services
Create a range of spaces for social interaction catering for diverse needs
International student hosting program
Provide learning support for students with a range of learning styles, needs and capability levels
Enhance communication between students, academics, welfare and MQAS
Monitor, review and evaluate student focussed initiatives
Enhance understandings of diverse value systems in student body
Provide a range of development opportunities focussed on inclusive practice
Goal 3: Develop inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning & teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery
Practical and symbolic activities that build inclusive culture and practice
Highlight commitment to valuing diversity and building social inclusion at Macquarie
Policy/protocol/plan development
Develop events template/protocol
Finalise Welcome to Country Policy
Finalise Reconciliation Action Plan
Develop Disability Action Plan
Increase numbers of indigenous trainees
Representation of sub groups on campus
Promote Ally training for all staff
Indigenisation of the curriculum
Staff awareness and skills development – intercultural communication and competence.
Policy development – unit requirements for inclusion
Goal 4: Generate new knowledge through basic, applied and evaluative research into socially inclusive policy and practice
Basic and applied research into social inclusion to inform state and federal policy
Contribute to national/international dialogue and theory development on Social Inclusion
Extend understandings of causes and impacts of social exclusion
Conduct applied research into programs/initiatives at community level to enhance inclusion/participation
Stimulate understandings of social inclusion and inclusive practice in wider community, act as resource clearing house
Host public lecture series
Occasional paper series available on website
Pilot and evaluate socially inclusive initiatives
Participation/Community Engagement initiative pilots
Evaluate existing programs, student experiences and perceptions from SI perspective
In depth understandings of student perceptions of, and experiences at, Macquarie
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