Work
A selection of articles, presentations and reports
Aligning culture and expectations of regulators
14/03/2017
Amanda developed a regulator performance oversight strategy for the Department of Health and Human Services Victoria in 2016. She developed standards and a new annual reporting framework based on the characteristics of a 'better practice regulator'. She worked collaboratively with managers to maximise buy-in and secured the executive board's endorsement by linking it to their priorities.
Certifying fair labour in the fashion industry
23 October 2015
Good on You asked us to look into schemes that certify clothes are made under fair labour conditions. No child labour, no forced labour, a fair wage, a safe workplace and the right to organise. What makes a good certification scheme in the slippery world of fashion?
Submission on post 2020 emissions targets
24 April 2015
We prepared a submission to the Australian Government on the post 2020 greenhouse gas emissions targets for National Environmental Law Association. It adopts the Climate Change Authority's call for reductions of 30 per cent by 2025. And we called for the government to strengthen its proposals to stop emissions increasing.
Public policy for NGOs - Executive webinar with Pro Bono Australia
12 March 2015, 2-3pm
We ran a webinar for about 100 people from all over Australia on how NGOs can make public policies with an impact. We covered the key public policy methods used by government, the role of NFPs in public policy, how the points of influence are changing, and elements of a successful policy brief or submission.
Managing urban water to adapt to climate change
Victorian Council for Climate Change Adaptation Research workshop, 19 March 2014
Melbourne Law School asked Amanda to give a presentation on the challenges of decentalising urban water services and transforming the way we manage water and heat in our urban spaces.
Companies with women at the top perform better
Australian Sustainable business conference, Melbourne, October, 2013
International research shows companies with women at the top perform much better financially, and they’re more sustainable too. Setting goals and reporting about women on boards is crucial in changing corporate behaviour.
Read her speaking notes and presentation.
Inside Story, 2 September 2013
Labor and the Coalition promised an extra $200 million for the Reef Rescue program to tackle agricultural pollution threatening the Great Barrier Reef. But it could all be too little, too late.
Inside Story, 21 September 2012
Public debate about the super trawler FV Abel Tasman and new national marine reserves have highlighted major flaws in the way Australia manages its ocean resources.
Reports by Amanda
Complaints management handbook for health care services
Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care 2004
Amanda prepared the handbook based on interviews with health care services that were leaders in the way they managed patients and their families when 'things go wrong'. The handbook remains the main reference for health services and health complaints bodies ten years later.
Restoring identity report
Amanda's report documents the views of Aboriginal organisations and the stolen generations community about a proposal to deliver reparations for the forcible removal of children from their families. She conducted national consultation workshops and a national conference in partnership with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. The report has enduring value and was republished in 2012.
Ministerial Inquiry into Cosmetic Surgery
Amanda wrote the report as Executive Officer to the inquiry. It quantifies for the first time the size and shape of the cosmetic surgery industry in Australia, a consumer satisfaction survey, statistics on complaints and insurance claims, the medical literature on five common procedures, how the industry is regulated, trends, and recommendations for improvement. The report was still the major reference on the subject 15 years later. The Australian Health Ministers Conference published an updated version in 2016 - Cosmetic medical and surgical procedures - a national framework final report.