‘Make your own way there’: neo-liberal public policy
Joanne Baker
James Cook University
Contact Email: Joanne.Baker
jcu.edu.au
Like the seductive advertising slogan of the Sportsgirl fashion store, young people in Australia are increasingly addressed through a public policy discourse which invites them to ‘make their own way there’ (Spierings 2002). This message is delivered through a public policy discourse which centres personal responsibility, individual journeys and the valorisation of choice.
This paper reports on recent empirical research conducted with young women aged 18-25. The research found a strong endorsement of individualism, a parallel discounting of socially determined disadvantage, resentment of dependency and a chilling of empathy for those experiencing disadvantage. Paradoxically, despite the striking congruence between young women’s epistemological preferences and neo-liberalism, an analysis of their stated needs and aspirations reveals that they are poorly served by the current Australian Government’s social policy agenda. Two key challenges that emerge from these findings are discussed; the need for any critique of neo-liberalism to understand and engage with its robust cultural support and backing by many young people; and the implications of weakened support for the recognition of interdependence and collective approaches to community well-being.
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Copyright © 2007 Social Policy Research Centre.
