The Bridge Live: A discussion of ANU’s privilege toolkit
Overview
Public policy is often described as rational and evidence based, but it is not always neutral. Who gets to define the problem? Whose evidence counts? And who gets heard? This Bridge Live webinar will explore how privilege shapes policy agendas, decision-making processes and the perspectives that are recognised or overlooked.
Why this conversation matters now
Privilege can influence what makes it onto the policy agenda, who participates in decision-making and whose knowledge is treated as credible. The discussion will examine how everyday assumptions about expertise, evidence and participation can amplify some voices while silencing others.
Discussion themes
Drawing on ANU’s privilege toolkit, the event will explore what privilege means in public policy and how public managers can recognise and challenge it in practice. Key themes include whose voices should be prioritised, how lived experience should sit alongside professional and academic expertise, and how policy processes can avoid reinforcing privilege through practices that appear neutral.
Who should attend?
Public sector executives, emerging leaders, policy and workforce professionals, diversity and inclusion practitioners, organisational development professionals, researchers and ANZSOG alumni across Australia and New Zealand.
Audience takeaway
Participants should leave with:
A understanding of how privilege can shape which policy issues gain attention, whose evidence is valued and whose perspectives are heard.
Practical strategies for recognising and challenging assumptions about expertise, evidence and participation in policy processes.
Familiarity with the ANU Privilege Toolkit and how it can be applied to public policy and decision-making.
A deeper appreciation of how lived experience, professional expertise and academic evidence can be brought together in policy development.
Insight into whose voices may be missing from their own policy processes, and actions they can take to support more inclusive decision-making.
Event details
Speakers
Maria Katsonis (MC)
Maria Katsonis is a Public Policy Fellow at The University of Melbourne where she teaches policy design and implementation at a post graduate level.
She has 20 years’ experience in the Victorian Public Service as a senior executive and has a deep understanding of public policy and public management.
Associate Professor Ashley Schram
Ashley Schram is an Associate Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at the Australian National University and Deputy Director of the Australian Research Centre for Health Equity.
Her research focuses on the relationships between social structures, policy, governance, equity and human wellbeing, with a particular focus on how economic policy and investment systems shape social and health inequities.
Ashley led the development of the ANU privilege toolkit and has developed frameworks, including the Multidimensional Analysis of Privilege Policy Systems, to support critical policy analysis.
Dr Lisa Conway
Dr Lisa Conway is a senior policy practitioner with more than 20 years experience in the Australian Public Service. Her current role is leading the First Nations and Targeted Policies Branch at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
Lisa undertook her PhD at the Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University. This research focused on looking for opportunities to uplift the cultural capability of the APS to improve policy effectiveness and make it more culturally safe and responsive for First Nations peoples.