I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we meet. I pay my respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to First Nations people taking part in today's event.
Thank you for inviting me back to celebrate the 10th Annual Social Impact Measurement Network Australia Awards. Through the Department of Social Services, the Australian Government is, again, proud to sponsor this event.
It's a terrific opportunity to rollout the virtual red carpet and recognise leaders in social impact measurement. Those who innovate and apply new approaches despite the challenges. Those who go above and beyond in their collaboration. And those who shape decision making in the best possible way. Congratulations to all award nominees.
Social impact measurement is a bit like a giant dot‑to‑dot puzzle. The more dots we have, and the people we have connecting those dots, the better picture we have about what works - and what doesn't work.
When it comes to social impact and achieving outcomes for people experiencing disadvantage, the government continues to focus on outcomes, partnerships, and innovation. And since I spoke to you last - credit to the Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth - we are closing in on major milestones in 6 areas.
Healthy Masculinities Trial and Evaluation
Firstly, in October Minister Rishworth and Assistant Minister Elliott announced the first projects under the 'Healthy Mate Trial and Evaluation' (Healthy MaTE) program. It is a primary prevention initiative that aims to influence and change attitudes and behaviours in school aged‑boys that may lead to gender‑based violence.
Under this Program, the Albanese Labor government is investing $3.5 million to support 3 innovative projects promoting and encouraging healthy perceptions of masculinity among school‑aged boys. Each of the projects will receive around $1 million in funding to trial activities, beginning from early 2025 and run through to 2026.
As Ministers Rishworth and Elliot have noted, through the delivery of positive, educational workshops in schools, we can also evaluate and determine what approaches are effective in encouraging healthy expressions of masculinities among school‑aged boys (Rishworth and Elliot, 2024).
Trial activities will be delivered by 3 organisations, which will take place alongside an independent evaluation to collect information on the trial activities to build the evidence base. For example, the Man Cave will deliver the Empowering Boys to Become Great Men project based on The Man Cave's curriculum.
The curriculum involves delivery of in person, facilitated workshops to build the emotional resilience of young men and boys, and their ability to reflect on how their actions impact others. The curriculum will be updated to align with new research and delivered in schools.
The Man Cave plans to trial and evaluate the program using quasi‑experimental trials in schools across Victoria and New South Wales. Approximately 100 schools will be involved; comparison data will also be collected.
The evidence on what works to engage young men in healthy masculinities is emerging. Without strong evidence about prevention programs that are effective, there is the risk of not being able to ensure that funding provided will achieve the desired outcomes. Establishing the evidence base through this grant is an important first step to underpin potential further activities.
Measuring What Matters
Second, we have strengthened the national wellbeing framework since I spoke to you last. The Australian Bureau of Statistics delivered the first Measuring What Matters dashboard update in August. Moving the dashboard to the Australian Bureau of Statistics means we can better track our wellbeing progress alongside other critical indicators like GDP, employment, and wages. It means we can also take advantage of their expertise and infrastructure. As well as the dashboard updates, the government will release a Measuring What Matters Statement every 3 years. The statement will examine how we are tracking over time, where we are doing well and where we need to improve.
General Social Survey
Third and related, we are expanding the Australian Bureau of Statistics General Social Survey. It will be run annually and provide a bigger, more detailed, and vibrant picture of wellbeing. More frequent and increased data collection and larger sample size is a major step in supporting social impact networks and in enhancing our ability to evaluate social value. The first data tranche from the expanded General Social Survey will be available in 2026.
The Australian Centre for Evaluation
Fourth, we are drawing stronger connections through the Australian Centre for Evaluation. Earlier this year, I announced the Paul Ramsay Foundation was launching its Experimental Methods for Social Impact Open Grant Round (Leigh 2024). It is a $2.1 million grant round focused on the experimental evaluation of social programs, similar to a successful model that the Laura and John Arnold Foundation have deployed in the United States over the past decade. It is a significant boost for evaluation of social programs. Impact investing and evaluation go hand‑in‑hand. Without a rigorous impact evaluation, investors don't know if their investments are having their intended (or unintended) effects. I am excited to see what we learn from these studies. And I am pleased that the Australian Centre for Evaluation will help by connecting grant recipients with administrative data.
Professional development
Fifth, we want evaluation to be a mainstream skill across the public service. We have announced a new Evaluation Profession to really build evaluation expertise across the public service (Gorman 2024). This will improve capability across government in rigorous impact evaluation, including randomised trials.
Beyond government
Finally, the push towards good evidence goes beyond government. I recently spoke at a workshop at the University of Melbourne, organised by Philip Clarke, Robyn Mildon and Peter Choong. The workshop brought together academics with a background in randomised trials (principally economists and health researchers) and charities and charitable foundations who are interested in using randomisation to determine what works.
My hope is that over the coming decade, partnerships with Australian charities will see hundreds of randomised trials conducted, building the evidence base for what works, and creating an impetus for more philanthropic giving as donors see the power of randomised trials to change lives for the better.
Conclusion
Ultimately, more dots and more people to connect them means better social impact measurement and better services for Australians facing disadvantage. We need networks like yours to make it happen. Thank you again for your work and all the best for the awards.
References
Elliot J and Rishworth A (17 October 2024) Trial underway to help school‑aged boys develop healthy masculinities [media release], Australian Government.
Gorman P (19 September 2024) APS builds skills for the future [media release], Australian Government.
Leigh A (2024) Discovering what works: why rigorous evaluation matters, Address to 'Impact evaluation: assessing the effectiveness of Australian public policy', Canberra, 17 June 2024.
