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Australian social policy and legislation in relation to gay men, lesbians and their families have been 'revolutionized' over recent years. Between 2008 and 2010 alone we have seen an incredible 84 separate pieces of legislation amended to recognize same sex relationships in Commonwealth legislation. For some rights activists, these reforms have been too long coming but for others they have created real disquiet about the way they position non-heterosexual relationships. This article draws on qualitative interviews undertaken with lesbian women who parent in New South Wales, Australia. Two waves of interviews are drawn on, the first occurring prior to Australian government reforms and the second after the reforms. The interviews provide an insight into the lived experiences of social policy reforms, highlighting how these women weigh up and reconcile legal recognition. These women's experiences remind us again of the limitations of legal reform to bring about social or cultural change, particularly in the context of neo-liberalism. This paper seeks to ask what is the nature of this 'revolution' and, why now?

In Australia, as elsewhere, relations between government and community sector organisations* have undergone fundamental change over the past decade. Economic rationalism and new manageralism have reshaped funding arrangements, seeing the widespread introduction of contracts with service specifications, performance measures and reporting requirements. Within the literature there is considerable anxiety about the impact contracting may have on the community development activities of community sector organisations. This article draws on the experience of over 500 community sector organisations that provide human services to explore how contractual arrangements have affected some aspects of their community development activities. The research findings suggest that, from the perspectives of organisations, the adverse impacts have been less than anticipated.

Conceptual foundations -- Research on the importance of community and neighbourhood level factors -- Characteristics of community systems -- Community appraisal and strengthening framework -- Assessing the external system -- Assessing the internal system -- Concluding thoughts.

Abstract
Health inequalities experienced by Australian First Nations People are amongst the most marked in the world, with First Nations People dying some ten years earlier than non-Indigenous Australians. The failure of existing responses to health inequalities suggests new knowledges and questions that need to be explored. It is likely that these new knowledges sit outside of western research or practice paradigms. Through the Indigenous practice of yarning, the importance of worldview and Country emerged as an under-acknowledged social determinant of Australian First Nations People well-being. Yarning is a process of storytelling that involves both sound and silence. It requires embodied deep listening through which stories emerge that create new knowledge and understanding. We anchor our learning by re-telling John's creation story, a story of healing through discovering his Aboriginal Worldview through reconnecting to Country. Country for First Nations People is more than a physical place; it is a place of belonging and a way of believing. We argue for the recognition of trauma, recognition of diversity and the use of yarning in social work practice. We conclude that reconnecting to Aboriginal Worldview provides hopeful insights into the well-being of Australia's First Nations People and the social determinants of health.

AbstractMongolia is a vast landlocked, sparsely populated, country which shares borders with China and Russia. Two decades of democratic government has coincided with rapid cultural, social, environmental and economic change marred by increasing inequality. Addressing the challenges of inequality demands meaningful engagement between state and non-state actors in the emergent democracy of Mongolia. This article focuses on research with Citizens' Groups, semi-formal grassroots groups involved in community development in ger districts of Ulaanbaatar, the capital city. Drawing on research undertaken in 2017 with members of Citizens' Groups and employed staff of Non-Government Organizations it explores the interaction between government (in the form of local government or Khoroo) and civil society (in the form of Citizens' Groups). Data was collected via interviews, focus groups and site visits with over thirty people. Accordingly, the paper continues a focus on emerging community development practices in East Asia, a region both benefiting from and challenged by urbanization from rural to urban settings. The paper concludes that Citizens' Groups are key to realizing the Government's commitment to building social capital, social innovation and the social economy. To realize this goal, however further work is required to promote a democratic political culture, expand citizen participation and strengthen co-operation between the State and civil society.

Cover -- Contents -- LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES -- LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- 1 Introduction -- References -- PART ONE ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVES -- 2 Invisible from the Start: Australian Aboriginal People's Experiences of Difference and Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations -- Further readings -- References -- 3 Transforming Classrooms: Developing Culturally Safe Learning Environments -- Introduction -- Background -- Aboriginal historical experiences with the colonial education system and resultant current outcomes -- Political human rights: Epistemologies, ontologies and axiologies -- Adult learning theories -- Cultural safety -- Reflections -- Conclusion -- Further readings -- References -- 4 Ownership and Protection of Aboriginal Knowledge: Academic Response and Responsibility -- The analogy -- The 'collaborative' omelette -- When does the use of Aboriginal knowledge in academia become cultural appropriation? -- What is intellectual property? -- What is Indigenous knowledge? -- So what? -- Case studies -- Reflective questions -- Further readings -- References -- PART TWO CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CULTURAL DIFFERENCE -- 5 Islamophobia and Social Work Collusion -- Introduction -- Islamophobia in Australia -- Locating ourselves -- What is Islamophobia? -- The politics of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) policies and programs -- Problematising Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) policies and programs -- Control through 'community' and 'Australian-ness' -- Fixing dangerous minds -- The Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) industry -- Colour-blind policies and the State as 'neutral' -- A critical social work perspective -- Conclusion -- Further readings -- References -- 6 Pushing Back Against Stereotypes: Muslim Immigrant Women's Experiences of Domestic Violence -- Introduction.

AbstractYoung people's well-being has attracted significant policy and research attention in Australia and internationally for at least three decades. Despite this, there is no consensus about what it means, how it can be measured or, most importantly, what supports young people's well-being. This paper adopts a definition of well-being as a multidimensional process, comprising subjective, material and relational factors. Drawing on self-report data collected at two time points from young people (aged 9–14 years) living in rural and regional New South Wales (N= 342 at baseline andN= 217 Wave 2), this paper seeks to identify the salience of these factors to well-being, measured through Perceived Self-Efficacy. Our analysis suggests that a sense of belonging, safety and the presence of supportive adults all appear to support enhanced well-being. The paper concludes with recommendations for policy makers and communities wishing to better support the development of young people's well-being.