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Sydney Policy Lab

The University of Sydney

Addressing complex local and global policy challenges.

We aim to contribute to the development of a society that works for everyone, by bringing people together to spark new ideas, reframe issues and transform the policy options on the table.

We offer a place where people come together to identify what they share in common and work out how to build change for the future.

In short, the Sydney Policy Lab is a hub for individuals who share a common commitment to the public good and are working towards this.

Together, we’re responding to some of the hardest questions of our age – in areas of equality, belonging and power.

Our non-partisan space brings different worlds together, inspiring open collaboration and building real change for the future.

In a turbulent world, where our communities are being eroded by spiralling inequality and a creeping sense of insecurity, the Sydney Policy Lab is committed to helping anyone who wants to lead social change for the public good.

From this author

Inclusive and workplace acceptance of refugees
Partnering for refugee employment

When considering their talent pipelines, few companies think outside-of-the-box. Most refugees flourish in the workplace, and so do the businesses that hire them.

SDG 16
Institutional investors demand a more sustainable capitalism

Honey gathering is a solitary job in Indigenous communities. The collector then shares the honey with their community but refrains from joining in the honey feast themself. The idea is that the gathering is not about their gratification, it’s about their contribution to the collective.  

SDG15 Bushfires
Optimisation model as a guide to burning forests to save forests

Setting fire to parts of a forest to save it might seem counterintuitive to urban communities. There is no equivalent of torching a few streets to protect a suburb. However, amongst First Nations people in Australia, hazard reduction burning is a well-established practice.

SDG13 - coal mining
Net zero now – it’s the economy AND the planet

In Australia, as elsewhere, the climate wars have focused on the climate versus jobs dichotomy. Yet while Australia remains highly dependent on fossil fuel extraction for its national economic prosperity it has also become increasingly unequal in its distribution of that wealth.