
Sokgech Heng with Professor Alison Ritter
Challenging the Way We Think to Improve Social Policy
Governments use social policy to address social issues and shape the lives of their citizens in areas such as security, education, work, health and wellbeing. The 2019 Australian Social Policy Conference, which was conducted at the UNSW in September, discussed the challenges facing Australian policy makers, practitioners and researchers in formulating better social policies.
The three day conference left a long-lasting impression for Sokgech Heng, a Master of Public Policy scholar at the University of Sydney. Sokgech received a conference grant from Australia Awards Cambodia to attend. In her grant application she cited her motivation to attend was that the conference inspired her curiosity towards the formulation of social policy in Australia. Prior to her study, she was working at GIZ Cambodia as a Local Governance Adviser, advising the Cambodian local government on the development of regulations.
The presentation topics were very diverse and included research findings as a result of tackling some of the global challenges of social inequality, digital technology and climate change. The opening plenary presented the latest research on a ‘basic income’ experiment in Finland and highlighted lessons that are applicable to Australia. The conference was closed with a plenary session discussing current policy priorities and reform opportunities in response to the growing poverty and inequality in Australia.
Through listening to the speakers and participating in the discussion, Sokgech was convinced that:
One presentation showcased the findings of the report, Australia’s welfare 2019, which explored current health and welfare data in Australia. Data collection (i.e. through census) and longitudinal data analysis has become increasingly important as a strategic national resource to improve outcomes for the population, while assuring the privacy and security of data.
Another important lesson that Sokgech took from the conference is how the social construct (or way of thinking) can significantly influence how social policy is formulated. One of the plenary sessions that was delivered by Professor Alison Ritter, demonstrated this point. Professor Ritter is an internationally recognised specialist in illicit drug policy and the founding Director of the Drug Policy Modelling Program at the Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW. Her presentation analysed the current normative debate in Australia about drug testing on social welfare payment recipients.
Reflecting on her experience at the conference, Sokgech said:
Sokgech is looking forward to applying her skills, experience and knowledge in Public Policy following her return to Cambodia at the end of 2019.

Sokgech Heng with Professor Alison Ritter
Challenging the Way We Think to Improve Social Policy
Governments use social policy to address social issues and shape the lives of their citizens in areas such as security, education, work, health and wellbeing. The 2019 Australian Social Policy Conference, which was conducted at the UNSW in September, discussed the challenges facing Australian policy makers, practitioners and researchers in formulating better social policies.
The three day conference left a long-lasting impression for Sokgech Heng, a Master of Public Policy scholar at the University of Sydney. Sokgech received a conference grant from Australia Awards Cambodia to attend. In her grant application she cited her motivation to attend was that the conference inspired her curiosity towards the formulation of social policy in Australia. Prior to her study, she was working at GIZ Cambodia as a Local Governance Adviser, advising the Cambodian local government on the development of regulations.
The presentation topics were very diverse and included research findings as a result of tackling some of the global challenges of social inequality, digital technology and climate change. The opening plenary presented the latest research on a ‘basic income’ experiment in Finland and highlighted lessons that are applicable to Australia. The conference was closed with a plenary session discussing current policy priorities and reform opportunities in response to the growing poverty and inequality in Australia.
Through listening to the speakers and participating in the discussion, Sokgech was convinced that:
One presentation showcased the findings of the report, Australia’s welfare 2019, which explored current health and welfare data in Australia. Data collection (i.e. through census) and longitudinal data analysis has become increasingly important as a strategic national resource to improve outcomes for the population, while assuring the privacy and security of data.
Another important lesson that Sokgech took from the conference is how the social construct (or way of thinking) can significantly influence how social policy is formulated. One of the plenary sessions that was delivered by Professor Alison Ritter, demonstrated this point. Professor Ritter is an internationally recognised specialist in illicit drug policy and the founding Director of the Drug Policy Modelling Program at the Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW. Her presentation analysed the current normative debate in Australia about drug testing on social welfare payment recipients.
Reflecting on her experience at the conference, Sokgech said:
Sokgech is looking forward to applying her skills, experience and knowledge in Public Policy following her return to Cambodia at the end of 2019.