The James Martin Institute for Public Policy (JMI) has today launched The Policymaker, a new digital publication for policymakers across Australia, profiling policy innovations and new insights on significant and hard policy challenges.

From public health to education reform and the circular economy, The Policymaker covers a wide spectrum of contemporary issues. To tackle these challenges, contributing authors present new, practical, insights drawn from their expertise or experience.

JMI CEO Ms Libby Hackett said that what sets The Policymaker apart is a focus on solutions. “We want to support our high-calibre policymakers in NSW and across Australia; by showcasing smart and constructive policy ideas we hope to spark productive and thoughtful democratic debate.”

Whilst critical analysis has its place, “The Policymaker is forward-looking, creating space for new ideas and new policy options that serve the common good.” Hackett said.

Editor of The Policymaker, Dr Vafa Ghazavi, said the publication doesn’t have a partisan brief of any kind, “we’re interested in good ideas, from anyone, that have well-grounded potential for improving the lives of people and their communities.”

“While articles in The Policymaker are in an accessible opinion style, our contributors will have the space to really develop their policy ideas so that policymakers and the broader public can get into the substance.

“It is our hope The Policymaker will help expand policy imagination at all levels of government in Australia,” Ghazavi said.

The articles written for the launch represent the range and ambition of JMI. We aim to give policymakers in NSW and across Australia easy access to leading thinkers from a diverse range of disciplines and areas of practice, in order to propel the policy discussion forward.

Disclaimer: Articles in The Policymaker are written in the distinctive voice of their author(s). The findings and recommendations of any JMI publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Institute, its Board, funders, or other partners.

Media contact:
Callista Thillou
Executive Director Engagement
M: 0499 989 633
E: [email protected]

Notes to Editors:

1. The James Martin Institute for Public Policy (JMI) was initially established in 2019, through a generous grant from the NSW Government in partnership with the University of Sydney, Western Sydney University, and the University of Technology Sydney. As an independent, non-partisan policy institute, our mission is to bring government, academic and other experts together to develop practical solutions that address societal challenges and improve lives. www.jmi.org.au

2. The Policymaker is a digital publication of the James Martin Institute for Public Policy. We aspire for it to become the leading platform in Australia for opinion articles on constructive domestic policy ideas and proposals.Contributors to The Policymaker develop an argument drawn from their expertise or experience.
Articles seek to offer a reflective and rigorous perspective on an important or emerging policy challenge facing Australia at a local, state, or national level. They are typically too specialised for a newspaper’s opinion pages, but shorter than a full policy brief. Articles focus on policy innovations and new insights on significant, neglected, or especially hard policy challenges. Their orientation and emphasis is forward-looking: meaningfully expanding policy options, and creating more space for policy pathways and experimentation that serve the common good. The Policymaker is for an informed reader, without presuming specialist knowledge. Our intended audience includes politicians, other policymakers, experts across disciplines, practitioners in relevant fields, and the interested public.

3. Interviews with JMI and The Policymaker authors (subject to availability) available on request.