Writer
Robbie Lloyd
Dr Robbie Lloyd has been a national journalist, public affairs director, education and community health reformer for over 50 years. He works with First People and those with Lived Experience of mental health challenges, disability, alcohol and other drugs, DFV, ageing and trauma. Robbie now works in community wellbeing reform.
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If you wanted to tell a story about a hopeful new world, I wouldn’t start from here
We need to tell a new/old story. Humans are social creatures of a shared story. We tell ourselves into being who we are by the stories we share. From First Peoples’ Songlines, rhythmically repeated and updated to incorporate the latest world developments, to Harry Potter novels and The Matrix movies, we remember and become the Continue reading »
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Circularity can revive caring and compassion while sustaining the paradigm of care
Peanut Butter is a staple diet for many of us living busy lives and seeking tasty nutrition in a jar. And for those like me who love Bega’s brand of (Smooth) PB (see how it naturally aligns with ‘Personal Best’?), we can be doubly proud that the Australian-owned company behind this brand is part of Continue reading »
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Stopping the neoliberal bullies dividing up the spoils at our expense
American TV and movie comic Groucho Marx (no relation to Karl) had a gift for one liners, such as: “Honesty and fair dealing, that’s what people want. If we can fake that we can make a million!” Continue reading »
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Making the commonweal turn, turn, turn again out on Highway 61
“A Complete Unknown,” James Mangold’s current biopic movie about Bob Dylan, starring Timothee Chalamet (also star of Dune), has arrived at a perfectly disturbed and disturbing moment. The period of history this film chronicles from 60 years ago signalled that “change is a comin’”’ for several generations at once. Continue reading »
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Neoliberal learning: Horses for courses and donkeys in the paddock
This series is built on the firm belief in “a paradigm of care” being the answer to the cancer of neoliberal economic rationalism, and its bedfellows bullying managerialism, monetarism and compliance surveillance. But following the maxim that “no one likes a whinger”, I am also advocating the timeless message from Swiss American psychiatrist and expert Continue reading »
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X-raying the architecture of empire and removing some tumours
Anyone having to deal with the health and human services industries knows how rigidly they are controlled by the Medical Model and its sister act, Compliance Surveillance. What goes unnoticed in this mechanically e-captive state of affairs is that the dominant model of assessing and accrediting the quality of care is only one approach to Continue reading »
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Hoaxes that gush for winners and trickle down for losers
What do Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and John Howard have in common with the Piltdown Man? They all managed to sell a hoax that lasted for decades, before it was exposed as completely false. But wait, their hoax is still central to transglobal neoliberal capitalism’s stranglehold on us all, whereas Charles Dawson’s 1912 forged ‘missing Continue reading »
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Decency and dignity generate and earn respect
While Bob Menzies pumped the political scare campaign to the max, to help ensure his newly formed Liberal Party’s ongoing popularity between 1949-66, locals were often more relaxed about sharing community life with those they battled on election day. Continue reading »
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Within the context of no context… Here comes Donny
Forty four years ago today as I am writing this (17/11/80) the harbinger of Donald Trump appeared in The New Yorker magazine. TV critic George W.S. Trow wrote a long essay (which later became a book) titled ‘Within the context of no context,’ giving notice to the world of what we now see unfolding across Continue reading »
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On not being in control, and learning to ‘Go Round’
“It was we who did the dispossessing. We took the traditional lands and smashed the traditional way of life. We brought the diseases and the alcohol.” – Paul Keating, Redfern speech. Continue reading »
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The soulless culture and breakfast of political champions
“Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit, and you reap a character. Sow a character, and you reap a destiny” (Charles Reade, 1814-84) Continue reading »
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We’re all tourists here, don’t leave a mess
Pretty soon we’ll be approaching the 40th anniversary of the December 1984 snap Federal Election that Bob Hawke called, just over 18 months after Labor’s historic win in early 1983 had ousted Malcolm Fraser’s government. Continue reading »
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We’re all like Golems condemned to life stuck in an Overton echo container with Hanrahan
Counting down the months til the next Federal Election, it’s hard not to feel totally depressed. Anthony Albanese and the gang have obviously been hard at work, pursuing change on a broad range of issues behind the scenes, trying to clean up the mess left by the LNP. But there’s no joy. No sizzle to Continue reading »
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Compliance is killing caring
We need to cut Mandatory Accreditation Reporting down to a quarter, and start delegating Trust to care providers, so they can get back to their Core Business. Only then will Aged & Disability Care, Mental Health, NDIS, and Community Health be able to achieve Person-Centred & Community-Building Care. Continue reading »
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Managerialism is crushing the human connection: The care economy series
Unpacking the care economy, Dr Robbie Lloyd investigates some of the key issues impacting our communities in a series of articles that explore ageing, disability, mental health reform, the challenges of health policy and reform, drugs and alcohol and domestic family violence. (A repost from 2023). Continue reading »
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Compliant, complicit, cringing: Caught in the neoliberal three Cs
Life in the era of end-stage Neoliberalism feels like a sci-fi script. While far right zealots gain ground with media clickbait frenzies promoting their disinformation and lies, the ‘nice people’ live in fear of being ‘non-compliant,’ so they do nothing, as the zombie-like aliens circle. Continue reading »
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Managerialism is crushing the human connection: The Care Economy series
Unpacking the care economy, Dr Robbie Lloyd investigates some of the key issues impacting our communities in a series of articles that explore ageing, disability, mental health reform, the challenges of health policy and reform, drugs and alcohol and domestic family violence. Continue reading »
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Domestic and family violence: brave men are vulnerable not violent
Australian national and state governments are very good at holding inquiries and releasing reports aimed at tackling wicked problems. Top of today’s long list is Domestic and Family Violence (DFV), where all governments combined to produce another National Plan last year: Continue reading »
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Drugs and alcohol aren’t even half the problem
Australia’s penal colony culture has continued into the fabric of all our public administrations, but most particularly Health, Education, Community Services and Justice. Continue reading »
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The care economy: Ageing is not a disease – who knew?
Becoming an Elder in many societies is a process of active shared engagement across the generations, and holding a meaningful and honoured place in one’s community. Sadly, that time-honoured community cultural process has been pretty much eradicated in modern westernised, market-driven systems of ‘Aged Care,’ such as dominate the Australian ‘market.’ Continue reading »
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Why does “Mental Health Reform” default to “Compliance and Control”?
‘Mental Health Reform’ has been a phrase bandied about for over 30 years in Australia. And while well intentioned, hopefully expressing the ‘Care and Concern’ felt by politicians, bureaucrats and health practitioners, it has always ended up defaulting to ‘Compliance and Control.’ Continue reading »
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Disability care is still all about us without us
Any talk about disability in Australia is very likely to quickly lead to mention of ‘the System,’ which controls everything in the lives of People With Disability. Continue reading »
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Crushing the human connection: Managerialism does not deliver good care
Australia began its National Carers Week (15-21 October), poignantly, the very day after the nation voted ‘No’ to a way forward to giving Voice to their communities, which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had asked for in the Uluṟu Statement from the Heart. Continue reading »
