Academy Fellow

David Stanton is currently an Honorary Associate Professor in the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University where he has played a key role in the development and delivery of a social policy stream in the Crawford Masters of Public Policy Program since 2005. He has continued to undertake social policy research, which has contributed to both his teaching and to policy development

In 2004-05 David was Deputy Chair of the Ministerial Task Force on Child Support. The Recommendations of this Task Force were almost entirely adopted by Government.

David held the position of Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), Australia’s leading research agency on the family, from 1999 to 2003. He was a member of the Board of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) from 2009 to 2012.

David worked for the Australian Government in various positions over some 36 years, mostly in research and policy analysis and development. He played a key role in bringing evidence to bear on policy decisions and worked closely as an adviser to 14 Senior Labor and Coalition Ministers. He was involved in most of the major Inquiries and Reviews of Social Security policy, including for example the Henderson Poverty Inquiry in the early 1970’s and the Cass Social Security Review in the late 1980’s.

He started in the Australian Public Service with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and then with the Department of Social Security (DSS). He held various Division Head Positions (Band 2) with DSS for some 12 years, including as Head of the (then) research and policy Division of the Department (Development Division, subsequently Social Policy Division), the Family Programs Division, Performance and Control Division and Evaluation and Services Division. He also worked on the service delivery side of DSS having been Director of DSS for NSW.

David played a key part in the building and enhancement of the Department’s analytical and policy development capacity, including the establishment of the Research and Policy Paper series and the Social Security Journal and in enhancing relationships with academia.

He maintains a deep commitment to social policy research and is working and publishing with others on the economic and social implications of divorce; the situation of sole parents and older workers; and conditionality in social policy. He is also undertaking research on aspects of the historical development of social security policy and the policy development process.

David has a strong interest in developments in social security throughout the world. He worked as a Social Policy Consultant/Economist with various International Agencies (including the International Labour Office, the Asian Development Bank and the OECD) in such countries as China, Egypt and Trinidad and Tobago. He has been responsible for reviews of pension provision in the Asia and Oceania region. He was a member of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Advisory Committee on Social Security Research for some 10 years and actively participated in the various forums of the ISSA throughout the world, including as Chair of various meetings. He has also presented at meetings of the Foundation for International Studies on Social Security (FISS).

David was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in the General Division (AM) in the 2017 Australia Day Honours List. The citation for the honour reads: “For distinguished service to public administration, to social policy development and as an academic”.

Appointments

2005-2021 Honorary Associate Professor and Visiting Fellow, Policy and Governance, Crawford School of Public Policy, College of Asia and the Pacific, ANU.

2003- 2017 Consultant Social Security Planner and Policy Analyst, Stanton Strategic Solutions.

2004-2005: Deputy Chair, Commonwealth Ministerial Task Force and Reference Group on Child Support.

1999-2003: Director, Australian Institute of Family Studies

1997-1999: Consultant Pension Economist to the Asian Development Bank. Consultant Social Security Planner and Team Leader, International Labour Office. (Egypt, Geneva, and Canberra)

1992-1997: First Assistant Secretary, Family Programs Division, Department of Social Security (DSS).

1991-1992: Social Policy Consultant, International Labour Office (Peoples Republic of China and Trinidad and Tobago)

1990-1992: First Assistant Secretary, Evaluation and Services Division, DSS. First Assistant Secretary, Performance and Control Division, DSS.

1987-1990: Director of Social Security for NSW, DSS.

1983-1987: First Assistant Secretary: Development Division, DSS.

1977-1983: Assistant Secretary, Research and Statistics, DSS.

1971-1977: Director, Research, DSS, and various Research Officer positions

1966-1971: Research Officer, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra and Cadet (Statistics) ABS, W.A.

Boards, Committees, Councils

2010-2015: Consulting Editor, Australian Journal of Public Administration.

2009-2012: Member, Board of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

2004-2005: Deputy Chair, Commonwealth Ministerial Task Force on Child Support.

2001-2003: Member, Judges Panel, National Work and Family Awards and Community Link Awards.

2000-2002: Member, National Marriage and Family Council.

1973-1998: Member, Editorial Committee for the Social Security Journal.

1981-1993: Member, Australian Statistics Advisory Council.

1982-1991: Member, International Social Security Association (ISSA) Advisory Committee on Social Security Research.

1981-1988: Australian Research Correspondent for ISSA.

1985-1988: Member, Research Management Committee, Social Policy Research Centre, University of NSW.

Appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in the General Division (AM) in the 2017 Australia Day Honours List. The citation for the honour is For distinguished service to public administration, to social policy development and as an academic.

Awarded the Peter Saunders Prize by the Australian Social Policy Association for the best article in the Australian Journal of Social issues for the 2016 Issue. Awarded at the Australian Social Policy Conference 27 September, 2017. Article by David Taylor, Matthew Gray and David Stanton and titled New Conditionality in Australian social security policy.

“The Henderson Poverty Inquiry in Context”, Chapter 3, pp. 47-66, in P. Saunders (Ed), Revisiting Henderson. Poverty, Social Security and Basic Income, 2019, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Victoria (co-author S.Regan).

• Social Policy Inquiries in Australia: the Henderson Poverty Inquiry in Context, TTPI Working Paper 8/2018, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, May (co-author S. Regan).

• The economic consequences of divorce in six OECD countries”, 2017, Australian Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 52, No. 2, June, pp.180-199. (co-authors D. de Vaus, M.Gray and L.Qu)
• “A history of social security in Australia”, 2017, The Record, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Autumn, pp. 28-30 (co-author A Herscovitch).
• “New conditionality in Australian social security policy”, 2016, Australian Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 3-25. (co-authors D. Taylor and M. Gray).
• “Designing Social Security Systems: Learning From Australia and Other Countries”, 2014, Public Administration and Development, Vol 34, No 4, pp. 231-250. (co-authors A.Podger and P.Whiteford).
• “The Economic Consequences of Divorce in Australia”, 2014, International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, February, pp.1-22. (co-authors M.Gray, de Vaus and L.Qu).
• ”Social Policy and Programs: From Principles to Design”, Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies (APPS) Working Paper Series, 01/2013, April 2013. (co-author A Herscovitch). http://ssrn.com/abstract=22588099
• “Divorce and the wellbeing of older Australians”, Ageing and Society, Cambridge University Press, Vol. 31, Issue 3, 2011, pp. 475-498. (co-authors M.Gray, de Vaus and L.Qu).
• “Costs of Children and Equivalence Scales: A Review of Methodological Issues and Australian Estimates”, Australian Journal of Labour Economics, Vol. 13, No. 1, 2010, pp. 99-115, (co-author M.Gray).
• ‘History of Social Security in Australia’, Family Matters, Issue No. 80, 2008, pp. 51-60 (co-author A Herscovitch).
• In the Best Interests of Children-Reforming the Child Support Scheme, Report of the Ministerial Taskforce on Child Support, Commonwealth of Australia, 2005 (co-authored with other members of the Taskforce).