Common Cause Australia

We'd say it's never lost - it's taken.

When we do talk about dignity, freedom and respect, people really relate to our messages. Self direction value primes are very helpful in persuading people to get behind all sorts of progressive issues.

I don't think we talk enough about how dignity is also a human right.

Food, water, shelter, education, health care, representation...all of those are human rights that everyone should receive regardless of who they are. But it's also a right to not have to beg for them.

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Time to think big — Common Cause Australia This is a speech delivered by Common Cause Australia’s co-director Mark Chenery at the Leadership 2025 conference in Canberra on 11-12 June 2025. Mark was asked to speak to how civil society can take ...

Pursuing timid, incrementalist change makes it difficult to build enthusiastic public support. To put it bluntly, it’s hard to get people excited about a polished turd. Time to think bigger #auspol

Instead of shrinking space, let’s talk about humanity’s shared future To make the case for civil society, we have to talk less about the threats it faces and more about the values it stands for, how it contributes to society and show people how they can make change happ...

An interesting post by our friends at @hopebased.bsky.social about the pitfalls of the 'shrinking civil society' narrative (eg our talk in Australia about crackdowns on protestors): "The shrinking space narrative creates temporary urgency at the expense of lasting despondency."

The real story isn’t young men supposedly voting far right. It’s what young women are up to | Cas Mudde There is an opportunity staring centre-left parties in the face – if they reject the male gaze distorting our politics, says political scientist Cas Mudde

Great blog. Also liked the linked article about the masculinist gaze that makes more of men’s increasing support for right wing parties than the much greater surge in support for left wing parties among women. Would love to see some similar analysis for #auspol - anyone?

People are placing greater importance on helpfulness, friendship, social justice, equality, and environmental protection. And yet we witness the growing electoral success of right-wing populist parties promoting political platforms that often stand in direct conflict with these very values. Why?

Conversations Training — Common Cause Australia Join our online workshop to master values-based messaging for health promotion. Learn practical techniques to connect effectively with your audience.

In these polarised times, there’s more need than ever to reach across divides and have productive conversations about the things that matter most. Our new workshop is designed to build your conversational skills and confidence, helping you to connect, find common ground and spark change 💬💛

Webinar Launch: Framing Sexual and Reproductive Health Webinar Launch: Framing Sexual and Reproductive Health

Our new guide, developed with Women’s Health Services Network, will give allies the confidence and clarity to speak about sexual and reproductive health in ways that resonate with the values of the broader community.

Register here for the launch: events.humanitix.com/webinar-laun...

Unbox the Narrative: A Communications Strategy for Inclusion How Human Stories Can Foster an Open Europe

"Solely reacting to hate speech leaves little space for policymaking—and that’s exactly the far-right’s goal. Diversion is their tactic. To break this cycle of outrage and inaction, we must build the narrative we want and set the agenda"
Well said! Many lessons here for #AusPol

Framing Health Training | Health promotion — Common Cause Australia Join our online workshop to master values-based messaging for health promotion. Learn practical techniques to connect effectively with your audience.

Do you work in health promotion? We have a few spots left in our Framing Health workshop series which starts in two weeks! Www.commoncause.com.au/framing-health-training

Here's the video: www.instagram.com/reel/DIfBhck...

Great campaign tactics here. Finds the audience where they are already online, generates media, and uses funny, engaging content that's rooted (!) in intrinsic values, even though it's about the $ cost of the drugs. Bravo!

Great campaign tactics here. Finds the audience where they are already online, generates media, and uses funny, engaging content that's rooted (!) in intrinsic values, even though it's about the $ cost of the drugs. Bravo! www.instagram.com/reel/DIfBhck...

Brisbane Greens MP joins OnlyFans to ‘make people pay attention’ to HIV prevention drug policy Exclusive: Stephen Bates spruiks free PrEP and PEP proposal on subscription platform best known for adult content, as well as on dating app Grindr * Polls tracker; election guide; full federal election coverage * Anywhere but Canberra; interactive electorates guide * Listen to the first episode of our new narrative podcast series: Gina * Get our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcast The Greens MP Stephen Bates has joined OnlyFans – a first for an Australian politician – as the party pushes to make the HIV prevention drugs PrEP and PEP free. It may normally be a career-ending move for a politician to be joining a site known for pornography, but Bates has joined the site with the first video on his free-to-subscribe page announcing the Greens’ push to make PrEP and PEP prescriptions free to anyone with a script. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Continue reading...

Brisbane Greens MP joins OnlyFans to ‘make people pay attention’ to HIV prevention drug policy

Stop meeting egregious shitfuckery half-way. Genocide, climate destruction, extinction, rising inequality and fascism must be resisted absolutely. Calls to increase taxes on fossil gas exports (as opposed to ending that ecocidal industry) are a nice example of this fatalistic acquiescence.

#OnFrameFriday: We have the opportunity to build understanding about the policy choices that have shaped our current social systems. When we point to the structural causes, we not only make it easier to identify appropriate measures and solutions, we also stop harmful stereotypes in their tracks.

Stop meeting people where they’re at. Take them to a better place. — Common Cause Australia Connecting within your audience is absolutely vital, but ‘meeting people where they are at’ is both misleading and dangerous communications advice.

Blog: why "meeting people where they're at" is an outdated approach to messaging:

"When we activate unhelpful narratives in people’s brains, we strengthen those narratives further still. If people currently hold unhelpful ideas about our issue, the last thing we want to do is meet them there."

Fascinating. Individualism leads to a feeling of personal shame when lives are impacted by systems. Trump et al offer an antidote to shame...

Election tip: stop buying in to toxic neoliberal frames (like competition and economic growth) and repeating them in the name of "meeting people where they are". It's our job to move people to a better place.

Biconceptualism Let's put to rest the notion of the political or ideological "center"--it doesn't exist. Instead, what we have are biconceptuals--of many kinds.

*Election tip*: The 'centre' doesn't exist. Instead, people toggle between worldviews. Priming intrinsic values like family or community in our messages activates a progressive worldview in their brains, boosting support for our issues.

More on biconceptualism: www.huffpost.com/entry/biconc...

Election tip: If you have just typed out a fact, wait! Don't press send/post. Stop and think about how to frame your fact using helpful values in a way that will persuade.

Facts on their own don't change people's minds. They invite unhelpful interpretation and can backfire. #auspol

Spot on! Using opposition frames to argue about whether fossil fuels are producing enough money, or for who, will not get us to the outcomes we want. We need to change the frame, not pander to it.

Great poem. Wish the author would next write one not about the problem, but about the solution - a vision of the world we want to see.

*Election tip* If it's in your power, don't use the term 'cost of living' in any of your messaging. Use 'cost of inequality', 'cost of greed' or 'cost of profits' instead. This matters because people don't take action when they can't see a cause or a solution. #auspol #messaging

How do we defeat the far right this election? — Common Cause Australia It’s the question progressives are all asking: how can we grab the opportunity presented by the 2025 Federal election to steer the public narrative - in the media, on the streets and online - in the d...

Today seems like a good moment to re-share our blog post on how to defeat the far right this election: www.commoncause.com.au/news/how-do-...

Thanks to our friends at For Purpose for this timely reminder that a good budget benefits EVERYONE - talk of 'winners and losers' at budget time only reinforces toxic neoliberal narratives. Let's call it out when we see it in the media. #auspol

#OnFrameFriday: Make sure that your numbers come with a clear explanation.

When we use numbers to convince people that the problem exists, hoping one statistic will shift them from apathy to action, we can often hurt our cause.

@knitnannassyd.bsky.social