Social Justice Australia is an independent public-interest website examining Australian politics, economic policy, democracy and social justice. Founded and edited by Denis Hay, it aims to make complex policy issues easier to understand through evidence-based analysis and accessible explanations.

About Denis Hay: A Lifelong Search for a Fairer Australia

I have spent more than sixty years watching Australia change.

When I entered the workforce as an apprentice fitter at the Ipswich Railway Workshops in the late 1950s, governments played a substantial role in public housing, education, apprenticeships and infrastructure. For a young tradesman, secure employment and practical training provided opportunities to build an independent life.

Over the decades that followed, I became increasingly interested in how economic and political decisions affect those opportunities. Questions about housing, employment, public services, inequality and democratic accountability eventually led me to ask:

Why did Australia change, and what choices are available for its future?

My search for answers took an unexpected direction. Later in life I studied psychology and counselling at Queensland University of Technology and subsequently worked as a counsellor with individuals, couples and families, including people experiencing significant social and economic disadvantage.

That work reinforced something I had observed throughout my working life: personal circumstances do not develop in isolation. Employment, housing, income, education, healthcare and government policy can all affect people’s opportunities and wellbeing.

These experiences eventually led me to establish Social Justice Australia, an independent public-interest website examining Australian politics, democracy, economic policy and social justice.

I write about subjects including housing, healthcare, education, employment, monetary sovereignty, climate policy, media ownership, political influence and democratic reform. The site has a particular interest in explaining complex policy and economic questions in language that ordinary readers can understand.

Social Justice Australia has a clear editorial perspective, but its purpose is not to tell readers which political party to support. My aim is to examine evidence, question assumptions, distinguish fact from opinion and encourage readers to reach their own conclusions.

One principle underlies much of my work:

Good public policy should improve people’s lives and expand the opportunities available to future generations.

My Educational Journey

My formal education took a different path from my early working life.

After decades working in trades, engineering and supervisory roles, I returned to study at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), completing a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) followed by a Master of Counselling.

Returning to university later in life broadened the way I understood many of the social issues I had observed throughout my working career. Psychology and counselling provided a framework for understanding human behaviour, relationships and the effects that social and economic circumstances can have on people’s lives.

I later completed a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and undertook additional professional training in counselling, group facilitation, parenting programs, anger management, domestic and family violence, suicide intervention and behaviour change.

This combination of practical working experience, university education and counselling work continues to influence the way I approach public-policy questions: looking not only at economic statistics and political arguments, but also at how policies affect people in everyday life.

Professional Pathways

My working life began as an apprentice fitter at the Ipswich Railway Workshops, where I learned a trade in one of Queensland’s major public industrial workplaces.

That was followed by engineering and mechanical work in Australia and New Zealand, including working with Cummins Diesel in New Zealand, on the Manapouri hydroelectric project, and on Koolan Island in Western Australia. I later held supervisory and management positions in engineering and equipment businesses before working as a maintenance fitter at Queensland Glass Manufacturers.

These experiences exposed me to very different workplaces, industries and communities and gave me a practical perspective on employment, training, industrial development and economic change.

Later in life, my career changed direction.

After completing my psychology and counselling studies, I worked with organisations including Lifeline, the Men’s Information and Support Association and the Deception Bay Neighbourhood Centre, as well as in private counselling practice.

Much of this work involved helping people experiencing relationship difficulties, anger and conflict, family problems and social disadvantage. I also facilitated programs designed to help participants understand and change destructive patterns of behaviour.

Moving from engineering into counselling might appear to be an unusual career transition, but the two parts of my working life have strongly influenced Social Justice Australia. One gave me experience of industry, employment and practical problem-solving; the other gave me a closer understanding of how economic and social circumstances affect individuals and families.

Why I Created Social Justice Australia

Social Justice Australia grew from my desire to better understand the connection between public policy and people’s everyday lives.

The website examines how decisions about economics, housing, healthcare, education, employment, climate, media and democratic institutions affect Australians. It also explores competing ideas about how those systems could be improved.

I do not claim to have the final answer to every issue discussed on this site. Where possible, articles draw on government data, academic research, parliamentary material and other credible sources, while distinguishing evidence from commentary and opinion.

Readers are encouraged to question the arguments presented here, examine the sources and form their own conclusions.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live and work, and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
This land always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land; sovereignty was never ceded.
We believe that truth, justice, and the inclusion of First Nations voices are central to rebuilding a fair, democratic, and sustainable Australia.

Looking Forward

Today, my focus is on helping Australians better understand the policies and institutions that shape their lives and encouraging informed public discussion about Australia’s future.
Social Justice Australia will continue to examine evidence, challenge assumptions and explore alternatives while recognising that reasonable people can reach different conclusions from the same evidence.
If these articles encourage readers to ask better questions, investigate issues more deeply and participate more confidently in public debate, then the website is achieving an important part of its purpose.
Thank you for visiting Social Justice Australia.