Overview
Dr Natasha Cortis, BEc(SocSci) Hons PhD (Syd), is Associate Professor at the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC). Her work explores the organisation, delivery and evaluation of human services, focusing on issues of financial sustainability in not-for-profit organisations; funding and workforce issues in community services; and women's employment and economic security. Dr Cortis joined SPRC in 2005 and was UNSW Vice-Chancellors Postdoctoral Fellow from 2008-13.
Current and recent projects include:
- A study of the disability workforce in 2020 (with the Health Services Union, Australian Services Union and United Workers Union);
- the Australian Community Sector Survey (with ACOSS and the COSS network, 2019-20);
- research about person-centred models in aged care (with Macquarie University, RMIT University, the Health Services Union and United Voice, 2019);
- Evaluation of 1800RESPECT 2018-19;
- National Survey of the Domestic and Family Violence and Sexual Assault Workforces in Australia (commissioned by Department of Social Services, 2017-18). Datasets are available here;
- analysing information from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission to develop new knowledge about charities' characteristics, activities and finances (2015-18);
- analysing the impact of NDIS pricing arrangements on service quality and decent work (with the Health Services Union, Australian Services Union and United Voice, 2017);
- workforce issues in community services (with NCOSS and Homelessness NSW, 2017);
- and an ARC Linkage Project examining government purchasing of child welfare services in China (2017-20).
From 2014 to 2016 Natasha led a study of strategies to promote women's economic security following domestic violence, funded by Australia's National Research Organisation on Women's Safety. Evidence provided to the Fair Work Commission can be found here. Dr Cortis' submission to the Australian Parliament's inquiry into market readiness of the NDIS can be found here.
HDR Supervision:
Natasha is currently supervising PhD candidates: Axelle Marjolin (with Abigail Powell); Karen Wilcox (with Ilan Katz); Eugenia Marembo (with kylie valentine); and Valeriia Kasatkina (with Fiona Hilferty). Recent completions include Georgia van Toorn (supervised with Karen Soldatic) and Tammy Burnstock (with Bettina Cass).