THE 2-WAY STREET - GOVERNMENT SHAPING OF COMMUNITY-BASED ADVOCACY

The interaction between government and community-based advocacy organi sations is becoming complex and highly structured. While some analysts seek to explain such interplay within neo-Marxist or public choice fr ameworks, we argue the relationship is best understood as a two-way st reet, fill of tensions but neither a conspiracy against the public int erest nor parr of a larger design to deradicalise social movements. Dr awing on a wide range of Australian examples, but focusing in particul ar on peak women's and ethnic communities' organisations, we explore h ow social movements have been able to exert independent influence on t he policy agenda.