Overview

Full CV for download Nov 2024 (pdf)

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 funding, workforce and sustainability in the not-for-profit sector; quality, safety and regulation in community service markets; and women's employment and economic security. 

Recent commissioned projects include:

- A study of legal aid private practitioners, for National Legal Aid, 2024-25

- Australia’s Social and Community Services Workforce: Characterisation, Classification and Value (for the Australian Services Union, 2024). 

- Gender-based Occupational Segregation: A National Data Profile (for the Fair Work Commission, 2023). The report, data file, and President's Statement can be found here and additional coverage is here.

- the Australian Community Sector Survey (with ACOSS and the COSS network, 2019-23)

- Work, family and care in Australian retail (with SDA, 2021). Read the report: Challenges of Work, Family and Care for Australia's Retail, Online Retail, Warehousing and Fast Food Workers  Media coverage: watch or read

- Costing community services in the ACT (with ACTCOSS, 2021)

- the disability workforce in 2020 (with the Health Services Union, Australian Services Union and United Workers Union). Evidence to the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS is here.

- 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 here;

- analysing regulatory data 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.   

Google scholar profile.

Researchgate.

HDR Supervision:

Natasha is currently supervising PhD candidates:  Karen Wilcox (with Ilan Katz); Eugenia Marembo (with kylie valentine); and Molly Saunders (with Georgia van Toorn and Gemma Carey). Recent HDR completions include Axelle Marjolin (with Abigail Powell); Valeriia Kasatkina (supervised with Fiona Hilferty); Georgia van Toorn (with Karen Soldatic) and Tammy Burnstock (with Bettina Cass).