155 Guest Editorial: The Potential and Actual Contribution of Social Inclusion to Social and Labour Market Policy in Australia John Howe, Ian McDonald and Jeremy Moss This special issue arises from an interdisciplinary research project conducted under the auspices of the Social Justice Initiative (SJI) and the Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law (CELRL) at the University of Melbourne. The project set out to examine the Rudd Labor Government’s Australian Social Inclusion Agenda, with the objectives of assessing the concept of social inclusion from a social justice perspective, and determining whether the Agenda was likely transform social and labour market policy in Australia to the beneft of those experiencing economic and social disadvantage. The project was distinctive in that it sought to bring together researchers from a variety of disciplines, including economics, law, philosophy, and social policy. The members of the project felt it was important to see how Social Inclusion might contribute to policy making by transcending and linking traditionally separate departmental divisions and policy felds – social policy and social security, employment and labour market policy, labour and employment law, tax law, to name a few. Was this a policy concept which might see the delivery of the goals of social justice through economic security and opportunity across the life course, as some have argued is an essential way forward (eg. Schmid 2006; Howe 2007; Smyth 2008)? It quickly became clear that the Social Inclusion Agenda was proceeding slowly, and that there was considerable uncertainty about what it was and what it could achieve. Existing scholarly consideration of social exclusion and inclusion in Australia tended to be from perspectives within traditional policy felds concerned with social and economic disadvantage, such as social policy. It was decided that this would be an opportune time to organise a Social Inclusion Research Forum, a format where contributions could be targeted to address gaps in existing literature and scholarship. The project team identifed a number of issues to be addressed at the Forum, including the need for critical examination of the concept of social inclusion, especially in its Australian iteration, to explore various barriers to social inclusion stemming from economic and social disadvantage, and then consider the potential and actual contribution of the Social Inclusion Agenda to overcoming those barriers in order to achieve social justice and equality for the socially excluded. As well as calling for analysis from different policy perspectives, it was important for there to be consideration from different disciplinary perspectives as well.