Ecological justice focus in next Dropping off the Edge report - Jesuit Social Services

We are pleased to announce that we will embark on a new version of our landmark Dropping off the Edge research this year.

This research into locational disadvantage, which has included four major reports over the past 20 years, shows the stubborn and entrenched nature of disadvantage in a small number of communities across Australia. This web-like disadvantage limits outcomes and opportunities for people, and requires a coordinated approach from community, business and all levels of governments to address.

In line with our commitment to ecological justice, the next Dropping off the Edge report will feature environmental indicators to show the overlapping nature of social and environmental disadvantage.

This follows locational research we have previously conducted into green canopy and food security.

We look forward to sharing updates with you as this research progresses.

Jesuit Social Services

Climate emergency and prisons don’t mix

On a 38-degree December day in the middle of the desert, 15 people incarcerated at Alice Springs Correctional Centre used t-shirts and pedestal fans to rip a hole in a ceiling, in a desperate attempt to escape the stifling heat of their overcrowded cells. The incident reignited calls to air-condition the prison – one recommendation of the Northern Territory Ombudsman, and firmly in step with the Territory’s human rights obligations to people deprived of their liberty.

Jesuit Social Services

16th anniversary of the Apology to Indigenous Australians

Sixteen years on from Kevin Rudd's historic apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples, Andy Hamilton SJ argues words can't by unsaid, but can be disregarded – reminding us of the importance of respect and restoration.

Portrait of Andy Hamilton

NAIDOC Week 2023

Like all the celebrations of Australian identity this year, the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week falls under the light of the Referendum on the Voice.

Reservoir Neighbourhood House

Reflecting on the role of neighbourhood houses under a changing climate

Jesuit Social Services’ Centre for Just Places worked with a network of neighbourhood houses in Darebin to create a climate action and resilience plan in 2022. Inspired by this process, the Centre co-designed a framework with the Darebin network which can be used to guide strategic action planning and advocacy for networks of neighbourhood houses across the country. No similar framework currently exists for neighbourhood house networks. Below are some of our reflections from this work.

Jesuit Social Services

Jesuit Social Services’ commitment to Restorative Practice

Map showing location of the Gathering Place

‘Open door’ place-based approach facilitates culturally safe space for First Nations people

Recently, Jesuit Social Services’ Centre for Just Places, our hub for place-based action, research and advocacy, was commissioned by the Victorian government to investigate what makes some place-based approaches so effective. Our team, alongside partners RMIT University, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and the University of Queensland, explored existing literature and practice, publishing a research report and case studies across the state, including the Latrobe Valley Authority.

Jesuit Social Services

Reflection: Designing and implementing justice reinvestment in Australia

Read Andy Hamilton SJ's reflection on community led justice reinvestment to support our submission to the Justice Reinvestment Design Project.