Our thinking Archives - Jesuit Social Services

Reflection: Australia must enact a Human Rights Act
- 21 September 2023
Jesuit Social Services’ rights-based approach to advocacy and service provision is grounded in our belief that every person’s rights and freedoms must be protected. Here, Andy Hamilton SJ reflects on our recommendation that the Federal Government enact a Human Rights Act – building on our...
Deepening our conversation on The Voice to Parliament
- 19 September 2023
Jesuit Social Services supports a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament and throughout 2023, we are advocating for a YES vote in the upcoming referendum. We were honoured to welcome Amanda Watkinson, who is an Aboriginal woman and former Jesuit Social Services staff member, to speak to staff at our recent All Staff Day in June about what a YES vote would mean for Indigenous peoples and for Australia as a whole.
Reflection: Designing and implementing justice reinvestment in Australia
- 26 May 2023
Read Andy Hamilton SJ's reflection on community led justice reinvestment to support our submission to the Justice Reinvestment Design Project.
Review of Victoria prison system highlights need for better trained workers
- 3 April 2023
A recent report found Victoria’s prison system is rife with bullying, harassment, sexism and racism – creating an unsafe workplace for staff and impacting on the ability for prisoners to turn their lives around. Victoria must look at international best practice and ensure its staff are equipped and supported to perform challenging work.
Raising the age of criminal responsibility
- 13 December 2022
Raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years has been a key policy focus for Jesuit Social Services for almost a decade, and 2022 has seen us increase our advocacy to achieve this goal.
Victorian State Election 2022: Permanently extend access to Navigator to primary school aged children
- 30 November 2022
Our Victorian election platform advocates for funding for initiatives that enable people to re-engage with education, training and employment, such as our Navigator and JVES programs.
Victorian State Election 2022: Reduce harm arising from youth detention
- 3 November 2022
Our Victorian state election blog series calls on the incoming government to reduce harm arising from youth detention.
A whole-of-government approach needed to keep disadvantaged young people on the right track
- 25 August 2022
There were plenty of young Victorians already doing it tough before the 2020 bushfires and COVID-19 lockdowns. For young people with histories of trauma, drug and alcohol issues, cognitive impairments, involvement in the child protection/out-of-home care or youth justice systems, and young people culturally and linguistically diverse communities that experience exclusion and discrimination, these last few years have threatened to compound the barriers they face.
Federal Election 2022: Raising the age must be a priority of incoming Federal Government
- 5 May 2022
Jesuit Social Services’ recently released Federal Election platform, A blueprint for a just recovery, builds on 45 years of advocacy and action, to outline our vision for a just society. In this third in a series of pre-Election blogs, we focus on fair justice systems.
In brief: Submission to the Inquiry into Victoria’s Criminal Justice System
- 28 February 2022
Jesuit Social Services was pleased to contribute a submission to the Inquiry into Victoria’s Criminal Justice System. We highlighted some of our concerns with current operations, and presented our vision of an evidence-based, socially just system underpinned by principles of prevention, early...

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