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For many people, it is already hard enough to juggle work responsibilities, childcare and life’s numerous engagements. But lacking access to adequate public transportation tips the scales. For this reason, members of the Willmot Community Hub organised a ‘Transport Forum’ to advocate for improved bus routes, more school buses, an expansion of the Community Transport…
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Young people are worth a second chance.
The age of criminal responsibility has been much debated recently. Victoria has committed to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 this year, and to 14 in 2027. The Northern Territory has raised it to 12, and the ACT is in the process of doing so. Other states are planning, considering, or…
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Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week
Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week must be a time of sober commitment by all Australians to the unfinished task of Reconciliation, reflects Andy Hamilton SJ.
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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…
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A reflection on the times by Father Andy Hamilton SJ
These have been hard days in a hard world, haven’t they? They favour hard people who wear masks and helmets, carry clubs, and lock their purses. We had hoped that the Referendum on the Indigenous Voice would be a celebration of peace and reconciliation, a gentling of the community. Instead, it was a bitter time…
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Evidence shows flexible mental health and wellbeing supports essential
Jesuit Social Services has a decades-long history of working with people to improve their mental health and wellbeing so they can then build healthy social connections and be more engaged in their community. We offer a range of mental health and wellbeing programs, and take pride in our individualised and person-centred approach. Recent data from…
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The Australian Government is developing a National Housing and Homelessness Plan – a 10-year strategy to inform future housing policy in Australia and the first long-term strategy since 1992. Jesuit Social Services recently contributed a submission to the Plan calling for an increase in social housing – with a focus on public housing – and urging…
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Reflection: Australia must enact a Human Rights Act
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 recent contribution to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights…