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Provocative rhetoric undermines the capacity for communities to thrive
Participants of a Jesuit Social Services Vietnamese Settlement Group. Jesuit Social Services’ long-standing work supporting the settlement of newly arrived communities is based on our belief that all new arrivals to Australia deserve a chance to flourish. For over 40 years Jesuit Social Services has been engaging effectively with successive waves of new migrant groups…
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Is Australia really being overrun by youth crime on the rise?
Young offenders must be seen and treated differently to adults, and youth justice strategies should be based on evidence of what works, writes Jesuit Social Services volunteer FRAN SHEAHAN. Image credit: Tim Marshall In a recent article by Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards, published in Children Australia Vol 42 No 4, Ms Edwards outlined…
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"The Apology engendered great hope. It remains unrealised".
Picture credit: butupa A decade on from Prime Minister Rudd’s landmark Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples, ANDY HAMILTON SJ reflects that the great hope engendered by it remains unrealised. Ten years have passed since the Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on behalf of Parliament and the nation. It seems…
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Political leaders must support, not punish, vulnerable Australians
Tens of thousands of Australians will be impacted by proposed welfare reform measures. It’s time for our political leaders to support, not punish vulnerable people, writes Jesuit Social Services Media Relations Manager KATHRYN KERNOHAN. In 2017 the Federal Government courted controversy by proposing to drug test welfare recipients, despite evidence from several US states that…
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Vulnerable young people need support, not stigma
Focusing on punitive measures as a means of tackling crime deprives us of the opportunity to constructively discuss effective solutions that address the causes of alienation and disengagement young people often experience, writes Jesuit Social Services Communications Coordinator ANDREW GILLETT. Jesuit Social Services has been working with young people who have been involved with the…
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Federal Government’s MYEFO seeks to create second class citizens
The Federal Government’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook seeks to create second class citizens who are excluded from full participation in society, writes Jesuit Social Services Media Relations Manager KATHRYN KERNOHAN. This week, the Federal Government handed down its Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), an update on this year’s Federal Budget. The Federal Government…
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Raise the age of criminal responsibility
Jesuit Social Services has joined more than 50 Victorian organisations in signing an open letter to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, calling on the Government to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years of age. The letter outlines evidence that shows most children under the age of 14 do not have…
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ANDY HAMILTON SJ explores how justice can hold people to account while also offering hope and a pathway forward. In recent years in Australia justice has increasingly been seen through the lens of punishment. It is retributive. You do the crime, you do the time. In public controversies about justice critics usually complain that the…
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NDIS not meeting the needs of marginalised members of the community
The harrowing tale of a young man languishing in prison due to a lack of suitable accommodation in the community highlights that the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) does not meet the needs of some of the most marginalised members of the community, writes Jesuit Social Services Media Relations Manager KATHRYN KERNOHAN. The story of…
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Reflections on Caux Dialogue on Land and Security
Earlier this year Jesuit Social Services’ Ecological Justice Policy Officer BRONWYN LAY joined experts in Switzerland to deepen her understanding of the links between land degradation and human security. She reflects on her experiences and Jesuit Social Services’ journey of reconciliation with creation. In July this year I helped organise the Caux Dialogue on Land…