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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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International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities puts disabilities into a broader context of how society affects them and must change to meet them. Pope Francis has always commended the day, focusing on people’s personal needs. Both approaches are necessary. Some disabilities affect individual persons but are made doubly disabling by society.…
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World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2023
Avoiding death and danger isn’t enough to live a life that’s truly free, writes Andy Hamilton SJ to mark this year’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
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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…
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Deepening our conversation on The Voice to Parliament
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…
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National Gender Equality Strategy must address harmful ideas about all genders
Jesuit Social Services made a submission to the Federal Government’s National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality in 2022. We advocated for a strategy that recognises and addresses harmful gender norms. The Strategy is due to be released in the second half of 2023.
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The role of neighbourhood houses in 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…
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An ‘open-door’, place-based approach 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…
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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.