Policy submissions

Here you’ll find a wide selection of policy papers and submissions we’ve published. Each paper draws on our experience working with disadvantaged youth, families and communities.

Submission to the modernisation of the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Act
- 19 March 2018
In our submission to the modernisation of the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Act, Jesuit Social Services was broadly supportive of the recommendations put forward in the Discussion Paper, as we believe they will offer the people we work with and others in their situation, protections from various forms of discrimination and vilification. In particular Jesuit Social…
Submission to the review of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
- 19 March 2018
In our submission to the review of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission legislation, Jesuit Social Services called on the Government to recognise the important role played by government and community services together in addressing complex and dynamic social problems that rely on robust civic dialogue for continual improvement. Governments can help achieve this by…
Inquiry into the adequacy of youth diversionary programs in NSW
- 15 February 2018
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety’s inquiry into the adequacy of youth diversionary programs in NSW. Effective youth justice responses recognise the underlying factors that contribute to offending, and seek to address them and prevent entrenchment in the justice system. In our submission we…
Ecological justice: Expanding the Conversation
- 15 February 2018
For more than forty years Jesuit Social Services has been committed to building a just society and in 2008 we commenced the journey into understanding the relevance of ecology for the organisation. This paper explores the relevancy and application of ecological justice as a holistic paradigm inclusive of social and environmental justice and seeks to…
Submission to Victorian African Communities Action Plan
- 5 January 2018
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft Victorian African Communities Action Plan. We commend the Government on taking this proactive step, in close collaboration with local communities, towards creating more inclusive economic and social opportunities for all African Victorians. Jesuit Social Services recognises and affirms the significant economic and social contribution…
Sentencing Guidelines Council for Victoria: Issues Paper
- 3 January 2018
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to put forward our views on the Sentencing Advisory Council’s issues paper on the creation of a sentencing guidelines council in Victoria. As a starting point, we affirm the long standing principles of our judicial system, including: The independence of the judiciary The presumption of innocence The protection of the…
2018/19 Victorian State Budget submission
- 21 December 2017
In our submission to the 2018/19 Victorian State Budget, Jesuit Social Services imagines all of the priority areas for this year’s budget sitting on a continuum of justice. As we look at the continuum – ranging from education and keeping kids in school, to child protection, and our justice, housing and mental health systems –…
Submission to the Public Housing Renewal Program
- 14 December 2017
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to put forward our views on the Public Housing Renewal Program to the Victorian Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Legal and Social Issues. We appreciate the significant role of public and social housing in providing much needed stability and security for many disadvantaged people in Victoria. We welcome the…
Outsourcing Community Safety: Can private prisons work for public good?
- 17 November 2017
Outsourcing Community Safety: Can private prisons work for public good? raises a number of questions about the purpose of prisons and the role of private providers. Prisons have a purpose and an opportunity: rehabilitation must be their focus, a chance to work towards a safer community. We urgently need to know whether privatisation is the…
Flourishing Communities: Taking lessons from place-based approaches, justice reinvestment and social cohesion
- 17 November 2017
Making Australian communities safer requires something more than the current policies on offer. The ever-increasing amount of money poured into prisons is not making us safer and could be put to much better use. Overlapping lessons drawn from place-based approaches to addressing disadvantage, justice reinvestment and social cohesion strategies reveal the ‘better use’ to which…