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.

Disability, disadvantage and complex needs: submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission
- 8 March 2017
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Australian Human Rights Commission National Consultation Paper, Shaping our future: discussions on disability rights. Our submission draws on our experience engaging with vulnerable people and communities throughout Australia. It focuses on the intersections of disability with complex needs, disadvantage and involvement in the justice system,…
Submission to the inquiry into migrant settlement outcomes
- 19 February 2017
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration inquiry into migrant settlement outcomes. In our submission, we call on the Australian Government to: ensure programs and policies affecting newly arrived migrants recognise the significant impact that migration and pre-arrival experiences have on individuals’ settlement outcomes recognise that settlement…
Northern Territory 2017/18 Budget submission
- 9 January 2017
Our submission to the Northern Territory 2017/18 Budget highlights the role of place-based disadvantage, which underpins a range of inequities in the Northern Territory. Our recent repot, Dropping off the Edge 2015, found that 25 per cent of locations in the NT accounted for 47 per cent of the highest disadvantage rankings. These findings highlight both the complexity and…
States of Justice: Criminal justice trends across Australia
- 19 December 2016
For the first time, Jesuit Social Services’ States of Justice Report has drawn together data from around Australia to provide a fuller picture of how Australia’s criminal justice system is trending. It offers a chance to delve into the reality of crime and punishment in Australia: that we are becoming more punitive but to less effect. The…
Submission to the Fifth National Mental Health Plan
- 14 December 2016
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Department of Health’s draft Fifth National Mental Health Plan. Our submission calls for: mental health to be addressed within the context of place-based entrenched disadvantage trauma-informed and innovative models to strengthen entry points and specialist responses for people with multiple and complex needs a nationally…
Our response to the use of isolation, separation and lockdowns in youth justice
- 12 December 2016
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Commission for Children and Young People’s Inquiry into the use of isolation, separation and lockdowns in youth justice centres. We believe that: current approaches to children who display antisocial behaviour frequently fail to engage with them in ways that are developmentally appropriate a range of…
Submission to the Federal Senate Inquiry into Nauru and Manus Island
- 8 November 2016
People who come to Australia seeking asylum are among the most vulnerable members of our community. Respect for their human dignity and health and wellbeing requires that they are properly fed, sheltered, safe, provided with appropriate educational opportunities, receive medical care and have their claims adjudicated fairly within a reasonable timeframe. Our submission to the…
New South Wales 2017/18 State Budget Submission
- 8 November 2016
Based on our experience working with vulnerable communities and evidence of what works, Jesuit Social Services’ submission to the 2017/18 NSW State Budget calls on the NSW Government to invest in two key areas: entrenched disadvantage addressing male violence Get your copy Download our submission to the NSW 2017/18 State Budget.
Submission to Victoria's draft 30-year infrastructure strategy
- 4 November 2016
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to Victoria’s Draft 30-year Infrastructure Strategy. Infrastructure plays a crucial role in fostering safe, strong and healthy communities. Good infrastructure is about providing access to education, quality health care, employment and sustainable housing, and can provide communities with opportunities to foster a sense of belonging and social cohesion.…
Introducing competition and choice into human services
- 4 November 2016
These submissions comment on the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into introducing competition and informed user choice into human services, as well as a parallel inquiry, the People’s Inquiry into Privatisation initiated by the Public Services International (PSI) Australia. Jesuit Social Services is a strong advocate for innovative and quality human services. Our programs have developed in response to local…

Policy submissions

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