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.

Creating a just and safe Northern Territory
- 12 August 2016
Jesuit Social Services’ election platform, Creating a just and safe Northern Territory, calls on parties and candidates to commit to two key areas for action to tackle the root causes of disadvantage: 1. Ensure all children and young people have the opportunity to flourish Ensure all children have access to early childhood education and health…
The Living Conditions of People Seeking Asylum in Australia
- 1 December 2015
Our paper describes the living conditions of people seeking asylum currently living in the Australian community. It focuses on the more than 27,000 asylum seekers who have arrived by boat and live in the community, awaiting the processing and outcome of their protection application. Most people seeking asylum currently living in Australia receive little or…
Building a Just and Safe NSW
- 10 January 2015
Our policy platform draws on our daily work with communities in Western Sydney and remote regions of the state. In it, we call on the next NSW Government to tackle the root causes of disadvantage in order to build a safer and more just community. We identify four key areas for action: Building strong and cohesive…
Submission to the Inquiry into the Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Bill 2014
- 31 October 2014
This submission expresses Jesuit Social Services’ serious concerns about the Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Bill 2014 (‘the Bill’). We oppose the Bill and urge its rejection. We believe that the Bill denies people basic human rights and will place vulnerable people at serious risk of harm or death. Our…
Submission to the AHRC National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
- 30 May 2014
Jesuit Social Services joined Wesley Mission Victoria, MacKillop Family Services and Catholic Care Melbourne in making this submission to the Australian Human Right Commission (AHRC) National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014. As organisations with a commitment to social justice and upholding the human dignity of every person, we share serious concerns about the…
Submission to the Northern Territory Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Bill 2013
- 31 May 2013
This submission responds to the Northern Territory Department of Health’s Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Bill 2013. It outlines our serious concerns about this proposed legislation and the scheme that it will create. The submission questions the scheme’s enormous and unjustified economic cost, given the lack of evidence for the effectiveness of mandatory treatment. It recommends that the Northern Territory Government: Postpone…
Submission to the NSW Inquiry into Strategies to Reduce Alcohol Abuse Among Young People
- 20 March 2013
This submission responds to the 2013 Parliamentary Inquiry into strategies to reduce alcohol abuse among young people in New South Wales. The submission’s key themes include: changing community attitudes and behaviours to alcohol; proactive engagement with young people in environments where alcohol consumption and its related harm are likely to take place; and treatment services that care for…