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Creating a just and safe Northern Territory
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…
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Enabling Justice Project Consultation Paper
This Consultation Paper is the result of a collaboration between Jesuit Social Services and RMIT University’s Centre for Innovative Justice, which addresses the over-representation of people with acquired brain injuries (ABIs) in the criminal justice system. The paper gives voice to the experience of participants in the Enabling Justice Project who have an ABI and…
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Re-engaging disadvantaged learners in education, training and employment
Our policy paper looks at ways to re-engage disadvantaged learners in the Victorian Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. Vulnerable learners often face a number of barriers to engaging in education such as caring responsibilities, inadequate accommodation, physical and mental health conditions, disability, negative experiences of schooling and low levels of confidence in the classroom.…
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The Living Conditions of People Seeking Asylum in Australia
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…
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Response to the Victorian Inquiry into the Labour Hire Industry and Insecure Work
Our policy response proposes eight key ways to improve labour hire arrangements for Victorian workers, businesses and the broader community. It conveys our experience of particular groups in the Victorian community who are more likely to become ‘trapped’ in insecure work. We recommend: Funding alternative labour hire models that are able to meet the needs…
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Response to the Victorian Government's What's Important to YOUth? discussion paper
Our policy response makes 28 recommendations on what should be done to improve educational, training and employment opportunities for young people, as well as their mental health, housing and their lives in general. Get your copy Download Jesuit Social Services’ response to the What’s Important to YOUth? discussion paper
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Too much too young: Raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12
Our paper urges all Australian governments to increase the age of criminal responsibility in Australia from 10 to 12. The minimum age of criminal responsibility across all Australian jurisdictions is 10, despite extensive scientific evidence the brains of children under 12 are not adequately developed for them to be criminally responsible. We make six key…
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Response to the Victorian Government's Employment Programs Review
Our policy response calls for a coordinated strategy to address the employment needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, based on six key planks: Intervene early, and intensively, to prevent long-term unemployment and disadvantage Build the skills and capabilities of vulnerable people (including job-readiness training, for jobseekers with limited previous work experience, such as young people,…
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An escalating problem: Responding to the increased remand of children in Victoria
Our paper describes the dramatic increase in the number of children held on remand in Victoria, including a significant increase in children under 15. It finds that the increase is directly driven by reforms to the Bail Act in December 2013 that impose the same conditions and restrictions on children as are applied to adults.…
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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…