Federal Budgets are a statement of priorities among the thousands of demands to meet needs. The Jesuit Social Services submission to the 2024-25 federal Budget (Tuesday, 14 May) represents the needs of the people living with disadvantage whom it serves and with whose lives it is familiar. It proposes to the government the funding of projects that will bring them lasting improvement. The submission, which is broad and detailed in its scope, lies beyond easy summary. It may be helpful, however, to name the many goals to which the submission draws attention, and the overarching principles that should guide government funding.
The breadth of need for funding is evident in the goals that government funding should help reach. They include the need to provide safe and affordable housing, to support communities in areas of multiple disadvantage, to foster self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to ensure income support is adequate, to provide pathways for young people to education and employment, to engage men and boys in programs that will prevent family violence, to support people with mental health and disability needs, to build a humane immigration system and support immigrants and refugees to settle, and to provide community services of high quality to those most in need of them.
Clearly these large goals will need sustained funding and incremental planning over many years to realise. In each area, the submission presents detailed proposals that reflect the experience of Jesuit Social Services in accompanying people in need.
Behind the proposals for funding lie overarching principles. First, it needs to focus on the human reality of the people with whom programs deal. Housing should be seen as an essential right that all people can access rather than an economic commodity. Respect should mark all the relationships of public servants with the people whom they serve. People who are unemployed should be seen as persons seeking work, not as slackers.
Second, governments need to consult and to strengthen local communities in addressing their needs. People who experience disadvantage often live in communities where affordable housing is lacking, access to education, employment and health services is limited, the prevalence of alcohol and other drug misuse is high, as is the prevalence of involvement with the justice system.
Third, governments must provide long-term funding to meet deep-seated need. Short-term funding needs to be complemented by longer-term support. Fourth, the delivery of programs must be flexible. It must adapt to the complex needs of persons and not put people through a maze in order to find assistance.
In framing this Budget, the government should listen to the community sector and evidence, and ensure that funding is allocated to areas where it is most needed.
(These reflections are drawn from one of many submissions made by Jesuit Social Services to government inquiries on current issues. The submissions always focus on the needs of people, especially young people, whom our Jesuit Social Services staff accompany and whose experience and needs we seek to understand.) You can find the submission on https://jss.org.au/policy-submissions/federal-pre-budget-submission-2024-25/