Executive Director Update - June 2023

Welcome to the June edition of Building Better Lives Together

It’s been a busy few months here at BSL. We welcomed May’s Federal Budget as a strategic shift towards improving the lives of those experiencing poverty and disadvantage. Poverty was on the political agenda and a focus of public discussion in a way it hasn’t been for some time, and BSL was a sought-after voice in a range of media appearances.

BSL and others called for a substantial increase in the JobSeeker rate and other working-age payments, as well as critical reforms to prevent and alleviate poverty. The increase of $40 per fortnight was not as large as proposed by the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee (of which I’m a member) but was provided to all age groups and is hopefully a sign of future increases.

We were particularly pleased with the decision to end the punitive ParentsNext program, which has been a longstanding focus of BSL’s advocacy, and the decision to allow single parents to keep receiving the Single Parenting Payment until their youngest child turns 14 – a massive relief for tens of thousands of families doing it tough.

We see these and other announcements in the Budget as steps in the right direction and will continue advocating for longer-term, sustained reform to create a fairer Australia.

We know disadvantage and poverty can affect a child’s life outcomes, putting children at greater risk of ongoing disadvantage. That’s why we’re committed to creating positive outcomes for children and their families. Recently we were pleased to host a webinar with an expert panel talking about tackling poverty through the early years. You can watch it here  to learn more about how we can address child and family poverty in Australia.

Also in this issue, we profile in-school engagement programs that work with vulnerable students in Years 7-9 who are at risk of disengaging from school.

We feature our Pathways to Youth Employment program which helps young people access decent work, by delivering innovative training and employment models for local jobseekers and employers.

During National Reconciliation Week it was inspiring to hear the perspectives of two different generations of First Nations people from BSL, Grace Birch, our First Nations Employment Advisor, and Uncle John Baxter, our NDIS Community Engagement Lead for Aboriginal Partnerships, on what reconciliation means to them. They recognise the importance of acknowledging past and ongoing injustices and emphasise the need for a collective effort to achieve reconciliation. This year’s theme, ‘Be a Voice for Generations’ was a call to action for everyone to be a voice for reconciliation.

Also in May, we were delighted to celebrate National Volunteer Week. At BSL we believe our volunteers truly embody this year’s theme of ‘The Change Makers’ - people who take action to make the world a better place. We thank our volunteers for being the change makers that enable our goal of creating systemic change for those experiencing poverty and disadvantage.

In this issue, there is also a summary of the Gerard Tucker Oration, delivered in late May by BSL Chaplain, Reverend Dr. Michelle Trebilcock on the topic of Faith and Justice in a Secular Age.

Finally, I’m excited to announce that our new long-term strategic objectives have been approved by the BSL Board, setting in place an exciting new era of service delivery, research, policy and advocacy. Hundreds of staff, volunteers and participants have been involved in discussions about where we should be directing our efforts, along with the Board, Charter and Life Members and Board Committees. I’ like to thank everyone involved for their huge contributions to the Strategy 2030 and to improving the way we do things here at BSL. I’ve heard feedback from many people that they have never felt so consulted and engaged in a BSL strategy process before. More details will be released soon, but I’m pleased to announce we are retaining our vision for an Australia free of poverty – something many readers of this publication passionately support.

I hope you find much to interest you in this edition and thank you once again for reading our stories of people building better lives together.

PS – If you’re in Victoria, don’t miss the opportunity to come and visit the BSL expo at Victorian Parliament House this week – it’s open from 9am-5pm this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, showcasing all the great work of BSL programs, services, research and policy.

This is also the first week Parliament House has been open to the public since COVID restrictions began.

For further info go to: https://www.bsl.org.au/news-events/events/working_for_a_victoria_free_of_poverty/

Warm Regards,

Travers McLeod
Executive Director
Brotherhood of St. Laurence