Australians need to vote for fairness and the party that will act on entrenched hardship and poverty
10 April 2022 The entrenched poverty, loss of opportunity and inequality that nearly 3 million Australia live with every day has not been adequately addressed by either of the major political parties as we enter the official election campaign, according to the head of one of Australia’s leading social service groups. Mr Francis Sullivan, Chair of Catholic...
Open Letter to all Federal Candidates
Major Church Social Service Providers: Anglicare, Catholic Social Services Australia, The Salvation Army and Uniting Care. 10 April 2022 Australia’s major Church providers* have come together ahead of the upcoming election to call on all parties and candidates to commit to policies that will make a real difference in the lives of the most vulnerable. Our...
Budget big on politics, but light on for fairness
5 April 2022 Article by Francis Sullivan, as published in the Daily Telegraph Last week’s budget speaks loud and clear to where the Coalition government sees itself and who it needs to talk to in the lead-up to the May general election.It is a budget that puts politics before fairness and the “comfortable middle” before the disadvantaged.It...
Budget delivers little for underprivileged and families living in poverty
29 March 2022 The Morrison Government has yet again failed to provide any focused funding to assist the most marginalised and underprivileged Australians in its 2022/23 budget. Chair of Catholic Social Services Australia, Francis Sullivan, said that while some of the Government’s initiatives might flow through to people living on or below the poverty line, there is...
What can the under-privileged hope for in the Budget … not much?
28 March 2022 Article by Francis Sullivan, as published in Pearls and Irritations In a civilized country, where we pride ourselves on a fair go for all, a very significant part of our community is missing out. As Josh Frydenberg puts the final touches on next week’s Budget it is fair to say that the millions of Australians...
Latest NDIS quarterly report show average spending per participant down by 4 per cent
21 March 2022 Funding for participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme was cut by 4 per cent in 2021 with the average spend falling from $71,200 in 2020 to $68,500 in 2021. The figures, revealed in the latest NDIS quarterly report, reinforces concerns among disability service providers that the cost cutting that they have been predicting...
Low income and disadvantaged families being left behind as cost of living surges
18 March 2022 Despite Australia’s jobless rate falling to a new 13-year low last month, cost of living increases continue to place enormous pressure on low income and disadvantaged families. Ms Monique Earsman, Executive Director of Catholic Social Services Australia, said today, while the fall in the unemployment rate is clearly welcome, people on low incomes and...
The chilling of charity
16 March 2022 Article by Marilyn Rodrigues, as published in The Catholic Weekly A number of Catholic charities are bracing for the impact of a barrage of petrol and other price hikes on essentials on their services. Financial experts expect inflation to rise dramatically due to soaring energy prices and the ongoing supply chain woes caused by the...
