Budgets offer a broad view of government priorities within the wide range of their responsibilities. They present this view, however, in the narrow language of funding and programs. They must also take account of the state of the economy and consequently judge whether to expand or limit expenditure on old and new programs.
The contribution of Jesuit Social Services to the preparation of the Budget is necessarily narrower, but it is also less constrained. It confines itself to comment on areas in which it has expertise, especially its working with children who live with disadvantage. Its proposals, however, embrace the actions necessary to support people in need without taking account of economic constraints.
INADEQUACIES
The Submission points first to the many inadequacies in the ways in which government programs support the welfare and rights of children in need, and especially those who are homeless or are caught within the justice system. It proposes the appointment of a Minister for Children with responsibility for coordinating the various programs affecting children, and calls for the implementation of an earlier report on child justice.
In its detailed recommendations, the Submission responds to the localised character of child disadvantage by emphasising the importance of collecting data on it, and of expanding the funding of resilience to disaster in vulnerable communities.
The Submission also points to how Indigenous communities are disproportionately disadvantaged. It requests the creation of a fund for Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, and commitment to long term funding of community-led Justice Reinvestment sites.
Children living in disadvantaged areas find it particularly difficult to find education and employment.
ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT
The Submission urges the Commonwealth to partner state governments in supporting access to employment by those facing barriers.
Amid growing public concern about violence against women and children, the Submission emphasises the importance of early intervention through building on data to understand child sexual abuse, investing in targeted early intervention programs and in programs that focus on the strengths and resilience of women and children.
It calls on the government to legislate to ensure children’s safety online, and to provide funding for online interventions that prevent child sexual abuse.
Finally, the Submission emphasises the need to support young people with complex needs by increasing funds for specialised programs of housing and support, for supporting the settlement of people who have arrived on humanitarian visas, and for ensuring that the revised NDIS Scheme provides equitable outcomes for all the participants.
Note: 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 jss.org.au/policy-submissions/federal-pre-budget-submission-2025-26/.