Welcome to the last Advocacy Statement for 2023.

This year has been challenging for all Australians. Many families have been forced to adjust their lives in the face of the relentless rising cost of living crisis with no end in sight. At St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn (the Society), our mission to serve those in our community doing it tough and whose lives have been made worse this year has meant we have committed more resources to our frontline services than ever before. In the past financial year, we provided over 17,500 instances of help, supported 60,000 people and nearly 40,000 children with practical and compassionate support. $2.1 million in emergency assistance has been provided through our Conferences.

At the Society, we strongly believe that by addressing the systemic challenges that perpetuate poverty and inequality we can mitigate the plight of individuals and families in our communities who are experiencing vulnerability. Policy reform is one such way to ensure that systems in place work well for all. Lived experiences should be reflected in systemic and policy reforms so our advocacy work this year has focused on amplifying the voices of those we serve in policy reform discussions.

My regular advocacy statements have been one way we have sought to do just that. I have spoken about the policy reform we seek regarding housing, homelessness and issues facing people of refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. I have shared the practical approaches the Society adopts in its partnerships within our sector and with the private sector towards meeting the needs we identify in our region.

Additional engagement has been through submissions in response to public consultations. For example, we have made policy recommendations in response to Queanbeyan Palerang Affordable Housing Strategy, ACT Women’s Plan 2016-26, ACT Government Budget 2023-24 Consultation, the Legislative Assembly’s Inquiry into Cost-of-Living Pressures in the ACT, and the ACT Integrated Energy Plan. In this work, we have reflected on the lived experiences of the many who come to us for support. These individual voices and experiences need to be heard in the rooms where policy is formulated.

I have been pleased to walk with the community in rallies in support of the call for permanent residency for refugees and people seeking asylum. As a country and community, we can do so much better in addressing the challenges we put in the way of people who have come to Australia for safety and for the hope of a fresh start in life.

The Voice referendum was a significant milestone in the advocacy landscape this year. The Society supported the call to constitutionally enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. Although the outcome of the referendum was disappointing, it only strengthens our commitment to Reconciliation and to walking in respect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to create a just Australian society.

The coming year presents another opportunity for all of us to do more.

Our work and our commitment to walk in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in creating solutions within the communities we serve will continue. It is in this spirit that we approach the implementation of our second Reconciliation Action Plan in the coming year.

We will monitor the commitments of the ACT Government in its 2023-24 budget and will be proactive in our recommendations leading to the 2024 ACT Government elections for all parties.

We will be active in our partnership with the sector through ACTCOSS and other peak bodies. On housing and homelessness, indigenous justice, refugees, people seeking asylum, cost of living and climate justice issues, the Society will be active in amplifying the voice of those most impacted, and in building practical, solution-oriented partnerships. These are our advocacy priorities.

To our amazing team of volunteers, members, and employees, on whose shoulders rest the immense work we do here at St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn, I extend a heartfelt appreciation to you all.

If you would like to explore ways you or your organisation can work with us in the coming year, I would welcome the opportunity for a conversation.

Lucy Hohnen
CEO of St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn

Advocacy and the year in perspective