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SVdP Housing Australia

A family of 4 sitting on a log near sand dunes, they are all looking at the boy and smiling. The sky behind them is very blue.

<p>Advocacy, or working to transform the causes of poverty and challenging the causes of human injustice, is one of the Society’s Values as defined in <a href="/about-us/the-rule" title="The Rule">The Rule</a>.</p>

Let's Build a Fairer Australia

The St Vincent de Paul Society National Council’s 2022 Federal Election statement calls for help to address inequality in households and communities.

A fairer Australia | St Vincent de Paul Society

<p>In April 2022 the St Vincent de Paul Society National Council released its 2022 Federal Election statement, <a href="/media/x1dac5dr/a-fairer-aust-booklet-2022.pdf" title="A Fairer Aust Booklet 2022">A Fairer Australia</a>. The statement outlined advocacy priorities and calls for change and included policy papers, source documents and a report card.</p>
<p>Throughout 2023 and 2024, these advocacy priorities have been updated and cover:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Poverty and Inequity</li>
<li>Housing and Homelessness</li>
<li>People Seeking Asylum</li>
<li>Secure Work</li>
<li>First Nations Peoples</li>
<li>Welfare and Tax Reform</li>
<li>Gambling Reform</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<p><a href="/articles/lets-build-a-fairer-australia-booklet" title="Let's Build a Fairer Australia Booklet" class="primary-button-yellow">Let’s Build a Fairer Australia! booklet</a></p>
<p><a href="/articles/lets-build-a-fairer-australia-brochure" title="Let's Build a Fairer Australia Brochure" class="primary-button-yellow">Let's Build a Fairer Australia! brochure</a></p>
<p><em></em></p>
<p><em>Let’s Build a Fairer Australia!</em> has been approved by National Council and reflects advice provided by <a href="#" title="National Council Committees">National Council’s Social Justice Advisory Committee</a> and the <a href="/national-council/advocacy/refugees-and-people-seeking-asylum" title="Refugees and people seeking asylum">Vincentian Refugee Network</a>. Both groups comprise Members from the states and territories who, by working in their communities and assisting those in need, are acutely aware of the social justice policy and funding issues that must be addressed if we are to succeed in reducing inequality in Australia. The advocacy priorities outlined in <em>Let’s Build a Fairer Australia!</em> are therefore limited to the social justice policy areas most relevant to, and likely to adversely affect, the lives of those we help.</p>
<p>Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia has endured a cost-of-living crisis, a housing crisis, high inflation and high interest rates. While wages have improved, they have grown less than in most OECD countries. Our experience shows that those hardest hit are households that rely on income support as their main source of income. Australia-wide, one-in-six children are living in poverty, and great disadvantage persists in several mainly regional and remote communities.</p>
<p>Now, more than ever, government policy and fiscal management need to be robust, evidence ‑based and directed to areas of greatest need.</p>
<p>Our service to others, and advocacy on their behalf, is inspired by the words of St Vincent de Paul:</p>
<p><em>Deal with the most urgent needs…Teach reading and writing, educate with the aim of giving each the means of self-support. Intervene with authorities to reform structures… there is no charity without justice.</em></p>
<h2>Report cards</h2>
<p>The Society has developed a Report Card to assess the extent to which the Australian Government’s policies and actions stack-up against <em>Let’s Build a Fairer Australia!</em></p>
<p>In developing the Report Card, the Society relies on publicly released policy materials.</p>
<h3 style="font-weight: 400;">How the card works</h3>
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Red cell—after conducting further searches, a policy position against our asks is not identifiable.</li>
<li style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Green cell—our policy ask is addressed and the party’s position is in line with our ask.</li>
<li style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Yellow cell—a party’s policy touches on aspects of our policy asks.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<p>Key:</p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 61.5385%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.2051%; border-color: #050500; background-color: #2ab849; text-align: center;">
<p>Met</p>
</td>
<td style="width: 21.6666%; background-color: #e38c22; border-color: #050500; text-align: center;">Partially met</td>
<td style="width: 21.6667%; border-color: #050500; background-color: #e30b0b; text-align: center;">Not met</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">As a registered charity, an impartial approach has been used to classify policy platforms – one that relies on, and is limited to, publicly available information. The assessment does not second-guess policy positions or fill in the gaps.</p>
<h5><a href="/national-council/advocacy/lets-build-a-fairer-australia/lets-build-a-fairer-australia-report-card" title="Let's build a fairer Australia report card" class="primary-button-blue">Read the 2024 report card here</a></h5>
<p></p>
<h5><a href="/national-council/advocacy/lets-build-a-fairer-australia/a-fairer-australia-report-card" title="A fairer Australia report card (2022)" class="primary-button-yellow">Read the 2022 report card here</a></h5>

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