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A message from Travers McLeod, Executive Director
Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) Executive Director
Travers McLeod
Welcome to the June issue of Building Better Lives Together.
Reflecting on our achievements over the past few months, there is much to celebrate.
In June we were delighted to hold our
Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) Service Recognition event at the Fitzroy Town Hall. It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our shared achievements and recognise the dedication of BSL’s remarkable staff and volunteers who support our vision of an Australia free of poverty. We celebrated service milestones of five years and all the way up to fifty years – a collective contribution of 1,570 years of service!
June also saw the launch of the final report from our Life Chances longitudinal study, Inequality in Australia. Beginning in 1990 with 167 babies and their parents, this study explored the impact of family income, social class, ethnicity, gender and government decisions over 34 years. The launch was a memorable occasion featuring a panel discussion with two study participants, Isabel and Vinh. The release was covered widely across the media too.
During National Volunteer Week, we held events across BSL to thank our volunteers and hear their experiences. A common theme was the sense of connection and the impact of their work. We held a special celebration for Jean Newbegin, who has dedicated fifty years to BSL.
In marking National Reconciliation Week, we held events across BSL and with First Nations Community members, including an event with over 100 people at the Aboriginal Advancement League in Thornbury. We reflected on the Voice Referendum campaign and ways to advance the reconciliation journey.
Throughout May, we focused on preparing our first full budget and business plan under Strategy 2030. BSL has also been vocal about advocating for those facing the toughest challenges either side of the Victorian and federal budgets. The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, of which I am a member, released its 2024 report in late April. Some recommendations were adopted, although much work remains to be done. Rest assured BSL will continue to push for long-term changes in policy and funding to help more Australians live the lives they aspire to.
BSL was pleased to receive funding extensions for two programs in the federal budget: the award-winning Saver Plus program, developed 21 years ago with ANZ, and our successful Youth Transitions program.
Thank you for your continued support of BSL. I hope you enjoy this issue of Building Better Lives Together and learn more about our impact.
Warm regards,
Travers McLeod
Executive Director
Brotherhood of St. Laurence
FEDERAL BUDGET PROVIDES IMPORTANT RELIEF,
BUT MORE MUST BE DONE TO REDUCE POVERTY
Federal budget 2024, Cost of Living and a Future Made in Australia
The federal budget was handed down on 14 May. While we welcomed many of the cost-of-living initiatives the Treasurer spoke about on budget night, there is a lot more that needs to be done before Australia is truly a fair place for everyone. You can read our media release here.
Some of the positive measures were increasing rent assistance, growing early childhood and aged care wages, lifting support for carers, paying superannuation on parental leave, reducing tertiary student debts, boosting access to healthcare and reforming the Stage 3 tax cuts so they are more equitable. We believe these measures will help everyone, especially the people we work with every day at BSL.
SAVER PLUS TURNS 21!
BSL Executive Director Travers McLeod, program partners, ANZ representatives and Minister Amanda Rishworth MP
In April, our financial education and matched savings program Saver Plus celebrated its 21st birthday.
We commemorated this significant milestone by hosting the Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth MP and excited families at our Jindi Family and Community Centre in Mernda. Like all good 21st birthday parties, there was cake, proud speeches and a nostalgic photo board.
EVOLVING INEQUALITY: THE ENDURING LESSONS OF
THE LIFE CHANCES LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Video of Life Chances Study -1990 2024 - Dina Bowman
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In June we launched the final report into the Life Chances longitudinal study. It was a wonderful event marking 34 years of this unique study. Beginning in Fitzroy over three decades ago, Life Chances has contributed important insights into the experience and persistence of inequality in Australia.
EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY:
CREATING PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT
IPE Graduates left to right: Nik, Sam, Ronny, Eddie, Jason and coordinator Candy
Many young people with disability often struggle to find work opportunities due to discrimination and other barriers. Some are limited to jobs in segregated environments or relegated to jobs others don’t want to do. BSL’s Inclusive Pathways to Employment (IPE) aims to change this by helping young people with disability transition from education to meaningful jobs.
RECOGNISING DEDICATION: BSL’S STAFF AND VOLUNTEER SERVICE RECOGNITION EVENT
BSL staff and volunteers at our Service Recognition event celebrating the fifty years of service of Jean Newbegin
Our Service Recognition event at the Fitzroy Town Hall in June, was a chance to recognise BSL’s staff and volunteers who have surpassed milestones from five years up to fifty years in their service to BSL. The event was a clear highlight of 2024 and is set to become an annual feature on the BSL calendar. Colleagues were invited to an afternoon tea and their enduring contributions were recognised for shaping the impact and ethos of our organisation today.
NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK: SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Volunteers from our Belmont op shop celebrating NVW
Every May, BSL recognises the enormous contribution made by volunteers who account for over 40 per cent of our workforce during National Volunteer Week (NVW), Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteers.
The week-long event recognises the vital support that BSL volunteers provide to their communities and to the work of BSL. This year’s National Volunteer Week theme ‘Something for Everyone’ acknowledged the diverse passions and talents people bring to the act of volunteering.
CELEBRATING NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK:
'NOW MORE THAN EVER'
Left to right: MC Shelley Ware, guest speaker Richard Frankland, BSL Cultural Ambassador Uncle John Baxter, BSL Executive Director Travers McLeod
Every year our National Reconciliation Week celebrations get bigger and our vision for reconciliation more ambitious. This year our Cultural Ambassador Uncle John Baxter welcomed over 100 people to an event at the Aboriginal Advancement League in Thornbury, a significant cultural space for the First Nations Community. Along with our staff and volunteers, we were thrilled to host many First Nations Community members in discussing this year’s theme of ‘Now More Than Ever’. Our MC was Shelley Ware, a proud Yankunyjatjara and Wirangu woman. The event included reflections on the outcome of the Voice Referendum campaign and messages of hope about how we can work together to continue the reconciliation journey.
PREVENTING ANOTHER GENERATION OF AUSTRALIANS
FROM FACING A LIFETIME OF POVERTY
Around 1 in 12 young people are not fully engaged in work or study*.
For many young people, particularly those experiencing disadvantage, it’s difficult to enter the job market. That’s because our current employment system does not cater to the diverse needs of young job seekers.
This is why BSL has been advocating for wholesale reforms to our flawed employment services system. We have highlighted how the system is failing many young people at the start of their working lives.
While we’re seeing positive changes from government, we know there is much more to be done. You can help young people realise their capabilities through skill development and access to job and training opportunities by donating today.
Without your care and support, youth unemployment will continue to rise, forcing another generation of young people into poverty.
Watch our Executive Director Travers McLeod’s message for the BSL Tax Appeal 2024
* https://www.abs.gov.au/methodologies/education-and-work-australia-methodology/may-2023
Get in touch with us
Website: www.bsl.org.au
Telephone: (03) 9483 1301
Email: info@bsl.org.au
Acknowledgement of Country
The Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which our organisation operates. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past and present.
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© 2024 Brotherhood of St. Laurence (ARBN 100 042 822, ABN 24 603 467 024)