Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society

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Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
Winter 2020
Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
I N TH I S I S S U E
                                              3   President’s Column                            Claire Victory

    The Society is a lay Catholic             4   National Council Strategic Plan 2020        Warwick Fulton
    organisation that aspires to live the
    Gospel message by serving Christ in       6   The Rule: National Council seeks input
    the poor with love, respect, justice,         on proposed new provisions
    hope and joy, and by working to shape
    a more just and compassionate society.    7   Our Members are resilient:                  Robin Osborne
                                                  Rallying around the Illawarra
    This logo represents the hand of Christ
    that blesses the cup, the hand of love    8   Vinnies: Helping refugees                    Tim McKenna
    that offers the cup, and the hand of          and advocating for their rights
    suffering that receives the cup.
    The Record is published regularly each    11 Prime Minister urged to explore options
    year by the St Vincent de Paul Society       for long term relief for unemployed
    in Australia’s National Council.
                                              12 People need enough to live on and
    National Council                             a place to call home
    PO Box 243
    Deakin West, ACT, 2600                    13 HomeBuilder package misses the mark
    Phone:     02 6202 1200
    Email:     info@svdp.org.au
                                              14 COVID-19 Youth Initiative Victoria              Bao Nguyen
    Web:       vinnies.org.au
                                              15 Canberra Goulburn Vinnies Youth             Gwendolyn Goon
    Editor:    Toby oConnor                      Members on the Front Line
    Editorial
    Committee: Rose Beynon
                                              16 The Call to Flexibility                          Sr Therese
               Judith Tokley
               Donna Scheerlinck
                                                                                                Haywood DC
    Design:    Damon Carr
                                              17 Our Members in WA Thinking Outside           Deanna Watson
               damon.com.au
                                                 the Square: Car Boot Food Appeal
    The St Vincent de Paul Society in
    Australia acknowledges that we are        18 Vinnies adopts National Catholic               Judith Tokley
    on Aboriginal land. We pay respects          Safeguarding Standards
    to all traditional custodians.
                                              19 Queensland Vinnies: Leadership in             Samantha Hill
    This publication may contain images
                                                 Challenging and Changing Times:
    of deceased members of the Aboriginal
    and Torres Strait Islander community.
                                                 Modelling Vincentian Spirituality
    They are used with the greatest respect
                                              20 National Council: Reflecting on               Toby oConnor
    and appreciation.
                                                 our members’ good works
    Opinions expressed in this
    publication are not necessarily           22 National Council: Emergency Relief          Patrick McKenna
    those of the publishers.
                                              24 Our members walking alongside bushfire         Rose Beynon
    ISBN 978-0-6487329-1-4                       affected communities
                                              26 Falling between the cracks
      The St Vincent de Paul Society
      in Australia consists of 60,000         28 The advocacy voice of our members              Rose Beynon
      members and volunteers who
      operate on the ground through           29 Vinnies joins call for bipartisan
      over 1,000 conferences located             anti-racism strategy
      in individual parishes across           30 Overseas Project                             Jude Blacklock
      the country.
                                              32 Anti-Poverty Week - 11-17 October 2020            Toni Wren
                                              34 I get knocked down, but I get up again,      Cassandra Bull
                                                 and again, and again…
                                              37 Vinnies Victoria certified carbon neutral     Dee Rudebeck
         Available online:
                                              38 Vinnies CEO Sleepout succeeds against
       record.vinnies.org.au
                                                 the odds, raising $5.7m for homelessness

2    THE RECORD | WINTER 2020
Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
C L A I R E V I C T O R Y | frontlines

Isolation has built empathy
BY CLAIRE VICTORY                          first time, felt it in myself and

I
                                           understood slightly better how
    am an extrovert. I don’t mind          painful and soul-destroying it
    my own company at all, but             could be to be deprived of those
    I get energy from being with           positive human interactions
other people. Usually, I am very           constantly, permanently. The joy
busy, going from work to meetings          I felt at such simple interactions
to social events, constantly               reminded me of how devastating
surrounded by or in touch with             the lack of same would surely be.
other people.
                                           I have never watched SBS’ ‘Filthy
The COVID-19 lockdown slowed               Rich and Homeless’ and so make
my life down. A lot. Instead               no judgment on the value or
of hardly ever being home –
                                           ethics of the program, but the                     Claire Victory
constantly out and about, travelling
                                           comments I have seen reported
frequently – I was suddenly
                                           from the participants seem to
spending 23 hours a day inside
                                           indicate that by far the hardest
my house (the other hour being
spent walking around my local              thing they had to encounter
area; I’d never noticed what a nice        during their time sleeping rough
area it is). It was remarkable how         was the feeling of being looked
much, and how quickly, I missed            down on, or completely ignored.
human interaction.                         Many people in our community
When I went on walks, if I passed          are invisible in plain sight. Frail
someone and they smiled and said           elderly people, people living with
‘good morning’, it felt amazing. If        disability, people isolated because
the postie arrived with a parcel, I        of mental health issues, people
raced to the front door in order to        sleeping rough. For many it’s
try and secure 10 seconds of small         not always clear what to say or
talk before he left the package            how to engage. Otherness
and departed. In the latter stages         can be a source of discomfort
of working from home, I briefly            and alienation.
dropped into a new café to grab
                                           I think one of the things
a takeaway coffee; the café owner
and I chatted for about 5 minutes          Vincentians possess is empathy
and it was a highlight of my day.          – an intuitive understanding of
Even now, having emerged from              the value of person-to-person
iso and returned to the office,            contact, of treating someone as
I am experiencing a frisson                human, of taking the time to be
of excitement when someone                 with them and to talk and listen
initiates chit chat in the lift. I guess   without judgment.
the beauty and value of human              I hope that a lesson all
contact, which I never had to think        Australians learn from this
about before – I always had so             pandemic is the importance of
much of it – had suddenly become           looking out for our neighbours
a rare and precious thing that I
                                           – not just by ensuring they
now revelled in rather than taking
                                           have food and other basics,
it for granted.
                                           but ensuring that no-one has
I always knew, intellectually,             to experience life without eye
the extent to which so many                contact, a friendly smile, a
marginalised people within our             cheerful ‘good morning’. ♦
community are deprived of those
casual niceties in their daily lives;      Claire Victory is the National President of
but because of iso I have, for the         the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia.

                                                                                 S T V I N C E N T D E PA U L S O C I E T Y A U S T R A L I A   3
Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
governance | W A R W I C K F U L T O N

National Council Strategic Plan 2020

B Y WA R W I C K F U L T O N          • upholding, updating and           F. International Relations

T
                                        promoting the Rule, so that          We will empower National
         he National Council has        it continues to serve our            Councils in developing
         approved its new Strategic     contemporary society.                countries to sustainably
         Plan 2020. This plan sets                                           build their Vincentian vision
                                      • providing representation
out what the National Council                                                and we will support CGI to
will do, both individually and in       nationally and internationally.
                                                                             grow the Society’s impact
conjunction with the State and        • effectively creating links and       worldwide.
Territory Councils. Cooperation         environments to collaborate,
and collaboration are important         coordinate and reallocate         Underpinning each of these
aspects of the new plan. As such                                          objectives is a series of goals,
                                        resources across Australia.
it will have an impact on State                                           measures and timelines
                                      • mediating only where there        that clearly state how these
and Territory Councils’ strategic
                                        are intractable disputes          objectives are intended to
plans. The national plan contains
                                        between or within State/          be met.
a vision for the future of the
                                        Territory Councils.
Society in Australia and should be                                        The National Council worked
of interest to all Society members,   Whilst these guiding principles     on this strategic plan for many
volunteers, employees and our         are aspirational the National       months. State and Territory
companions.                           Council has set itself six long-    Councils and CEOs were
Clear boundaries are essential to     term objectives through to 2028.    invited to give input into the
us all moving forward. In recent      These are:                          plan and suggestions were
years it has not been as clear as                                         incorporated in the final form
                                      A. Supporting our people            of the plan now available to
it might have been where the             We will create the
boundaries lay between National                                           you on the National Council’s
                                         environment of increased
Council and State and Territory                                           website.
                                         Vincentian spirituality,
Councils. We hope any lack of            diversity and numbers in the     You will see that most of the
clarity has been resolved in this        Society.                         timelines in the Strategic Plan
new National Council Strategic                                            run out in 2022. There are
Plan.                                 B. Promoting and Protecting
                                                                          two reasons for this. Firstly,
                                         our identity
The plan’s guiding principles are                                         most of the state and territory
                                         We will be recognised as
informed by the Rule and help us                                          Strategic Plans run to 2022 so
                                         a safe, high performing
assess where and how National            and caring organisation by       it will be an opportunity at that
Council might operate. The plan          companions, the community,       time to align the national and
states that National Council has a       governments, and agencies.       state/territory Strategic Plans.
role in:                                                                  Secondly, Claire Victory’s term
• prioritising advocacy and           C. One Society                      as National Council President
  speaking out for the sake of the       We will foster productive        ends in March 2023 so there
                                         collaboration across the         is the chance for the incoming
  vulnerable and disadvantaged
                                         Society, creating positive       National Council President and
  in our community, particularly
                                         outcomes for our people.         the new National Council to
  Aboriginal and Torres Strait
  Islander people who are             D. National Advocacy                reset the Strategic Plan.
  over-represented among our             We will influence our            Many of the goals in the
  companions.                            nation’s priorities, by being    National Council Strategic Plan
                                         a voice for people who are       are ambitious and National
• supporting initiatives when            experiencing disadvantage.
  there is a national benefit                                             Council doesn’t expect to
  identified and it makes sense to    E. Sustainability                   complete all of them by the
                                         We will build the Society’s      end of 2022, but we want to
  do something together rather
                                         capacity to effectively          make progress on all of them
  than separately.
                                         operate across the               by then. Because the Strategic
• promoting subsidiarity so that         jurisdictions, sharing           Plan is ambitious, we hope
  activity is carried out at the         resources to most                that it will guide the Society in
  level that is most helpful and         effectively meet our             Australia until at least 2028 and
  logical.                               Mission and our Vision.          perhaps beyond.

4 THE RECORD | AUTUMN 2020
Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
What’s in it for me?
As you can see the foremost
long-term objective is to support
our members in their spiritual
journey and in their work for the
Society seeking to diversify and
increase our membership. State and
Territory Council strategic plans
will gradually be aligned with the
National Council Strategic Plan so
that whatever we do as a Society
in Australia is consistent across             St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia
                                              NATIONAL COUNCIL
Australia and directed primarily to
serving our members, volunteers,
employees and our companions.

                                               STRATEGIC PLAN
The end result should be that our
people feel valued and properly
resourced and our companions feel
supported.
We commend the plan to you
and hope that you will find it
inspirational as you continue along
your Vincentian journey. ♦
                                                       2020-2023
The Strategic Plan is available here.

Note: CGI is Council General International
the peak body for the St Vincent de
Paul Society.

Warwick Fulton is the National Deputy
President of the St Vincent de Paul Society
in Australia.

                                                            S T V I N C E N T D E PA U L S O C I E T Y A U S T R A L I A   5
Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
governance

The Rule: National Council seeks input
on proposed new provisions

                                              T      he St Vincent de Paul
                                                     Society National Council
                                                     seeks input from members
                                              on changes to The Rule Part III
                                              which have been proposed
                                              in an effort to clarify a number
                                              of provisions related to
                                              reputational damage.
                                              National Council President, Claire
                                              Victory said the proposed changes
                                              will clarify the respective powers
                                              and responsibilities of State and
                                              Territory Councils and National
                                              Council to address reputational or
                                              other damage to the Society caused
                                              by the actions of a person in a
                                              lower order council, conference or
                                              a special work.
                                              ‘An issue that arises within a state
                                              or territory will generally be dealt
       t he                                   with by the State or Territory
                                              Council, but where this is not
       r ule                                  possible, the issue will be referred
                                              to National Council for resolution,’
                                              Ms Victory said.

       7th                                    ‘As Vincentians, we must always
                                              try to resolve any issue through
       edition                                discussion and consultation
                                              to try to reach consensus and
       2012                                   understanding of what is best
                                              for the Society, its companions
                                              and members.

       australia               aM ended
                               M aY 2 0 1 4
                                          1
                                              ‘It is important in those cases
                                              where intervention is necessary,
                                              that we have clear mechanisms
                                              and processes and that a person
                                              affected be given a right of
                                              appeal if they feel they have
                                              been treated unfairly.
                                              ‘A right of appeal will also lie from
                                              intervention by a State or Territory
                                              Council to the National Council.
                                              A detailed discussion paper is
                                              available on the National
                                              Council’s website for your
                                              consideration – here. ♦

                                              Written comments to the National Council
                                              can be made by Monday 21 September by
                                              email to kara.gibbs@svdp.org.au.

6   THE RECORD | WINTER 2020
Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
R O B I N O S B O R N E | covid-19

Our Members are resilient:
Rallying around the Illawarra
BY ROBIN OSBORNE

T      he bushfires affecting many
       NSW coastal communities
       took lives, destroyed
homes and businesses and caused
widespread job losses. Then came
the second shock that no one had
expected, coronavirus.
Sparked by the rapid COVID-19
lockdown, the Vinnies network of
volunteers and staff in the Illawarra
Region swung into action, working
in accordance with the restrictions
of the pandemic to focus on those
who needed help, materially or
emotionally, in this time of crisis.
When other regional services closed
their doors, the Vinnies Coniston
Hub in Wollongong remained open
five days a week to offer a clean
and safe space for people to access
                                        The Vinnies van provided a lifesaving service, delivering prepared and fresh food
food, and case management and to        throughout the greater Wollongong area.
see a friendly face.
Even in normal times the Hub
was kept busy helping people            restrictions the Coniston Hub had                 staff, partners and donors who
sleeping rough or in insecure           limited volunteers on site. The                   enabled us to continue providing
housing, as well as families and        hard-working Illawarra Shoalhaven                 these essential services during
elderly folk struggling to make         Van was still seeing up to 30                     a truly critical time,” said Renee
ends meet. Now, things needed to        people per session, despite lower                 Cooper, Regional Director-South.
gear up. From the early days of the     turnouts because of the COVID-19
                                                                                          “Particularly heartening was the
pandemic case workers outreached        threat. The emphasis was on
                                                                                          way the Illawarra Shoalhaven
to clients, offering help with          balancing social distancing and
                                                                                          community came together with
accommodation, essential supplies,      social interaction.
                                                                                          Vinnies in new ways. As the colder
medical and mental health services.     The Hub worked with the nearby                    weather set in, a group of caring
At a time when disadvantage and         University of Wollongong to                       locals started knitting beanies and
social isolation were heightened        provide food relief to international              scarves for visitors to the van.
for the most vulnerable, the            students, connecting them with
                                                                                          “We also had help with food
Coniston Hub continued providing        support networks and delivering
                                                                                          supplies from Ozharvest,
the compassion, friendship and          fresh bread to those staying on
                                                                                          Secondbite, Aldi, David Jones,
support that Vinnies is known for       campus.
                                                                                          as well as local clubs WIN
across the state.                                                                         Entertainment Centre, Shellharbour
                                        Wearing protective equipment,
According to the Coniston Hub’s         volunteers with the Van continued                 Club and West Leagues Club, who
Community Engagement Officer            to deliver meals, sandwiches,                     generously provided fresh produce
Danielle Jolliffe, “Staff and           snacks, drinks, fresh fruit and                   for the Van and hubs. Quilton and
volunteers made and distributed         vegetables, bread and essentials,                 360 also helped with daily living
over 1200 meals and had 1800            four nights a week throughout                     supplies at a time when essentials
visitors seeking assistance from mid-   Wollongong, Warrawong, Albion                     like toilet paper were scarce and
March to end-May. The assistance        Park and Bellambi.                                expensive.” ♦
we offered included finding housing
                                        “We are so grateful for the amazing
for the lockdown period.”                                                                 Robin Osborne is Communications and
                                        support of our many volunteers,                   Marketing Partner St Vincent de Paul Society
Because of health-related age           including those with the Van, our                 Lismore Central Council.

                                                                             S T V I N C E N T D E PA U L S O C I E T Y A U S T R A L I A   7
Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
refugees | T I M M C K E N N A

Vinnies: Helping refugees
and advocating for their rights
BY TIM MCKENNA

T       he St Vincent de Paul
        Society has a long history of
        supporting refugees.1 This
article provides an update on our
support to and advocacy for the
most vulnerable of these people:
those still held by Australia in PNG
and Nauru; those in locked detention
in Australia and those in our
community without Commonwealth
Government support during the
COVID pandemic.

National Advocacy
July this year was the seventh
anniversary of the decision of then
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2013 to
put in place the policy that ensured
no people who arrived in Australia
by boat, seeking our protection,
would ever gain permanent
settlement in Australia but would
instead be sent to PNG and Nauru.
On 17 July, the National Council
issued a media release highlighting
the deteriorating situation for the
nearly 400 people still in PNG and
Nauru, and the hundreds sent to            (including those brought from          the Commonwealth Government
Australia for medical treatment            PNG and Nauru) into detention          to extend available payments and
who are still in closed detention          arrangements in the community.         support to people seeking asylum,
here.2 This release has been one                                                  noting that thousands of people
                                           The Society is also dismayed that
of many issued in that last few                                                   on bridging visas have no access
                                           the Commonwealth Government,           to any form of financial support
years condemning this policy. In
November last year, the Society            after seven years, still has no        before or during the COVID-19
was highly critical of the repeal of       plan for the safe and permanent        pandemic, even when they have
the Medevac legislation after just         resettlement of many of these          no other income.4
nine months, describing the move           people and that billions of taxpayer
                                           funds continue to be used to           The National Council is a
as a new low in the treatment of
                                           hold them offshore and in closed       signatory to the Refugee Council
asylum seekers and refugees by the
                                           detention in Australia.                of Australia’s Nobody Left Behind
Commonwealth Government.3
                                                                                  campaign demanding greater
Recently the Commonwealth                  Also, for many years the National      support to these vulnerable
Government has acknowledged that           Council has been advocating for        people.5 The campaign is focussed
COVID risks require the removal            people who came to Australia by        primarily on getting the JobSeeker
of some people from immigration            boat before July 2013 and who          payment, or equivalent, extended
detention in Australia, but its solution   have since suffered the unfair         to the roughly 100,000 people
is to move those it sees as a threat to    ‘fast track’ process. The Council      seeking asylum currently in
the community to Christmas Island.         condemns the uncertainty of            Australia, which includes around
The Society believes the simpler,          temporary protection visas and the     16,000 children and young people.
cheaper, safer and more humane             cuts in Government payments to         The Society has also provided
solution would be to release those         people on bridging visas. In April     ‘on the ground’ evidence of the
who are no risk to the community           this year the Council called on        impact of the Commonwealth

8   THE RECORD | WINTER 2020
Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
Government’s neglect of these           most of these people have had                 the Centre in Adelaide has seen
people at a Senate Committee            their access to Commonwealth                  a threefold demand for assistance
hearing in July.6 This campaign         support stopped, leaving them                 from people on temporary visas, the
has had an impact at the state and      with nothing unless they can find             majority of whom are on temporary
territory level, where most of these    work. The Refugee Council of                  bridging visas and not eligible
governments rightly see temporary       Australia estimates that there are            for either the JobSeeker or the
visa holders (including asylum          approximately 12,700 people in this           JobKeeper allowance.8
seekers) as part of our community       position in Australia at present. To
and so have provided some               make matters worse for this cohort,           Supporting People in
assistance to them.                     some of the bridging visas are only           Australian Detention
                                        issued for periods of three or six
The National Council is assisted                                                      Vincentians visit people in
in its advocacy by the Vincentian       months, after which an application
                                        for renewal needs to be made,                 immigration detention facilities
Refugee Network (VRN), a group                                                        across Australia. But the arrival of
of members and employees of             and some people have no current
                                        visa at all. It is very difficult to find     nearly 200 sick people from PNG
the Society from most states and                                                      and Nauru to Australia for medical
territories, who work to support        employment in these circumstances,’
                                        said Ms Wighton, who is also a                treatment posed a new challenge.
people who have sought Australia’s                                                    All of these people remain in locked
protection, but many of whom            member of the VRN.
                                                                                      detention, many for a year or
continue to be mis-treated by the       A further injustice of the ‘fast              more. Almost half are in makeshift
Commonwealth Government.                track’ process is that those who              accommodation at Kangaroo Point,
The remainder of the article gives      are successful and found to be                a suburb of Brisbane.
recent examples of that work.           refugees are only given temporary
                                        protection visas for three to                 Rebecca Lim is a Queensland
Supporting People in                                                                  member of the VRN, who has
                                        five years, rather than the safety
                                                                                      been working with people in PNG
Our Community                           of permanent protection. Ms
                                                                                      and Australian detention facilities
                                        Wighton said ‘of those who have
The Society supports many                                                             for many years, most recently in
                                        been able to find work, most of
refugees through its network of                                                       Brisbane since the end of 2018.
                                        the employment is casual, seasonal
parish-based conferences across                                                       Rebecca is part of a group of
                                        or part-time. Almost all have lost
Australia. But the more vulnerable                                                    15 people who volunteer their
                                        their jobs due to COVID and while
people need support from more                                                         professional services across a range
                                        eligible for JobSeeker, none is
specialist groups which Vinnies has     eligible JobKeeper.’ Since March                                      continued on page 10 
in several states and in the ACT. In
Adelaide the Society has established
the Vinnies Migrant and Refugee           Just as an example, I was talking           He has not been able to
Centre to do exactly that.                to an Iranian man aged in his               find another job, possessing
One of the key injustices of the          early thirties yesterday. Vinnies           only a temporary bridging visa.
Commonwealth Government’s                 has been helping him for a                  When we first had dealings with
treatment of people who sought            number of years now. He has                 this young man at Vinnies, he
Australia’s protection arriving by        been in Australia since 2013 and            was very personable, confident
boat is the ‘fast track’ process          managed to find full-time work              and full of plans for the future.
described recently by Claire Victory,     for several years. He was able to           Several years down the track, he
our National President as ‘unjust and     rent a nice house, buy a car and            has lost a significant amount of
unfair, including denying effective       was making friends at work and              weight and suffers from chronic
review of decisions on their refugee      in the community. However, he               depression. He has lost his
status determination’.7 The Adelaide      was denied refugee status under             confidence and is worried that,
Centre’s Chair, Henrietta Wighton,        the ‘fast-track’ process and his visa       even if he could find work, he
says the most vulnerable group are        was cancelled. He lost his job and          may do something ‘wrong’ and
people who are still involved with                                                    not be able to carry out his duties.
                                          his access to the SRSS payment
this process or who have had their                                                    Is this how we want to treat
                                          was stopped. He has had to rely
claims rejected by this process.                                                      people in Australia? ♦
                                          on friends and charities such as
‘These are the people who hold            Vinnies ever since in order to live.                       - Henrietta Wighton SA
temporary bridging visas only and

                                                                         S T V I N C E N T D E PA U L S O C I E T Y A U S T R A L I A   9
Winter 2020 - The Record | St Vincent de Paul Society
refugees | T I M M C K E N N A

continued from page 9

of disciplines including health,        The Refugee Council of Australia             COVID-19 case was detected in
migration services, community           has recently costed locked                   PNG. All the men I met had some
development and education.              detention at $350,000 annually               degree of mental illness, which
                                        per person. That’s $70 million per           cannot be treated in PNG, because
Rebecca and her colleagues
                                        year for the two hundred people              the cause of their illness is the
provide practical support including
                                        still locked in detention after being        seven years of incarceration there.
the provision of sim cards and
                                        transferred for medical treatment
material aid as needed. This group                                                   Men with serious physical
                                        last year. By contrast detention in
is the first port of call for the men   the community costs less than a              conditions that require evacuation
when they arrive in Queensland.         third of that and issuing them with          to Australia, but which is now
Ms Lim said ‘all the people are very    a bridging visa reduces the costs to         highly unlikely with the repeal of
unwell. They stay in their rooms        only $10,000 annually person.12              the Medevac legislation. So once
for most of the day. Counselling                                                     again, the men must rely on the
                                        ‘This indefinite detention is no             inadequate medical system that
is offered by tele-health due           plan for a safe future for these
to COVID, and the men are                                                            generated the 2018 emergency and
                                        people. Suggesting people who                which required evacuation of many
disengaging. Many are displaying        are refugees return home is not a
signs of resignation syndrome.                                                       of their friends in 2019.
                                        plan and many of them have been
They have no hope of a resolution.      rejected by the US. So what is the           Safety is also a concern to all
We’ve seen notes from men that          Commonwealth Government’s plan               the men. There have been many
show the environment of indefinite      for them?’, Ms Lim asked.                    robberies and assaults when they
detention is contributing to their                                                   leave their accommodation. And
deteriorating mental health.’           Supporting People Held                       of course, they were and still are
‘Because of COVID-19 restrictions       Offshore                                     concerned about COVID-19 in a
all visits have stopped and calls                                                    country with little capability to
have been made for the men to be        There are number of Australian               detect the disease or to treat it.
moved to safer accommodation in         community groups supporting
                                                                                     I was most concerned about
the community with family or with       the people still held offshore in
                                        PNG and Nauru. Vincentians are               the many men who have been
community members who have                                                           rejected by the US. After seven
offered them accommodation,’            also involved in this work. I work
                                        through a Canberra group, Manus              years the Commonwealth
she said.                                                                            Government still has no plan for
                                        Lives Matter.
The Human Rights Commission9                                                         their safe resettlement. ♦
and infectious disease experts10        Through this work I visited PNG
support the release of detainees        several times, the last time in              Dr Tim Mckenna is Chair of the Vincentian
into suitable housing in the            March this year, just before the first       Refugee Network.
community if they do not pose a
significant security or health risk.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman               1. www.vinnies.org.au/page/Our_Impact/            from COVID-19 evidence provided at
                                            Asylum_Seekers_Migrants_Refugees/              Parliamentary Inquiry (Sub No. 258).
also supports reduction in the                                                             See also Catholic News article.
numbers of people held in                2. Seven years on – hundreds of asylum
                                            seekers caught in Australian purgatory   7.    thesoutherncross.org.au/
immigration detention facilities to         – what is the plan? SVDP National              news/2020/07/31/call-for-end-to-unjust-
address COVID-19 risks.11                   Council media release 17 July 2020.            process/
                                         3. Medevac legislation repeal. SVDP         8.    Ibid.
Ms Lim asked ‘why is the                    National Council media release           9.    humanrights.gov.au/about/news/
department choosing detention               4 December 2019.                               media-releases/statement-christmas-
over other temporary options in          4. Support Asylum Seekers and Refugees            island-immigration-detention
the community that are better and           in face of COVID-19. SVDP National       10.   www.asid.net.au/documents/item/1868
cheaper? People can be in the               Council media release. 3 April 2020.     11.   www.ombudsman.gov.au/__data/
                                            Media release was issued in the lead
community while their resettlement          up to Palm Sunday when, traditionally,
                                                                                           assets/pdf_file/0013/111235/1-July-
                                                                                           2020-Statement-by-the-Commonwealth-
is resolved. The Government is              rallies are organised.                         Ombudsman-Michael-Manthorpe-on-
choosing to spend a fortune on           5. www.refugeecouncil.org.au/open-                the-management-of-COVID-19-risks-in-
hotel detention when that money             letter-covid/ 5 May 2020.                      immigration-detention-facilities.pdf.
could go on other more important         6. 1 July 2020. The Age. Record 1.4         12.   www.refugeecouncil.org.au/operation-
things such as aged care and                million relying on food charity as             sovereign-borders-offshore-detention-
                                            recession bites. Includes citation             statistics/6/
nursing,’ she said.

10   THE RECORD | WINTER 2020
dignified living

Prime Minister urged to explore options
for long term relief for unemployed

N        ational Council CEO Toby
         oConnor wrote to the
         Prime Minister in July, prior
to the economic update, drawing
attention to the plight of many
Australians affected by the COVID-19
Pandemic and the long-term impact
on Australian society, focussing
particularly on income support.
He noted that in the face of the
current considerations about the
future of JobKeeper and JobSeeker,
the St Vincent de Paul Society in
Australia strongly recommends that
the Federal Government establishes       payment match existing aged and
an expert panel to advise the            disability pensions (an additional             We’ve heard lots of reports from
Government on revisions to Social        $370 per fortnight).                           our members about the fact
Security payment rates that were                                                        that people who have not had
                                         He acknowledged the Federal
originally designed to keep people                                                      the money previously through
                                         Government’s, swift and decisive
out of poverty.                                                                         Newstart have been able to
                                         action to lift people’s incomes
                                                                                        actually pay bills, get to medical
In summary, he said an                   during the onset of the pandemic
                                         and noted that our members have                and dental appointments, put
independent panel of experts                                                            food on the table, sort out rego
who could set and realistically          reported the success of these
                                         measures across metropolitan and               for cars etc. I think they’ve
index payments would provide the
                                         regional communities.                          really appreciated that higher
foundation for reflecting society’s
                                                                                        amount. We would see this as
expectations that payments are fair,     He emphasised that our people                  an opportunity between now
equitable and sufficient to meet         on the ground see daily evidence               and the end of December when
basic needs.                             in the turnaround in the lives of              job seeker may get reviewed
Predictions about the expected rate      people who have received the
                                                                                        again to call on the Government
of unemployment continue to climb        higher level of financial support,
                                                                                        to appoint an expert panel so
and we know there is currently           and those who received access
                                                                                        that we can actually look at this
only one job for every 13 people         to accommodation and wrap-
                                         around services since the advent               in an objective manner to see
on Newstart or Youth Allowance.                                                         where Newstart or JobSeeker
                                         of COVID-19.
Recent analysis shows that only a                                                       should sit when we get back to
quarter of pre-COVID jobs have           He urged the Federal                           business as usual sometime in
been reinstated to date and the          Government to take advantage                   2021 or even 2022. ♦
hours available for work have            of this opportunity to convert the
                                         temporary relief into enduring                 - Toby oConnor ABC News 24
significantly diminished.
                                         reform with enormous social
Until the panel is established,          and economic benefits and he                   For a series of community polls
                                                                                        conducted on the effects of COVID-19,
JobKeeper should be maintained           offered the Society’s insight and              refer to the ANU’s Centre for Social
and either the current JobSeeker         expertise to help explore solutions            Research and Methods, COVID-19
rate should be retained (an              with the Prime Minister and his                publications.
additional $560 per fortnight) or the    relevant ministers. ♦

  Vinnies welcomes extension of JobKeeper payments but questions equity
  The St Vincent de Paul Society’s National Council         delivered their economic update, but warned that the
  has welcomed the extension of the JobSeeker and           principles of equity and fairness must not be put to
  JobKeeper programs by the Prime Minister Scott            one side in the face of this economic crisis. ♦
  Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg as they            Read the media release here.

                                                                      S T V I N C E N T D E PA U L S O C I E T Y A U S T R A L I A   11
dignified living

People need enough to live on and
a place to call home

T      he St Vincent de Paul
       Society’s National Council
       has called on the Federal
Government to maintain JobSeeker
and JobKeeper until an expert
                                          during the pandemic are new
                                          and have not accessed charitable
                                          assistance before.
                                          ‘They include young people,
                                                                                    • an exemption for charities
                                                                                      from the $50 million turnover
                                                                                      limit for the application
                                                                                      of the code of conduct
                                          people living with disability,              for small and medium
group has been established to                                                         enterprises commercial
                                          people on temporary visas,
provide advice on payment rates                                                       leasing principles;
                                          people in casual employment and
that keep people out of poverty.
                                          international students,’ he said.         • national minimum standards
Either the current JobSeeker rate                                                     for renters and landlords for
                                          ‘Service models have changed
should be retained (an additional                                                     managing tenancy issues;
                                          significantly in response to the
$560 per fortnight) or the payment
                                          pandemic, with an increased online        • access to medical treatment
should match existing aged and
                                          presence and virtual/contactless            and Medicare and a financial
disability pensions (an additional
                                          support being provided,’ he said.           safety net for people
$370 per fortnight) but people
should not be forced back to the          In its submission, the Society also         seeking asylum;
old Newstart rates.                       called for:                               • bipartisan support to
In its submission to the Senate           • flexible approach to contract             develop a national anti-
Select Committee on COVID-19                administration during the                 racism strategy;
and the Australian Government’s             pandemic;
                                                                                    • emergency exemptions and
response to the pandemic,                 • suspension of the next stage of           provisions to be included in
the Society also called for an              tax cuts and exploration of other         the Commonwealth Grant
investment of at least $7.7 billion         tax options, such as a review of          Rules and Guidelines and the
into social housing.                        the GST and superannuation laws;          Commonwealth Procurement
National Council CEO, Toby                • development of a national                 Rules.
oConnor said that the turnaround            housing affordability and               • a review of the fundraising
in the lives of people who have             homelessness strategy;                    laws by the Australian Law
received the higher level of
                                          • investment in better                      Reform Commission as they
financial support, and those who
received access to accommodation            energy efficiency and                     are no longer fit for purpose.
and wrap-around services, form              energy management and the                 The committee is due to
part of the silver lining to come out       Healthy & Affordable Homes:               report by 30 June 2022. A
of the pandemic.                            National low-income energy                copy of the Submission is
                                            productivity program;                     available on the St Vincent
Speaking specifically about the                                                       de Paul website. ♦
impact of the pandemic on                 • processes that increase the
service demand and the Society’s            uptake of state energy
response, Mr oConnor said that in           concessions for gas, water,             Read the SVDP submission here.
general, people seeking support             electricity and council rates;          Read the SVDP media release here.

     Report on Adequacy of Newstart provides a blueprint for reform
     St Vincent de Paul Society National Council CEO          line in Australia and support people into the benefits
     Toby oConnor has urged the Federal Government to         of fuller participation in the Australian economy,’ Mr
     seriously consider the recommendations outlined in       oConnor said.
     the Federal Parliament’s Community Affairs References    ‘The much higher rate of Jobseeker paid in response
     Committee’s report on its Inquiry into the Adequacy of   to the COVID-19 pandemic recognises that the low
     Newstart and Other Related Payments.                     rate of Newstart is not acceptable to the Australian
                                                              community at a time when more people are moving
     ‘If implemented collectively, the 27 recommendations     into unemployment. ♦
     in the report would make a significant difference to
     the lives of many people living below the poverty        Read the SVDP media release here.

12     THE RECORD | WINTER 2020
dignified living

HomeBuilder package misses the mark

T       he St Vincent de Paul
        Society National Council
        acknowledges the
leadership of the Prime Minister
and the National Cabinet in
                                         Housing Fund and the development
                                         of a National Housing Plan.
                                         ‘We’ve been going backwards on
                                         the social housing front for the
                                                                                    and have lined up building and
                                                                                    maintenance projects that are
                                                                                    ready to go. All we need is the
                                                                                    funds. We know we can’t do
                                                                                    this alone but, together, with
                                         last 15 to 20 years. No national
continuing to steer Australia                                                       governments, industry, the
                                         government has demonstrated
through the COVID-19 pandemic.                                                      private sector and other charities,
                                         leadership. Right now, there’s
We particularly praise the Prime                                                    we can make this happen,’ said
                                         an estimated shortfall of at least
Minister for looking after many                                                     Mr oConnor.
                                         438,000 dwellings and that’s before
low-income people by providing
                                         the anticipated COVID-19 recession         ‘The Society believes housing is
additional safety nets during
                                         fully hits and unemployment peaks          a human right and would like
these times.
                                         in the next few months,’ said              to see all governments agree to
However, the Society expresses           Mr oConnor.                                halve the rates of homelessness
disappointment that not one cent                                                    and housing shortfalls by 2025.
                                         ‘The Society is especially
of the Australian Government’s                                                      ‘Action was taken during the
                                         concerned about the welfare of
$688million HomeBuilder package                                                     global financial crisis to build
                                         those who have been temporarily
will go towards strengthening social                                                20,000 new social housing units
                                         housed but are likely to end up
housing. Investing in social housing                                                and renovate existing social
                                         back on the streets if nothing is
would have delivered long-term                                                      housing.
                                         done to address the affordable
goodwill beyond the pandemic.
                                         housing shortage. ‘We believe the          ‘If we could do it then, we can
The package, which is restricted to      Government can do better.                  do it now. We remain optimistic
substantial renovations and requires                                                our leaders will do the right thing
                                         ‘It can boost economic activity in
recipients to spend at least $150,000,                                              and commit funds to address the
                                         the building sector and address the
also fails low-income home-owners.                                                  housing shortage,’ said
                                         chronic shortage of social housing
National Council CEO Toby                                                           Mr oConnor. ♦
                                         at the same time,’ said Mr oConnor.
oConnor said that the Society has
been advocating for the last four        ‘We and other social housing               The Society’s 2016 Ache for Home report
years for a Social and Affordable        organisations have land available          is accessible here.

                                                                     S T V I N C E N T D E PA U L S O C I E T Y A U S T R A L I A   13
covid-19 | B A O N G U Y E N

COVID-19 Youth Initiative Victoria

BY BAO NGUYEN

T        he global COVID-19
         pandemic has changed
         our way of life. When the
restrictions were put in place by
the Government in the State of
Victoria, our organisation had to
adapt its services in order to keep
serving those most vulnerable in
our communities. As a result of
these restrictions, all child-related
activities have been put on hold.
One might think that our Youth
Conferences (aka Young Vinnies)
would go on a hiatus during this
time but for a few of us, that
simply was not the case. You see,
the truth is, Young Vincentians in
Victoria do not know how to be
quiet. We are a vibrant bunch, full
of enthusiasm and always willing         initiative to purchase / source        out and got in touch with our
to serve but how do you put your         material goods (such as books,         local families who we serve. Part
faith into action during a global        toys, board games, sporting            of our processes were to call the
pandemic? The answer is, we had          equipment etc) and have these          parents over the phone before
to innovate and adapt like many          items delivered to children            we would go out and purchase
people to face the challenges in         who are serviced by our Youth          the items and deliver them
this new kind of world we are            Conferences (Young Vinnies) in         because we wanted to add more
living in.                               Victoria. The aim of this initiative   of a personalised touch. So, we
                                         is to assist families in providing     would call the parents to have a
Nicole and I both share the role
                                         their children with resources to       conversation with them, check in
of State Youth Representatives
                                         occupy them at home during             and see how their family is going
in the St Vincent de Paul Society
                                         the current restrictions due to        and let them know that we are
Victoria and we wanted to find a
                                         COVID-19.                              thinking of them during this time.
way to encourage our members
to continue to serve those most          Thanks to the endorsement of           Many of the parents contacted
vulnerable in our communities in         State Council, we were able to         were able to provide insight into
a manner that is safe, especially        encourage our Youth Conferences        what they think their child would
during the COVID-19 outbreak. We         (Young Vinnies) to take the            benefit from when trying to cope
both also knew deep down that we         opportunity to participate with        with COVID-19 restrictions. The
simply could not neglect the kids        the COVID-19 Youth Initiative          information was used to go out
who regularly attend our activities.     funded by our State Youth Team         and purchase the personalised
We knew they would be doing              and we allocated a budget to           items for the children. Once we
it tough because many of our             each conference to spend on the        purchased the items, whether
families are already at risk of facing   participants who are part of our       online or at the local department,
challenges associated with loss          programs.                              we then deliver the items to the
of employment, isolation, mental                                                family home.
                                         However, simply encouraging our
health issues, domestic violence                                                At each child’s home, gifts
                                         conferences throughout Victoria
and homeschooling, just to name                                                 were left on the doorstep in
                                         to partake in this initiative wasn’t
a few.                                                                          accordance with social distancing
                                         enough and we just had to get
So, on Saturday March 30th, 2020,        involved ourselves. Luckily for        requirements. The look of joy on
we both put forward a proposal           the two of us, we both belonged        their faces when they accepted
to State Council of Victoria, to         to the same conference and             their gifts was priceless. Both
allow Youth & Special Works              with the help of three of our          parents and children were
Conferences to undertake an              conference members, we all went        grateful and the conversations

14   THE RECORD | WINTER 2020
Canberra Goulburn Vinnies Youth
                                              Members on the Front Line

shared touched our hearts. A few              B Y G W E N D O LY N G O O N             to check-in with the youngies.

                                              I
of the parents opened up about                                                         In addition, 22 oldies delivered
their daily struggles and how their                t has certainly been a very         over 300 activity packs in the
children’s mental health and self-                 different experience for            last few months to more than
esteem suffered because they were                  everyone involved in the            85 families. An oldie, Laura
struggling with homeschooling. A              Youth Programs this year. Three          even took the extra mile to
few children / teens with special             summer camps in January were             drive an hour to deliver several
needs were severely challenged                cancelled due to the bushfires,          activity packs to youngies
with home schooling to the point              and all holiday camps and                in Yass, NSW. Each pack
where a few parents reached                   weekend activities have been             contained instructions and
a breaking point emotionally,                 put on hold since mid-March              resources for various activities
spiritually and mentally because              due to COVID-19. Nonetheless,            such as arts and crafts, science
they just didn’t know how to                  our Youth Conferences continue           experiments, baking and
support their child. At the end               to find creative ways to stay            gardening. On top of that,
of the day, not every parent is a             engaged with our youngies                the oldies even made video
school teacher.                               (young people in our programs)           tutorials on the activities!
                                              and oldies (youth members
Despite hearing all sorts of                                                              It was so worth it to see the
                                              and volunteers) to provide the
struggles from the families there                                                         kids excited about the packs
                                              much-needed support during
was a silver lining where one                                                             and the family being so
                                              these unprecedented times.
particular mother stated over the                                                         thankful.
phone “You called me at the right             The Youth Programs in                                              - Oldie
time and despite having challenges            Canberra/Goulburn consist of
                                                                                          Thank you so much for the
of moving house, working from                 St Joe’s, VINES and St Nick’s,
                                                                                          packs, we are struggling so
home, caring for kids with special            and the primary goal of the
                                                                                          much being in lockdown still
needs and homeschooling, God                  programs is to provide access
                                                                                          especially as we’re all high
works in mysterious ways, your                to respite and recreation to
                                                                                          risk and both Marcus* and his
phone call has certainly put a smile          approximately 300 young
                                                                                          sister, Katie* have autism. The
on my face and no doubt the kids              people between 6 and 17 years
                                                                                          packs really lightened up the
would be happy to see you! Oh                 old. With most public facilities
                                                                                          kids especially Katie!
and of course, at a distance!”.               and schools closed during the
                                                                                              - Parent of a young carer
                                              COVID-19 restrictions, families
When Frederic Ozanam and his                  have indicated the need for              As the oldies continue to
friend went out to gather firewood            additional support to engage             support the youngies, we
and deliver it to a person in                 the young people at home.                want to ensure that they are
need, it was not just about giving            There were also mental health            looking after themselves. The
the firewood but more about                   concerns, especially for young           Youth Conferences continue
the conversation he had with                  carers who have additional               to meet virtually, in addition
the person receiving it. For our              responsibilities caring for a            to social catchups and self-
COVID-19 Youth Initiative, that               family member during the                 care training sessions. The
principle did not change. Although            pandemic. Hence, during our              first Youth Programs monthly
from the outside, it may have                 regular Youth Conference                 eNewsletter was also launched
seemed like we were just going out            meeting, the members came up             in April to keep volunteers
buying gifts for the children, it was         with alternative engagement              updated with program changes
actually more than that. It was all           opportunities to maintain                and to share positive stories.
about having a conversation with a            support for the youngies.                With restrictions eased in the
family going through a tough time             Families were able to opt-in if          ACT, we are in the process of
and as for the gifts for the kids?            they wanted to participate in            putting together a COVID-19
Well… just an act of kindness. ♦              online activities and receive            Safety Plan for Youth
                                              activity packs delivered to their        Programs, with the plan to
Bao Nguyen is the State Youth                 doorsteps.                               resume face-to-face activities
Representative for the St Vincent de Paul                                              in August. ♦
Society in Victoria.                          The oldies organised online
                                              watch parties, trivia, and catch-
                                                                                       Gwendolyn Goon is Manager Youth
This article was first published by Council   up sessions via Zoom, and put            and Young Adults, St Vincent de Paul
General International on 25 June 2020.        together weekly video messages           Society Canberra/Goulburn.

                                                                     S T V I N C E N T D E PA U L S O C I E T Y A U S T R A L I A   15
reflection | S R T H E R E S E H AY W O O D D C

The Call to Flexibility

BY SR THERESE
   H AY W O O D D C

T      hese words of scripture
       that have been on my
       mind lately:
 Do not remember the former
 things or consider the things of
 old. I am about to do a new thing;
 now it springs forth, do you not
 perceive it? (Isa 43:18-19)
They come to me because it
seems that we are in times of great
change. They remind me that
everything changes but that God
is in all the changes. These current
times of uncertainty and challenge
seem to be calling me to greater
flexibility. There are many changes
large and small in my life right now
and I know that I am not alone. We      When I reflect upon these words,       things that have challenged us
are fortunate that we have a great      I think of these women who were        to be creative and flexible in our
tradition to draw upon to help us       involved in a new form of religious    approaches and to find new ways
cope with these challenges.             life and were being sent away          to do things that had been parts
                                        from their home-towns at a time        of our routine before. I have been
St Louise counselled the early          in which travel was not common. I      inspired by the flexibility and
Daughters of Charity about the          particularly take to heart the words   adaptability in our members, staff
need to be adaptable to change. In      ‘changes can and must occur’,          and volunteers who have risen
fact, there is among her writings a     rarely were truer words spoken. We     to the challenge of continuing to
specific piece on this topic.           can struggle with changes, yet they    serve people in need by finding
 The first reason that obliges the      are a part of each day of our lives.   new ways to do this.
 Daughters of Charity to accept         Of course, it takes time to adapt to
                                        changes but what can trip us up        In the midst of all these challenges,
 changes of place, persons and                                                 it is important to care for ourselves
 duties is the respect that they owe    is if we resist them. I don’t know
                                        about you, but I can sometimes         and those around us. These words
 to the example of the Son of God                                              of Jesus have been keeping me
 who acted in this way.                 waste energy wishing that certain
                                        changes hadn’t happened. The           company in recent days.
 The second is that such changes        wisdom of scripture and Louise           ‘Come to me, all you who labour
 can and must occur. If they are        remind me to be patient and work         and are overburdened, and I
 not accepted, we shall never enjoy     on accepting the changes as an           will give you rest. Shoulder my
 the peace of soul that is essential    important part of my life.               yoke and learn from me, for I
 if we are to please God and to                                                  am gentle and humble in heart,
 accomplish His holy will.              In another place, St Louise wrote:
                                                                                 and you will find rest for your
 The third reason is that the sisters    You are well aware that changes         souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my
 must take into consideration            are always difficult, and that          burden light.’ (Matt11:28-30)
 the difficulties that Superiors         it takes time to learn new ways
                                         of serving the poor skilfully         We are not alone; we have God
 encounter in. trying to please                                                and each other. ♦
                                         and well.2
 everyone; in finding Daughters
 of Charity to send to serve the        Someone the other day posed the        1. Spiritual Writings of St Louise, 813-814.
 poor in places where they have         question “what have you done           2. Spiritual Writings of St Louise, 385
 been requested; in trying to avoid     in 2020 that you would not have
 the many inconveniences that           imagined in 2019?” For all of us       Sr Therese Haywood is National Council
 may arise.1                            I am sure that there are many          Spiritual Adviser St Vincent de Paul Society.

16   THE RECORD | WINTER 2020
members at work

Our Members in WA Thinking Outside
the Square: Car Boot Food Appeal

B Y D E A N N A WA T S O N             easily achievable and set about            In just over two weeks, the

A
                                       initially promoting it through the         organisation, promotion and
        chance conversation,           local Catholic Primary School and          execution of the car boot food
        the efforts and skills of      Parish community. The message              appeal by Greenwood Conference
        Greenwood Conference           gathered momentum and spread               members resulted in a replenished
members, a network of community        further afield through emails to           pantry which is vitally important
support and the reach of social        friends, and through social media          for food relief for families during
media was all that was needed          to neighbouring community                  the pandemic. The community
to help meet the needs of the          groups. What Conference members            response to the appeal was also
community during COVID-19.             and volunteers were then greeted           outstanding because many of
Covering areas in the northern         with on the two Saturday mornings          the donors were they themselves
suburbs of Perth, Greenwood            collections, was more than 245 cars        affected by the economic effects
Conference regularly delivers          filled with boot loads of food and
                                                                                  from COVID-19.
food hampers to many clients           pantry donations.
experiencing hardship in the                                                      “Vinnies has a very good reputation
                                       Unsure how the venture might go,
community. Earlier in the year,                                                   of helping so the trick is to get the
                                       Allan Rose, Joondalup/Wanneroo
their usually well-stocked pantry                                                 message out to the community
                                       Regional Council President said he
was slowly being depleted due          was amazed by the response.                because the community really does
to demand.                                                                        want to help,” said Allan.
                                       “The generosity from people with
When the impact of COVID-19                                                       With the success from Greenwood
                                       their donations was quite incredible
began, restrictions to food supplies                                              Conference’s car boot food appeal,
                                       considering we had only promoted
meant that replenishing the pantry                                                two other conferences, Woodvale
was becoming a challenge. One          it for such a short time and due to
                                                                                  and Wanneroo also adopted the
suggestion put forward was to          government restrictions in place
                                                                                  idea and several weeks later ran
hold a car boot food appeal            such as social distancing. But
                                                                                  equally successful collections. ♦
whereby people could drop off          people showed such wonderful
donated food items. Conference         community spirit by being able to
                                                                                  Deanna Watson is Communication and
members soon realised that this        contribute and to be involved in           Content Developer St Vincent de Paul
idea could be something that was       such a worthy cause.”                      Society in WA.

                                                                   S T V I N C E N T D E PA U L S O C I E T Y A U S T R A L I A   17
safeguarding | J U D I T H T O K L E Y

Vinnies adopts National Catholic
Safeguarding Standards

BY JUDITH TOKLEY                     the Catholic Church, to ensure a           ‘We welcome this new resource

S
                                     nationally consistent approach to          and look forward to working
      t Vincent de Paul Society’s    the protection of children and other       with Catholic Professional
      National Council has           vulnerable people. The National            Standards Ltd as they
      signed up to the National      Catholic Safeguarding Standards            commence their auditing and
Catholic Safeguarding Standards,     set out 10 standards providing the         reporting processes.
ensuring a nationally consistent     framework for Catholic Church
                                     entities to build child-safe cultures      ‘We will be inviting the states
approach to the safety of children
                                     and to advance the safety of children      and territories to establish a
and vulnerable people across
                                     across the Catholic Church in              national working group in
the Society.
                                     Australia.                                 order for us to progress this
National Council President,                                                     initiative and to learn how to
Claire Victory said the safety of    The Standards take into account the        work towards a harmonised
companions, members, volunteers,     guidance of the Royal Commission           approach from practices
staff and the general public has     into Institutional Responses to Child      presently in place. We now
always been central to state,        Sexual Abuse and the National              need to embark on some
territory and national council       Principles of Child Safe Organisations     significant work together to
governance practices with rigorous   adopted by the Council of Australian       ensure the Society is a safe
standards and practices in place.    Governments early last year. ‘Serving      organisation for vulnerable
                                     some of the most vulnerable                people,” Ms Victory said. ♦
The National Catholic Safeguarding   people in our communities through
Standards now provide a              relationships of trust and respect is at   Judith Tokley is National
comprehensive set of principles,     the heart of the Vincentian mission,’      Communications Director, St Vincent
some of which are specific to        Ms Victory said.                           de Paul Society National Council.

18   THE RECORD | WINTER 2020
S A M A N T H A H I L L | reflection

QUEENSLAND VINNIES

Leadership in Challenging and Changing
Times: Modelling Vincentian Spirituality
BY SAMANTHA HILL

I   n these unusual times all of us,
    but particularly our Society’s
    leaders are called to draw upon
our spirituality and charism for
inspiration and motivation.
In times of challenge and change
our leaders are guided by our
mission of living the gospel
message by serving Christ in
the poor as they respond to the
practicalities of meeting increasing
and varied needs, at the coalface
where people are seeking help
often for the first time.
Our leaders, across all levels of the
Society, are asked to be shepherds,
pastors and living missionary
disciples in all areas of their life
in order to lead authentically.
They are challenged to be living
examples of our founders and
patrons who modelled for us what
it meant to be radical, visionary
and socially responsible in the
times in which they lived.
St Vincent de Paul and Frederic
Ozanam were both effective
leaders of their times, encountering
and ministering to the people of        founders, they are responding to           or indirectly with those who come
France and Paris. We read in their      the needs around them and taking           to us seeking assistance, first and
prolific letters and communications     a stand on behalf of the people            foremost have answered a call
how they both lived extremely           who have been left behind.                 to serve.
busy lives between ministry, study,
accompanying companions, raising        We have seen a strong national             Our future directions are discerned
awareness and serving the poor.         response to the COVID pandemic             with a clear vision and dedication
                                        and to the impact of drought and           towards best service to people
They were both looked up to as          bushfires. The Society’s leaders           experiencing disadvantage, concern
leaders and used this platform to       have taken calculated risks in the         for social justice, and work towards
network, ask favours and educate        interests of the most vulnerable           the eradication of poverty.
wider society on social injustices.     people, while balancing the
They identified and attracted                                                      While our leaders are responsible
                                        organisations strategic and                for a diverse range of services for
people from all over who were           financial sustainability.
committed to serving others                                                        people from all walks of life in
and had a dedication to social          We continue our founders’ tenacity         metropolitan, regional and remote
transformation and making               as we put people first. When               communities, they are united by a
a difference in the world,              relationships are strong and people        commitment to make a difference
especially in the lives of people       feel involved, morale is high and          in society. That is right now,
living with poverty.                    good things happen.                        tomorrow and for many years
                                                                                   to come. ♦
Our current leaders are                 Relationships are key to our
demonstrating their commitment,         presence in local communities. Our         Samantha Hill is Director of Mission St
creativity and agility. Just like our   leaders, whether engaged directly          Vincent de Paul Society in Queensland.

                                                                    S T V I N C E N T D E PA U L S O C I E T Y A U S T R A L I A   19
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