2005

THE McCOSKER ORATION

Doherty Ballarat Lodge

Wednesday 19th October 2005

Professor Julian Disney
National Chair, Anti-Poverty Week
& Director, Social Justice Project, UNSW

On Wednesday 19th October, Professor Julian Disney, National Chair Anti-Poverty Week and Director Social Justice Project, UNSW (pictured left), presented the McCosker Oration at the Annual Conference of Catholic Welfare Australia at Ballarat in Victoria.

In his delivery, which focused on issues associated with housing affordability, Professor Disney spoke of the crucial need for affordable housing of a reasonable standard, stating "without it, people are impoverished, families and communities eroded, jobs lost, the economy weakened and the environment damaged." He discussed the deteriorating transport systems and poor urban planning which is accompaninying Australia's creeping crisis of housing affordability. Professor Disney commented that without principled and far-sighted reforms, and major and sustained changes in government policy, the adverse impact of these issues will be much worse for our children and grandchildren.