2008

THE McCOSKER ORATION

Rydges South Bank, Brisbane

Monday 13 October 2008 

Monsignor David Cappo AO
Vice Chair Australian Social Inclusion Board, Vicar General Archdiocese of Adelaide, Commissioner for Social Inclusion South Australia.

On Monday 13th October, Monsignor David Cappo AO Vice Chair Australian Social Inclusion Board, Vicar General Archdiocese of Adelaide, Commissioner for Social Inclusion South Australia (pictured left), presented the McCosker Oration at the Annual Conference of Catholic Social Services Australia in Brisbane.

In his delivery Monsignor Cappo said social inclusion is about giving people the opportunity to experience a fulfilling life through participation in the economic and social life of the community. The keys to participation are education, health and work.

Experience in South Australia shows that people who are the most vulnerable in one sphere tend to be vulnerable in others. Problems such as childhood neglect or trauma, low educational attainment, joblessness and low income often overlap.

Problems tend to be deeply interconnected and joined-up problems demand joined-up solutions. Fragmented responses are not only a waste of money, they don't work.
We need a ‘people first' approach to social inclusion - a multi-disciplinary approach that integrates services rather than just coordinating them. South Australia's Social Inclusion Unit attempts to do this by using the authority of the Premier to cut across departments to join up solutions and to monitor and evaluate implementation.

South Australia's efforts to reduce rough sleeper homelessness is one example of the approach in action. Over 10 government departments and particular agencies were brought together in the one plan and the one budget, all designed by the Social Inclusion Initiative and steered though Cabinet. An assertive engagement plan focussing on particular subpopulations and intervening at key transition points was at the heart of bringing government and the community sector together.

As a result, South Australia is the only state that had a reduction in rough sleeper homelessness in the last census while the average national increase was 19%.
Looking to the future, the global financial crisis means that government budgets will be more restrictive and the competition for funding will be fiercer. Governments which handle this crisis in a constructive way will shift resources away from programs which don't work to those that do. Catholic Social Services Australia needs to help governments to do this.

Monsignor Cappo's presentation was enthusiastically received by all present.  A full copy of the presentation is available here.