Centacare Australia
Better Deal for Charities on FBT Exemptions
Centacare Australia expressed optimism following Cabinet discussions yesterday about future Fringe Benefit Tax exemptions for charities. Under earlier proposals charities would be limited to $17,000 of grossed up annual salary per employee. This limit will severely curtail the ability of charities to attract and maintain appropriately qualified individuals to perform a range of managerial and service delivery activities.
Mr Toby O'Connor, Executive Secretary of Centacare Australia, said "Over the past eight months, the charitable sector has informed the Government of the negative effects of restricting the exemption to $17,000 of grossed up salary. The charitable welfare organisations of the Catholic Church are hopeful that the Government will assist charities by increasing the limit of the exemption above $17,000 p.a."
Catholic Joint Liaison Group on Child Migration - CATHOLIC CHURCH’S CHILD MIGRANT APOLOGY
Two peak bodies within the Catholic Church today issued a public apology to all men and women who suffered because of their experiences as child migrants brought to Catholic institutions in Australia (text of Apology attached).
The Joint Liaison Group On Child Migration, representing the Committee on Migrants and Refugees of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, and the Executive of the Australian Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes, made the apology at the Senate Community Affairs References Committee Inquiry into Child Migration.
The Convenor of the Joint Liaison Group, Br. Tony Shanahan, said that all parties involved in child migration, from governments down, should acknowledge that the concept of migrating unaccompanied children halfway around the world, resulting in separation from homeland and family ties, was flawed and has resulted in suffering and dislocation in the lives of many.
Centacare Australia launches new Web Site
Today, the Chairperson of Centacare Australia, Mr David Beaver, launched the new Web site for Centacare Australia.
"I am pleased to announce the establishment of a new permanent Internet Web site for Centacare Australia the national network of Catholic social service agencies. This site will provide information to the public about the services offered by the Member Agencies of Centacare Australia" he said.
"Considerable development has been undertaken to ensure the site is both eye catching and functional for the public and the Centacare Australia membership.
Centacare Australia welcomes CSP Tender announcement
Centacare Australia’s Executive Secretary, Mr Toby O’Connor welcomed the announcement of tender results for the Federal Government’s Community Support Programme (CSP).
"Centacare Australia is pleased to have been offered an increase in business as a result of this latest round of government tendering", Mr O’Connor said today.
"However, we remain concerned at the outcome of the tender in that a number of Centacare Australia sites in rural and regional areas have received very low offers for CSP placements. At this time, some of these offers look financially unviable", Mr O’Connor said.
Centacare Employment - Open for Business
Centacare Employment, one of the top ten Job Network employment service providers, is open for business nationally.
Mr David Beaver, Chair of Centacare Australia Ltd said that the organisation’s staff had been enthusiastically awaiting the commencement of the second Job Network contract on 28 February 2000.
Centacare Employment was one of the success stories of the recently completed Job Network tender, winning a significant increase in business for its national network of employment services. "Our services will operate from 26 full-time sites with part-time services being offered at 5 additional outreach sites" Mr Beaver said.
Centacare Employment – Good News for Business and Employers
Centacare Employment, one of the top ten Job Network employment service providers, is open for business nationally and ready to accept vacancies from employers.
Mr David Beaver, Chair of Centacare Australia Ltd said that the organisation’s staff had been enthusiastically awaiting the commencement of the second Job Network contract on 28 February 2000.
Centacare Employment was one of the success stories of the recently completed Job Network tender, winning a significant increase in business for its national network of employment services. "Our services will operate from 26 full-time sites with part-time services being offered at 5 additional outreach sites" Mr Beaver said.
Centacare questions welfare report motives
Centacare Australia has seriously questioned the integrity of a new report from a new Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) report that attacks the way Australia’s churches deliver welfare services that use government money.
Executive Secretary of Centacare Australia Toby O’Connor says the report, Playing with Fire, adds nothing to the debate on church-state relations: "It seems the CIS is actively seeking to exclude churches from any involvement in providing services to the Australian community.
"I feel CIS wants to replace churches with for-profit providers whose main aim is the bottom line – more dividends to shareholders rather than reinvest in local communities.
Joint Media release - Score! Churches team up to ‘give poverty the boot’!
UnitingCare Australia, Anglicare Australia and Catholic Welfare Australia are lacing up their footy shoes for the launch of a national petition to ‘give poverty the boot’. The launch will be hosted by Rampaging Roy Slaven and HG Nelson today at the SCG.
The petition, organised by the National Coalition Against Poverty (NCAP), is endorsed by 79 organisations, including UnitingCare Australia, Anglicare Australia and Catholic Welfare Australia. Other supporting organisations are from the areas of welfare, community service, consumer rights, religious, disability, unions, housing, refugees, children’s rights and welfare, community legal centres, business, local government and the ethnic community.
Redefining ‘Mutual Obligation’: Is there Mutual Agreement?
The McClure Report provides solutions targeted at those who have not been able to benefit from the economic growth achieved by some sections of the Australian community. One solution advanced by McClure relies on broadening the application of mutual obligation as the major strategy to attack entrenched social exclusion.
Executive Secretary of Centacare Australia Toby O’Connor says: "Centacare Australia welcomes the Report’s attempt to redefine earlier punitive interpretations of the concept of ‘mutual obligation’. There appears to be a shift away from reliance of punitive measures towards a sharing of responsibility by all members in the social coalition: government, individuals, business, charities and local communities, to provide opportunities to those without adequate paid employment.
So is this what "Welfare Reform" means?
Whilst the Government is yet to formally respond to the McClure Report, the revelation of Centrelink’s formal referral of clients to the St Vincent de Paul Society should cause all Australians to question the Government’s ambitions for ‘welfare reform’.
The Minister for Family and Community Services has highlighted her desire to change the classification process of people with disability to help reduce welfare dependency. Is this code for even more Government referrals to charities such as St Vincent de Paul?
Executive Secretary of Centacare Australia Toby O’Connor said today: "Centacare Australia fears that the Government is determined to harden its punitive interpretations of the concept of ‘mutual obligation’. This punitive approach is a stark and unacceptable denial of the Government’s responsibility. It should be of great concern to every Australian, that the Government’s ‘doctrine’ of ‘mutual obligation’ relies so heavily upon agencies such as St Vincent de Paul.
Strong challenge on jobs to employers
Employers nationwide will be urged to do more to place disadvantaged job seekers during the launch of a major new employment campaign in Canberra today by peak national Catholic health and social welfare services body Centacare Australia.
Key speakers at the ‘Jubilee Jobs for the Future’ launch will be Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference President Archbishop Francis Carroll and Federal Minister for Employment Services Tony Abbott, who will launch the national campaign.
Today’s launch is the springboard for a series of regional campaigns across the nation over the coming months, in which Centacare Australia’s employment service, Centacare Employment, will challenge employers to think of jobs creation as an investment and a responsibility ¾ not merely as a cost.
