Acknowledgements:

• Rev Raymond Heslehurst

• Indigenous owners


• Members of the Richard Johnson College community


• Distinguished guests

The College Motto :  “faith pursuing reason”  – is an interesting starting position isn’t it, when so many who would contemplate the topic of this evening’s lecture would come from the reverse position ‘reason pursuing faith’

It is a great honour to follow Peter Kell, one of the founders of the Richard Johnson College and CEO of Anglicare Sydney, who gave the 2009 lecture. Peter’s organisation’s recent report about the depth and diversity of social exclusion in Australia continues the arguments he articulated in his lecture.

When Raymond asked me earlier this year to give the 2010 Richard Johnson Memorial Lecture and to provide some perspectives about how my faith informs my politics, I certainly had no idea how quickly the topic of faith and politics would suddenly escalate to a national conversation.

I chose the title well before the election – and yet, I think it is particularly relevant to the state in which the nation and the national government is hovering.  Australia is a wonderful country in so many ways. It is a Christian country in the sense that most people identify as Christian, and a religious country in the sense that most say they believe in God and pray from time to time. Faiths have made a major contribution through schools, hospitals, welfare agencies, parishes and public life.

Whether we realise it or not, much of our ‘social capital’, our values and virtues, our sense of a fair go, our desire that all have opportunities, are part of our Judeo-Christian inheritance. That said, the National Survey of Churches indicates that we are a multicultural and multi-faith nation as well.

However, Australia is a secular democracy. Unlike the House of Lords there are no Bishops sitting in the Senate, other than Senator Mark Bishop from WA, and as we know there are not one but two Bishops and one Abbott in the House of Representatives!

Although no-one is elected purely on the basis of their faith, there are several members of the Federal Parliament who have been pastors in their churches, and famously, Michael Tate who became a Catholic pries after he left politics.

Politics, religion and money – the three things we’re told shouldn’t be discussed at a civilised dinner table – yet here we are this evening, and  all have dominated the media coverage, the water cooler conversations and the national interest in recent months.

So, why my focus on the moral compass? – frankly because it intrigues me that we have so much unhappiness, mental illness, violence and abuse being reported in Australia that is a privileged, educated, prosperous, stable, enlightened democracy.

Is there something missing?

What’s really going on here ?– what’s the responsibility and role of politicians and people of faith?

 and could Jesus help?

I must begin by telling you that I am an Irish Catholic –so my faith has been formed through my family, an education with the Mercy nuns, learning the ten commandments, attending Mass and the becoming an active member of my church.  I’m blessed to have a loving family with four children and my husband Bob who is with me this evening.

So this evening I would like to reflect on some of the challenges of contemporary Australian life and the extent to which we need to nourish the souls and minds of the nation, how this relates to good public policy and the role of politicians. Then I would like to draw some conclusions about the responsibilities of members of parliament to demonstrate and nurture their own strong moral compass to do a good job in leading the country.

The moral compass

Everyone here, I’m sure, can remember the old fashioned compass – that relatively simple instrument used for centuries by soldiers, sailors, explorers and boy scout adventurers. Its north- facing magnetic needle provides a consistent and true indicator of physical direction. These days, for many of us, heading north can be an issue unless we have our GPS!

If we put the word “moral” in front of compass, we create a clear picture of mental processes that point a person in a particular direction in life.  These processes are consistent and true indicators upon which personal belief and action can be based. We’d usually call this our conscience.

The concept of morality is also relatively simple at its absolute core. It denotes conduct or duties based on what is right and wrong. Morality is considered to be the basis of character and is wrapped around ethics. And, if morality is the answer to the question of ‘how should we live our lives?’, then politics can be seen as addressing the same question at the social level.

There’s been plenty of research about the relationship between attitudes in morality and politics. One study found that people who identified as ‘left leaning’ tended to value care and fairness higher than loyalty, respect and purity.  Self- identified conservative voters valued care and fairness less and the remaining values more. Both groups gave care the highest overall weighting, but the conservative voters valued fairness the lowest, whilst the ‘left-leaning’ voters valued purity the lowest.

This was very interesting research and when we apply it to the messages of the recent election campaign, and the work that the independents have been doing in striving for more respectful and democratic parliamentary processes, it’s fair to say these values have underpinned their efforts – fairness, care, loyalty, respect.

So, while both the concept of a moral compass and the definition of morality are simple and clear, the concept of what constitutes morality is not. One person’s moral compass may not point in the same direction as another’s and this is certainly the case in Australian society!

 Just a few weeks ago Hugh Mackay wrote an article in which he made some fascinating observations about Gen Y, but which has really had me thinking about policy complexity.

 – He wrote:

If we want to understand Gen Y – those now aged between late teens and early 30s – we have only to look at the kind of society they’ve been born into and the example they’ve been given by the rest of us. When we do that, we might be driven to the conclusion that, given the way we’ve raised them, today’s young adults are turning out just as you’d expect.

He goes on to question the notion that ‘youth is wasted on the young’, suggesting that:

‘For at least 3000 years the rising generation of young adults in a society has been a favourite target for criticism by their elders, but the level of abuse heaped on the so-called Generation Y has set new records for the intensity of inter-generational hostility”.

How often we bemoan that society is generally going in the opposite direction of acceptable moral and ethical standards!

Not a week goes by but  we read about the poor behaviour of notable public figures—celebrities, who operate outside and above law with assumed impunity, sports superstars who see themselves as immune to prosecution, and politicians and religious leaders whose actions raise serious questions about right and wrong.

But when it comes to the point of drawing solid conclusions, where is the evidence?

Mackay points out that there has always been immorality and what we see today is no different than any other time in human history perhaps our informationoverloaded lives lead to perceived increase in immoral behaviour.

“ Some things never change: older people still envy the fact that young people are bursting with potential, seem able to take social change in their stride, and – their worst offence – appear unimpressed by the conventions and mores of their parents’ generation.

I wonder is it possible to construct a moral compass that can give the same north reading for us all, given our diversity of ages, circumstances, experiences and values? 

Well, some people have attempted to identify the essence of morality – using the bible and other sacred texts, using the disciplines of psychology, applied ethics and theology.

 I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know that there is a website called www.moralcompass.com which describes a useful way to think about your “moral compass” – true North represents Integrity, South – Forgiveness, East -Compassion, and West – Responsibility.- all strong values that should underpin our lives as good citizens and good Christians if we are to follow the teachings of Jesus.

You can even assess your own moral compass online, in the privacy of your own home! What’s more, you can even assess your organisation for its moral intelligence. Try it, it’s free and quite thought provoking.

Another website, run by the Centre for Defined Ethics, suggests these principles to guide our moral compass:

• Do no harm.


• Accept responsibility for personal actions and the consequences of those actions.


• Practice a duty of care.


• Affirm the individual’s right to self-determination.


• Put the truth first.


• Never use a person as merely an unconsenting means to an end, even if the end benefits others.


• Be honest.


• Honour agreements.


• Treat others as you want to be treated yourself.


• Leave a positive legacy to future generations.

Most people know that their actions should be guided by their conscience – their moral compass. And in the parliaments of this country, we are allowed conscience votes on some issues deemed to be of great ethical or moral decisions.  And in those circumstances we’re encouraged to follow our hearts and our consciences and do the right thing!

If as politicians, everyone is following their heart, doing what they think is right, or at least what seems right to themselves (or as the bible puts it in the book of Judges 21-25 “Everyone did what he thought best”) aren’t we following our moral compass. Isn’t this going to bring us to the right conclusions in the interest of the nation?   Well maybe or maybe not!

What this presumes is that we have all a strong sense of orientation, that we have invested in formation and continue to reflect and invest in maintaining that orientation.

But, if the conscience isn’t properly formed then it won’t point you in the right direction.  Taking the compass analogy – if the compass isn’t pointing to true north, it doesn’t matter how closely it is being followed, you’re still going to go the wrong way, and the longer you continue in that wrong path – the more wrong you will be.

It’s a case of close enough isn’t good enough.

My point here is the importance of moral guidance!

If we aren’t  grounded in those values that underpin the formation processes of conscience, such as Integrity, Forgiveness, Compassion, and Responsibility and love,  we are very open to external manipulation. We know what’s right and what’s wrong, but we fail to act on what we know because of our passions and emotions – and conscience formation is really about self-discipline and cultivating emotions to go along with what we know is right.

For politicians, we need the time to think issues through, to argue more than the logic and processes, to the consequences of our decision making, because despite what some may say, there is no such thing as value – free policy.

However, there is a fine line between using one’s Christian values to inform ones views and using one’s beliefs to justify them.

President Obama recently made the following observation in an interview about his faith:

“I think there is an enormous danger on the part of public figures to rationalize or justify their actions by claiming God’s mandate. I don’t think it’s healthy for public figures to wear religion on their sleeve as a means to insulate themselves from criticism, or dialogue with people who disagree with them.”

How did this issue play out in Australia in the election campaign?

It was interesting to see how the Australian Christian Lobby positioned itself early for the election campaign with a televised national debate, broadcast to a claimed audience of 100,000 people.

The debate took place a week before Kevin Rudd was replaced by Julia Gillard. The questions asked of Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd were similar – their position on the School Chaplaincy funding, gay marriage, a concern about the Xenophon Public Benefits Bill, the treatment of asylum seekers, the importance of environmental stewardship, funding for faith based schools and differential funding for children with disabilities in government and non-government schools. There was a general question about how faith informs their lives.

Just a week or so later, when Julia Gillard replaced Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister and admitted she was an atheist, the media had a field day. There was a national radio program that broadcast a discussion about how Christians could vote for a non-Christian prime minister.  Ministers preached that to vote for Julia Gillard was a sin, that an atheist could not be trusted in the position of leader of a Christian country, that this was the thin edge of the wedge.

No matter how many times Julia was interviewed, the issue of her lack of faith kept being raised – she told often how she had been raised in the Baptist tradition, could recite the scriptures and the Catechism by rote, and had won prizes for doing so, but in her adult life she had no interest or belief in religion.

And those questions were followed by questions about her dress sense, her earlobes, her de-facto partner Tim, her morals, her choice not to have children, her responsibility as a national leader to provide a good moral example to young Australian women…. And she took it all in good humour.

Tim Costello wrote at the time:

… as Christians I think there is a terrible danger in putting ‘professing’ over and above the ‘character’ of polices that our leaders put forward. When you go to your bank manager you are rightly more concerned about his honesty then his faith, likewise if you are having an operation you are more likely to question the surgeons skills and competency rather than his religion.

Likewise, we must examine the policies not just the professions of faith of our leaders. We must ensure their policies aim to benefit all people, but especially the poor; are ‘for life’ not just for acquiring things; and are merciful and compassionate. We should support those who seek to halt the destruction of God’s creation for greed not need.

Just a few weeks into the campaign, at a major fundraiser to help meet the costs of the Canonisation of Mary McKillop Australia’s first saint, Julia committed $1.5m to the Sisters of St Joseph for a number of projects.

She was then accused of trying to woo the Catholic vote, regardless of the fact that at the same function, Joe Hockey made the same commitment, a sign that the agreement had been worked out between both leaders’ offices, in recognition that this significant event celebrates the remarkable achievements of a great Australian.

And again, when she announced the expansion of the School Chaplaincy program it was cynically reported as wooing the Christian vote.

 Let’s not forget that Julia was the architect of the government’s Social inclusion agenda based on fairness, compassion and opportunity. She did not invoke the Beatitudes – but she could have.

Instead she talked about the moral imperative of taking a different tack – of focusing on reconciliation, closing the gap, addressing complex disadvantage and lack of opportunity.  She has a strong moral compass – and a great sense of herself and what she aspires to achieve on behalf of the nation.

Last week I addressed the members of the Global Network of Public Theology – scholars and theologians from around the world. We discussed the election results and the influence of the churches in the outcome. One question I was asked was about the former Prime Minister’s Kevin Rudd’s interest in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s writings questioning the value of ethical reasoning in moral philosophy.

As you would know, in this school of thought, ethics, with its focus on distinguishing right from wrong, tends to produce behaviour that is simply not wrong, whereas the Christian life should instead be marked by the highest form of right.

Bonhoeffer stressed the importance of meditation on and relationship with God.

Kevin Rudd, when asked about his faith said he reads the Bible, though not as regularly as he’d like, but he does find time to pray.

“It’s not formal, me getting on my knees,” he says “The biggest challenge, I think, is always maintaining your moral compass.”

Obama made the observation that the difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and proselytize.  He said:

“There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that if people haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as their personal saviour, they’re going to hell.”

I’m sure that you know we have already had the experience of Prime Ministers who are atheists. Bob Hawke was a self-professed atheist but we need only look at his government’s legacy, to know that while admitting to his personal failings, he did well by this country.

And another Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, also a non-believer is known to have made inquiries of the costs of being buried in the crypt of St Mary’s Cathedral. When told it would be cost about $250,000 he said:

“What, for three days – that’s an outrage – even for the Catholic church!

So throughout our political history we’ve had leaders and politicians who’ve held a wide variety of attitudes to Christianity and the church. For some, their faith has inspired their political actions, and for others it has been moral and ethical imperatives grounded in a different source.

For those of us who do hold Christian beliefs, however, politics should be and is hard work. We need to constantly reflect on our relationship with God, to mirror the best of ourselves in others; we have an obligation to be informed, to be thoughtful, to be truthful, to replenish our spiritual strength, to guard against complacency and rationality.

Regardless of political persuasion, you will not be surprised to know that there is a great camaraderie among Christian politicians across the Parliament, expressed through the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship – where politics is left by the door, where we meet in prayer and seek God’s support for our work, where we take the time to care for each other, and encourage each other when the times are tough and the challenges are tougher.

It’s in these kinds of groups and in these kinds of discussions that we have the best chance of keeping our individual moral compasses facing true north, ensuring that we are not “flying blind” as we tackle the important decisions that will shape our nation, but instead are guided by a strong sense of orientation steering us safely towards a sound future for our country.

Senator for NSW, Ursula Stephens, today said that pensioners across Hume will soon benefit from a boost to their pensions.

Due to indexation, around four million Australians will receive an increase in their pensions and other income support payments from 20 September 2010.

Pension payments will increase by $15.00 per fortnight for singles on the maximum rate, and $22.60 per fortnight for couples combined on the maximum rate.

Following these increases, total pension payments for those on the maximum rate, including the base rate and pension supplement, will be:

• $716.10 per fortnight for singles


• $1079.60 per fortnight for couples combined

Pensioners have received increases of around $115 per fortnight for singles and $97 per fortnight for couples combined in pension payments, as a result of Federal Labor’s major pension reforms delivered in September 2009, and higher indexation in March and September 2010.

During our first term, the Federal Labor Government overhauled the pension to make it adequate and sustainable for the millions of age and disability, carers and veterans who depend on it.

Senator Stephens said that the indexation process continues the government’s commitment to help pensioners meet cost of living pressures.

The September pension rise was driven by movement in the pensioner and beneficiary living cost index in the six months to June 2010.

Pensions are indexed twice a year to the highest increase of three measures: the consumer price index (CPI), the pensioner and beneficiary living cost index (PBLCI), and growth in male total average weekly earnings (MTAWE).

The pensioner living cost index was introduced as an additional indexation mechanism as part of the 2009 pension reforms, and takes into account a basket of goods pensioners buy to better help maintain pensioners’ purchasing power.

Federal Labor’s pension reforms increased the effective benchmark for singles from 25 per cent to 27.7 per cent of MTAWE.

People eligible for the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension (adult rate), Carer Payment, veteran income support payments, Wife Pension, Widow B Pension and Bereavement Allowance will all benefit from the increases.

Parenting Payment and Rent Assistance will also increase on 20 September.

Adult rates of allowances, such as Newstart, and supplementary payments are also indexed on 20 September each year to the CPI increase for the previous six months. Allowance rates for single people (21 or over, without children) will increase by $6.90 per fortnight.

These increases in payments will be accompanied by an increase in the income and assets cut out amounts. This will see an increase in the amount of income, from for example employment or investments, or the total value of assets, a person can have before their benefit is cancelled.

Full details of all indexation amounts are available at www.fahcsia.gov.au

Media inquiries: Senator Stephens office – 02 6277 3333

The devastation of the floods in Pakistan continues to be felt as millions of people, including more than 3 million children are left homeless, stranded without food, clothing and medical care. International Aid Agencies are focussed on the immediate emergency relief efforts, and Australians are showing their amazing generosity. Well done to the ABC for their public appeal that raised almost $2m for UNICEF.

To find out more about what UNICEF is doing to support the victims of the Pakistan Floods click here

If you would like a copy of the 2010 Pakistan Floods UNICEF Children’s Appeal School Kit
please contact my office on 02 48228155 or email me at senator.stephens@aph.gov.au

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has the published its  Draft Information Development Plan for the Not-for-Profit Sector. This publication outlines the ABS’ response to recommendation 5.1 of the 2010 Productivity Commission Report on the contribution of the non-profit sector to Australia’s economy and wellbeing.

This Draft Information Development Plan will help to guide discussion of the statistical needs and priorities for the sector and also to draw attention to the statistical potential of information held in government administrative systems.

I will be very interested to hear your thoughts about the draft Plan. Comments can also be made  directly to Derick Cullen (d.cullen@abs.gov.au), Director, Macroeconomics Research Section Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Well done to the ABS for the timelineness of this effort!

Sunday 29 august 2010, 6.30pm-8.00pm
Melbourne convention and exhibition centre

I acknowledge Australia’s first peoples, their wisdom, traditions and cultures and pay my respect to their elders.

On behalf of the Australian Government, I am pleased to welcome you on the eve of the 63^rd United Nations Department of Public Information – Non Government Organisations Conference on Global Health and the Millennium Development Goals.

I would like to extend a special welcome to Mr Kiyo Akasaka, UN Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information and Mr Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS.

Mr Akasaka and his team have worked tirelessly with NGO colleagues to bring this conference together.

I would like to welcome their Excellencies, the Permanent Representatives to the UN from Jamaica, Liberia, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

I would like to acknowledge the presence here tonight of Senator Helen Kroger who is representing the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Parliament.

To all of our distinguished guests from the UN, international non-government organisations and the Australian NGO and tertiary sectors – it is a pleasure to have you here.

I know that the hundreds of delegates who have travelled from 79 countries to be here for the conference will find the event stimulating and productive, and have the chance to participate in the many health-related public activities that have been organised across the city of Melbourne over the coming days.

Conference Theme

The theme of this conference, Advance Global Health, Achieve the Millennium Development Goals, is both important and timely.

We are just three weeks away from the UN MDG Leaders Summit in New York – a Summit that will review and reinvigorate progress on the MDGs.

The MDGs are at the core of Australia’s aid program.

Eradicating poverty, promoting equitable growth, and ensuring widespread and high quality health and education services, is an essential but difficult task.

We need to take a long-term and comprehensive approach.

As a donor, and one with an expanding aid budget Australia is looking to build on the lessons of development approaches that have worked well in the region and internationally.

But we are also looking for new ideas and approaches for the delivery of good development outcomes, particularly those that can make a greater impact on maternal and child health where strong progress has not yet been realised.

This means balancing support for major initiatives on global health financing and sustainable health system reform, for instance, with programs that focus on immediate health needs at the community level.

Pakistan Floods

The havoc wreaked by the recent floods in Pakistan and the unfolding impact of this disaster on people’s lives and livelihoods is devastating.

The outbreak of cholera and the risk of dehydration and water-borne diseases are testing the strength of international health efforts every day.  The impact on the country’s health facilities, supplies and of course, the health workers is dire and long-term.

Australia has been quick with a response to Pakistan – it has heeded the calls of the Pakistan Government, the UN and the NGOs on behalf of those affected.

We have deployed a medical team to establish a health facility in Kot Addu, which will deliver primary health services and maternal and child health care.

The contribution from Australia’s official aid program to the humanitarian effort now totals $35 million.

This disaster serves as a stark reminder, if we needed one, of the imperative for us to work together and to continue to improve the effectiveness of our aid partnership and cooperation arrangements.

Australian Aid: Priorities

As I mentioned earlier, Australia is increasing its overseas aid program.  It will reach 0.5 per cent of GNI by 2015-16.

Health priorities for the aid program have included reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and addressing the rapid rise of non-communicable diseases – particularly in the Pacific.

However, we know that aid alone will not support the achievement of the MDGs.  A broad set of tools is needed to accelerate progress across all the Goals.  This is why Australia adopts a multi-agency and multi-sector development approach.

Australia’s concern for global development and growth that is equitable, that provides social protection for the poor, including through the provision of access to financial services and greater global food security, has informed Australia’s aid program and its engagement on development issues in a range of regional and multilateral fora.

With Australia’s increasing aid budget, the proportion of aid delivered through key partners is also increasing.

We recognise the need for experienced development partners through which we can provide funding. This is efficient and reduces the burden on partner countries. This approach promotes the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action.

Australians and Civil Society

Civil society organisations bring unique skills, strong community linkages and established support networks within and across countries.

In Australia we rely upon the important work of charities, philanthropists and volunteers to support service delivery and research activities.

Australians apply this same ‘hands on’ approach to aid work in developing countries.  In 2008, nearly 1.7 million Australians donated over $800 million to Australian aid and development NGOs.  Between 2001 and 2008, private donations increased by an average of 10 per cent per year in real terms.  This is a testimony to the important contribution NGOs make in reducing poverty, alleviating suffering and promoting people’s empowerment and development.

This is also recognised through Australia’s official aid program.

Aid funding to Australian and international NGOs, and local civil society organisations, has increased to eight per cent of the aid program.

There are currently 682 Australian volunteers in 28 developing countries, funded from the Australian aid program.

AusAID is currently implementing multi-year development partnership arrangements with five major Australian NGOs working in areas such as child and maternal health, education and combating climate change in developing countries.

Our engagement with the Australian business sector has also increased, reflecting the important and expanding role of the private sector in initiating and supporting international development.

Australia and the UN

Australia now has formal partnerships with nine UN development and humanitarian organisations.

These frameworks include multi-year funding for shared priorities and include commitments to the Millennium Development Goals, to deliver development and humanitarian assistance more effectively, and to support UN reforms.

Of course, the scale and complexity of the work of the UN and its implementing partners requires strong communication and information capabilities.  I’d therefore like to acknowledge the valuable work of the UN Department of Public Information, and the various UN Information Centres.

I understand 62 NGOs have become formally associated with UN DPI in the lead up to this 2010 Conference. This brings the total number of NGOs that work with the Department in the area of communications and information to 1,588.

Progress and Challenges

Let me return to the issue of the MDGs and the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Global progress towards the MDGs has been good.  We should recognise that over the last decade we have seen some of the greatest improvements with hundreds of millions of people lifted out of poverty, more children going to school, increased life expectancy and a stronger focus on how to make development efforts more effective.

In 2008, across the world, the total annual number of deaths in children under five years of age fell to 8.8 million, down by 30 per cent from 12.4 million in 1990.

Some countries have recorded a decline in the number of deaths of women during pregnancy or childbirth.  However, the rate of decline is less than the 5.5 per cent annual decline needed to meet the MDG target by 2015.

HIV infection rates and deaths from AIDS are in decline worldwide. Good progress has been made to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases.

We should acknowledge and celebrate these successes but recognise that progress has not been sufficient and there is a need for all of us to do better.  We need to resolve to do more to address development challenges.

I have noted Australia’s expanding aid program.  With this expansion, of course, comes greater scrutiny by media and the taxpayers who quite rightly call for demonstrated impact from the aid dollar.

In the year 2010, with five years to reach the MDGs, we need to ask ourselves: ‘Why is it that, despite the increasing investment of aid and international attention, some health indicators are still at unacceptable levels in many regions’?

Why is it that more than 600 million people in sub Saharan Africa, South and South East Asia, and the Pacific, do not have daily access to clean drinking water?

How do we balance support to improve national-level health services and ensure remote communities are able to access the health services they need now?

How do we collectively promote greater local ownership and leadership over the MDGs in developing countries?

How do we work effectively with, and through, partner systems to ensure our development support is aligned with national development objectives and promote important state-civil society partnerships?

Together we muast work towards finding innovative solutions to these and other problems that we continue to face.

Concluding Remarks

Dialogue through events such as the annual UN DPI NGO Conference has a critical role in bringing researchers, practitioners and policy-makers together to help address priority development concerns.

We are confident that over the next three days ideas and realistic actions will be identified.

I congratulate Mr Akasaka and his team from UN DPI and the UN Information Centre for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific; the Australian NGO Convenor Professor Philip Batterham; and
Mr Marc Purcell and his team from the Australian Council for International Development, and the many NGO committee members and organisers of the Conference, for their hard work in pulling this together.  It is no easy feat.

The Australian Government welcomes you and looks forward to hearing of the outcomes from this important dialogue on global health and the MDGs.

Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens, and Federal Candidate for Throsby, Stephen Jones today met with local Golden Gurus at Volunteering Wingecarribee.

Golden Gurus is a 2020 Summit initiative implemented by the Federal Labor Government.

The program brings together a diverse range of quality organisations which link the experience and expertise of mature age people over 50 years of age with community organisations and start-up businesses.

Volunteering Wingecarribee is one of forty organisations across Australia that currently delivers the Golden Gurus program.

“Golden Gurus is a great program that draws on the wealth of experience of our mature aged Australians and invests this wisdom in the future of our small businesses and community organisations,” said Senator Stephens.

“Volunteering Wingecarribee was one of the first organisations to get on board the Golden Gurus program and I congratulate them for immediately seeing the benefit of this program to their local community.”

“I also congratulate them for recently being awarded $1 550 under the Australian Government’s Volunteer Grants 2010.

“This funding will help Volunteering Wingecarribee to purchase computer equipment and software that will enable it to link even more potential volunteers to volunteering opportunities.”

Additional funding will be available to Golden Gurus organisations under Federal Labor’s $500 000 investment in the program.

Grants of $10 000 will go to 50 Golden Guru organisations to help them broker new opportunities for their Golden Gurus and to prepare them for these roles.

“I fully support Volunteering Wingecarribee’s application for one of these Golden Guru grants,” said Mr Jones.

“Volunteering Wingecarribee’s mission statement is ‘Inspiring volunteering in the Highlands’ and it’s clear to everyone in our local community that they are delivering on this mission.

“The organisation provides an invaluable service in encouraging potential volunteers to get involved, supporting those currently volunteering and taking on new initiatives of benefit to the local community, such as the Golden Gurus program,” said Mr Jones.

For more information on the Golden Gurus program, go to www.deewr.gov.au/goldengurus.

Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens, and Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, today met with the Northern Rivers Social Development Council in Lismore.

The Social Development Council is a community-based not profit organisation that promotes fairness and social inclusion in the Northern Rivers region.

At the meeting Senator Stephens responded to issues raised in the Council’s Federal Election Priorities document, including assistance to disadvantaged communities, increased investment in social and affordable housing, and more support to the community sector.

Senator Stephens spoke about the Federal Labor Government’s focus on targeting assistance to areas of particular need, such as through the Local Employment Coordinator scheme.

She praised the efforts of Lismore’s Local Employment Coordinator, Mr Terry Watson, in working with local stakeholders to help match local businesses and workers with job opportunities created by the Government’s Economic Stimulus Package.

Senator Stephens also explained that the Prime Minister’s Building Better Regional Cities announcement offers Lismore Council the opportunity to apply for up to $15 million to invest in local infrastructure projects that will support new housing developments, thereby increasing the supply of affordable homes in the region. This is in addition to the 59 dwellings delivered to date under the National Rental Affordability Scheme.

Senator Stephens also outlined Federal Labor’s plans for streamlining regulations and red tape in the non profit sector to free up community organisations to focus less on administration and more on their important work helping those in need.

Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, said that the Northern Rivers Social Development Council plays a vital role in the community, advocating for the interests of those suffering disadvantage and strengthening the community organisations that serve them.

“It is good to see the Northern Rivers Social Development Council standing up for the interests of those people in need in our community.

“Working for fairer and more inclusive communities is a goal that both the Council and Federal Labor share, and it’s clear from Senator Stephens’ presentation today that the Government has made significant investment in our Social Inclusion Agenda,” Ms Saffin said.

Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens, and Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, today met with Neighbourhood Centres across the Far North Coast region to discuss this year’s Social Inclusion Week.

Neighbourhood Centre leaders from Lismore, South Grafton, Casino, Nimbin, Mullumbimby and Pottsville gathered with Senator Stephens and Ms Saffin to discuss their plans for celebrating Social Inclusion Week 2010.

The first Social Inclusion Week was held last year and was the brain child of Jonathan Welch, best known for establishing the Choir of Hope and Inspiration (formerly the Choir of Hard Knocks).

The Australian Government and the Brotherhood of St Laurence were major sponsors of the inaugural Social Inclusion Week.

The objective of the Week is to bring about more inclusive communities through taking practical steps to fight loneliness and isolation by bringing people together.

Last year’s week was a great success with a wide diversity of events held across Australia – from sausage sizzles to jazz sessions, from cricket matches to market stalls, and even roller-skating displays.

The focus of each event was on bringing people together, particularly those who are traditionally isolated from the rest of the community such as people living with a mental illness, those who are homeless and people with a disability.

“Neighbourhood Centres are a touchstone for finding out about local services and getting involved in the community,” said Senator Stephens.

“From the ideas that the Centre leaders have been discussing today, it’s clear that Social Inclusion 2010 is going to be even better than last year.”

Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, acknowledged the invaluable role that Neighbourhood Centres play in the Far North Coast and hinterland region and congratulated them on their proactive role in preparing for Social Inclusion Week 2010.

“Social Inclusion Week is a great time for showcasing the strong community spirit that we have here in the Far North Coast and hinterland.

“I’ve told the Centres that I’m happy to help out with their celebrations in any way, and I encourage all local community members to get involved too – whether it be through participating in an event or running one,” said Ms Saffin.

For more information about Social Inclusion Week 2010, go to http://socialinclusionweek.ning.com/

Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens and Member for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly today met with players and volunteers at the Queanbeyan Tigers Junior Australian Football Club to celebrate them receiving a grant under the Federal Labor Government’s Volunteer Grants 2010.

Throughout the electorate of Eden-Monaro, from Queanbeyan across to Batemans Bay and down to Eden, 92 community organisations have received over $300 000 worth of grants of between $1000 and $5000.

The grants are to help organisations buy small equipment items that will benefit their volunteers or help them cover the costs of petrol, training or background checks such as working with children checks.

Queanbeyan Tigers Junior Australian Football Club has been awarded $4 955 of these grants to help them purchase a vacuum cleaner, fridge, freezer and bain-marie.

The Club is a volunteer-run junior sports club that provides a safe and supportive environment for young people to develop physical and social skills as they play Aussie Rules football. 

Senator Stephens said that the club was a great example of how volunteering and sport help knit communities together.

“Volunteering helps build strong ties in our communities by bringing people together from different walks of life to work towards a common goal.

“Sport in particular can help break down barriers between people.

“The AFL nationally has a proud history of using sport to build more inclusive communities, and the Tigers are a great local demonstration of this,” said Senator Stephens.

The Member for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly, said that it was great to see so many local community organisations being rewarded with Volunteer Grants.

“Our volunteers are at the heart and soul of our local communities.

“From the Batemans Bay Scouts and Bega Valley Meals on Wheels, to Quaama Volunteer Bushfire Brigade and Eden Mens Shed, our volunteers contribute to our community in so many invaluable ways.

“These grants are a way for the Australian Government to say thank you to these unsung helping heroes who keep our local communities alive,” said Mr Kelly.

Senator Ursula Stephens, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, together with the Labor Candidate for Gilmore, Neil Reilly, today met with the Dunn and Lewis Foundation to see the amazing progress made on the Memorial Entertainment Youth Centre at Ulladulla and hear about the project’s next steps.

The Dunn and Lewis Complex, dedicated to two local youths, Craig Dunn and Danny Lewis who lost their lives during the 2002 Bali bombings, will be the largest youth recreation, education and sporting complex in Ulladulla.

The Federal Labor Government provided $4 million to the Foundation under the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program to complete the construction of the complex in May 2009. Importantly, the Federal Labor Government also ensured that the Foundation received Deductible Gift Register (DGR) status so that donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Construction of Stage One of the centre has now commenced and will shortly be open for the young people of the area. It will include a bowling alley, kiosk, conference room and large community area.  The bowling alley will be commercially run and profits will be returned to the running of the centre.

“It has been terrific to have the opportunity today to see how far the project has come. The Foundation has turned their vision to reality.  The Centre will provide a safe and inclusive place for young people as well as link them to the support they need to enrich their personal and vocational wellbeing.

“I also acknowledge the work of the many volunteers who have contributed in large and small ways from fundraising, to working with young people on the centre’s design and providing support for the construction of this centre,” Senator Stephens said.

“This project is inspirational and is the result of tireless efforts of the victims’ families and people in the local community. The community should be very proud of what it has achieved,” Neil Reilly said.

“The funding provided by the Federal Labor Government for this project is critical to our local economy and creating jobs in construction.

“It is a demonstration of Federal Labor’s commitment to building a strong national economy, in contrast to Tony Abbott’s failure to understand the economy and make the necessary investments to ensure our nation prospers.”