Mission Australia strongly supports the Commonwealth Government’s major focus on the wellbeing of aboriginal Australians. To impact upon aboriginal economic participation positively and sustainably, Mission Australia recommends a holistic and integrated framework across all areas of social and economic wellbeing for aboriginal individuals, families and communities.

Mission Australias aspiration is to have appropriate housing and support for everybody in our community by 2020. A national plan Linking Support and Housing to End Homelessness will get us there. It will work across all levels of Government and promote local responses under a national strategy. Our approach is informed by practise wisdom and backed up by extensive national and international research.

Mission Australia welcomes the discussion paper in the context of the Commonwealth’s broader social inclusion agenda, particularly given the strong links between poverty, unemployment, social exclusion and mental health. There is strong evidence that many people with a disability or mental illness are currently excluded from the Australian community in a range of areas of their life. This has both individual social and economic consequences, as well as negative consequences at the societal level.

Mission Australia welcomes the clear and early commitment from the Commonwealth Government to work with the State and Territory governments, the non-government sector and other stakeholders, on a National Framework for Protecting Australias Children. We support the naming of the framework as Protecting Australias Children rather than the more limited Child Protection Framework and the nuances that this broader naming suggests. We would also urge that the final framework include explicit acknowledgement of the diversity of sectors and organisations actively involved in contributing to the wellbeing of Australias children.

Mission Australia welcomes the Inquiry into successful youth transitions. Any efforts to enhance the successful transition of disadvantaged young people need to include integrated and holistic responses (addressing not only educational but other related needs) as well as provide opportunities to re-engage with education and training in flexible ways as required.

Addressing the significant and entrenched nature of disadvantage within some regional and remote aboriginal communities requires a multi-layered, long term, community development approach. Such an approach requires intensive work and partnerships across governments, community and the business sectors if sustainable change is to be achieved. Mission Australia recommends implementing a holistic asset-based community development approach that supports long-term, sustainable positive change and incorporates flexible, innovative community services that meet community needs.