Mission Australia
Our Vision is to see a fairer Australia by enabling people in need to find pathways to a better life
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News Updates
| Mission Australia helping families cut energy bills to prevent poverty spiralWednesday, 15 October 2008Anti-Poverty Week Sunday, October 12 - Saturday, October 18Families in Adelaide’s north western suburbs are slicing as much as $200 from their energy bills each quarter through a Mission Australia program that helps them manage their energy consumption and costs.The Energy Matters program is a joint initiative of Mission Australia and energy... + Read Full Story |
Disability changes must go furtherWednesday, 23 July 2008Changes to the Disability Support Pension (DSP) announced by the Federal Government on Monday are a good first step in encouraging recipients back into the workforce…but there’s still a long way to go.Of the 700,000 DSP recipients in Australia, an estimated 20 per cent – 140,000 people – are thought to be capable of work.One of the main... + Read Full Story | More News Articles | ||
Mission Australia on Blogspot
Mission Australia assists northern small business development
At the annual Mission Australia New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) graduation ceremony last night 84 Tasmanians came closer to realising their business dreams when they were awarded with a Certificate IV in Small Business Management. Mission Australia’s State Director Noel Mundy said the NEIS program, which is funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, is designed to assist eligible jobseekers set up and run their own business, giving them the skills to become successful small business owners. “Not only does the program give Tasmanians in need a helping hand but it also gives them the skills and confidence to operate a small business,” Mr Mundy s...
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Should income support recipients have payments stopped for not complying with Centrelink rules?
In recent days the media has once again begun to ask the question ‘should the recipients of income support have their payments stopped if they failure to comply with Centrelink rules?’ It’s a topic that brings much consternation amongst those who rely on income support to put bread on the table, but it’s an equally vexing question for working Australians who fund that support by paying their taxes. One thing is certain - stripping an individual of their benefits is something that should never be taken lightly. Homelessness Australia has stated, based on data from the Social Policy Research Centre, that 30% of people who have an eight week ‘no payment’ penalty imposed lose th...
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National Rental Affordability Scheme to address gap in affordable housing
Mission Australia welcomes the federal Treasurer's move to amend the charity and tax laws to allow charities to participate in the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS). The announcement means charities like Mission Australia won’t lose their charitable tax status by becoming involved in the scheme. Mission Australia’s CEO, Mr Toby Hall, said community service charities had an integral role in the provision of affordable housing, particularly as a way to combat homelessness. “Mission Australia has a been providing support to homeless people – and those at risk of homelessness – for close to 150 years. If we can prevent people from even being at risk of homelessness throu...
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New Survey: Missionbeat operates emergency response vehicles for Sydney's homeless, should they...
...be liable for parking fines while responding to calls of assistance? ...be granted the same access as any other emergency response vehicle? TO VOTE on our homepage, click here now!! ...
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From little things, big things grow - a story from Mission Australia’s Special Needs Dental Service (SNDS)
When Brian first came to Mission Australia’s SNDS, he was quiet, lacking in confidence and very slow trust. After a year of treatment, we began to understand Brian’s story, where he’d come from and how something as simple as a good set of teeth could help him on his journey. Raised in a family heavily affected by alcohol abuse, Brian turned to alcohol and drug use at an early age. By the time he was in his early forties, Brian had come close to death a number of times. After years of struggling with his addiction, Brian finally decided to enter a rehabilitation program in Sydney’s outer suburbs. Following rehab, Brian moved into supported post-rehabilitation accommodation, and he...
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What will you be doing on Christmas Day?
While many of us wait in anticipation for the festive season, Christmas can be a difficult time of year for people who are less advantaged, isolated and lonely. That's why Mission Australia, with the help of over 400 volunteers, is running the 33rd annual West Australia Christmas Lunch in the Park, to give people who are less fortunate a chance to join in the celebrations. This year we expect to cater for around 2,000 guests, all of whom will enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch, entertainment throughout the day and a gift from Santa. An event of this scale relies heavily on the generosity and support of the public who donate their time and resources... Volunteers greet our guests as the...
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A homeless mother's story - “We’ve never been so low in our lives"
“We were living in accommodation – it was getting more and more expensive. The landlord kicked us out and we had nowhere to go. I had to take my child from place to place, never knowing where we were going to be next. It was a terrible strain and frightening for a little kid. Christmas time was the worst. It only highlighted what we didn’t have. There was nothing for us to celebrate. We couldn’t buy presents. Knowing my son had to look at other kids with their brand new toys was heartbreaking. Finally someone said that we should go and see Mission Australia. It wasn’t just the fact that they put a roof over our heads, they also helped us deal with other issues that were easier...
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Training investment will boost employment
Mission Australia today welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement that an additional $187 million will be spent on pre-employment training saying it will provide a boost for job seekers at a time when unemployment is likely to rise. Mission Australia CEO Toby Hall said that Productivity Places Program (PPP) had been highly subscribed and the increased funding offered an opportunity for the long term unemployed and some of the most disadvantaged people in the community to find work. “The additional 56,000 training places are great news for job seekers,” said Mr Hall. “The PPP has been incredibly successful in providing training for people entrenched in unemployment for lon...
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Mission Australia helping families cut energy bills to prevent poverty spiral
Families in Adelaide’s north western suburbs are slicing as much as $200 from their energy bills each quarter through a Mission Australia program that helps them manage their energy consumption and costs. The Energy Matters program is a joint initiative of Mission Australia and energy provider AGL... With the focus this week across Australia on Anti Poverty Week, Mission Australia’s Operations Manager Carla Leversedge said the program played an important role in preventing a spiral into poverty, by assisting families before problems became too hard or intractable. Ms Leversedge said more than 80 low-income families have participated in Energy Matters since October 2007, receiving su...
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Anti-Poverty Week this week!
This week is Anti-Poverty Week – a time to recognise the economic and social hardship facing thousands of Australians, and indeed, millions of people around the world and the actions needed to help them. In Australia, particularly after almost two decades of continued economic growth and prosperity, we tend to overlook the extent of poverty in our communities. Yet more individuals and families than ever before are going without even the most basic of life’s essentials. Last year, Mission Australia – along with the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Anglicare (Sydney) and the Social Policy Research Centre – devised a new measurement of Australian poverty. Rather than using a person’s...
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