GOAL 1:
ECONOMIC SECURITY FOR ALL
Australia is a prosperous nation, yet far too many people still struggle with deep and persistent disadvantage.
Our work to create economic security focuses on sustainable employment, financial literacy and social inclusion.
We strive to make lasting change through service innovation and partnerships by using research and advocacy to drive reform in social policy, job services, energy market regulation, and climate change adaptation.
GOAL 2:
WELLBEING,
SOCIAL INCLUSION,
EMPOWERMENT AND
DIGNITY FOR ALL
Poverty is not just about a lack of money: it is about social exclusion, poor health, disempowerment and a loss of dignity.
At-risk children and youth, sole parents, refugees, people seeking asylum, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can be profoundly affected by deep poverty.
We will continue to develop and deliver evidence-based services and programs in the area of children and families, youth, disability and aged care services.
GOAL 3:
INCLUSIVE
SERVICES AND
COMMUNITIES
We want to make our human services more ambitious so that the causes of disadvantage and social exclusion are addressed.
Our goal of ensuring that people can find appropriate services and find it easier to access mainstream services, will be met through continued collective action by local partnerships. Using place-based models that drive systemic change, we will ensure service design and implementation is developed in consultation with, and alongside, the people it serves.
GOAL 4:
A TRUSTED VOICE NATIONALLY ON POVERTY AND DISADVANTAGE
The Brotherhood is known as a leading and respected voice for social change. We use our voice To keep poverty on the social and political agenda.
We aim to inspire policy makers and the community to focus their efforts on systemic change. Our Research and Policy Centre will continue to publish the evidence of the impact of our work in partnerships with the University of Melbourne and other research agencies. We amplify our impact by harnessing the community to help support change – from the pavement, all the way to Parliament.
GOAL 5:
AN INCLUSIVE,
EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT
& AGILE ORGANISATION
Our ambition by 2023 is to build the capability of over 150,000 people who experience disadvantage to find sustainable pathways out of poverty.
To deliver this, we are investing in capability, increasing the diversity of our revenue and improving organisational agility while maintaining financial scale and sustainability.
We will continue to develop a sustainable programs portfolio and ensure the organisation has the capacity to deliver on its mission. We will ensure that staff and volunteers reflect the diversity of the communities in which we work and thrive in the work they do.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence is on a journey of Reconciliation with First Nations people.
Our first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) provided a structured, tested, nationally recognised, model for us to formalise a commitment to Reconciliation. We achieved improved collaboration with local Aboriginal organisations, more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed with us and improved culturally safe service provision and cultural awareness of staff.
Our second, 2019-22 RAP, offers a framework to reflect on present and past injustices, to learn with humility and work with intentional focus to ensure that economic, social and civic opportunities in our prosperous nation are shared with Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have original claim to its abundance.
The key outcomes will be:
- local engagement plans to support culturally safe services and sites;
- achieving RAP targets; and
- programs, research and advocacy to make a meaningful contribution for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people.
In 2019, the Brotherhood officially recognised the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as expressed in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and stands beside them in their call for a First Nations Voice to be enshrined in the Australian Constitution. We also support the establishment of a Makarrata Commission to enable a fair and truthful relationship between all Australians. We accept the invitation to walk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a movement for a better future.