Myolene Carrick Oct 2002

I have been invited to speak from the perspective of a service provider. In the time allocated to me I will briefly touch on some of the key current issues arising from my practice and experience.

Robert has mentioned the theme of conversion. This to me is critical, as I don't consider that it is possible to believe in, and try to live Catholic Social Teaching and remain dispassionate about the world and the society in which we live, work, play and worship. He says that the central theme of Common Wealth for the Common Good is that we must have a conversion of heart in Australia. That is the challenge that each of us here tonight accept.

As someone who has worked in the community services sector for over 30 years, there is no doubt in my mind that Catholic Social Teaching is the glue in such a conversion, and guides some of my passion for justice.

SEXUAL ABUSE

Who of us could have anticipated the extent of the very public scandal of sexual abuse in our Church in the past 10 years. As someone who has been involved with these issues at a local, state and national level, it has been one hell of a journey. The likelihood of some victims, complainants and survivors being here tonight is absolute. You know only too well how this has been for you and whether your response from the relevant church authority was professional, pastoral and helpful or whether it compounded the abuse, and misuse, of power you experienced.

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson in an article called 'Vatican 11: from Pause to Forward' in the September 2002 Eureka Street Magazine says:

"the crisis of sexual abuse gives the enormous energy that is needed for further change to occur. We should respond to the crisis of abuse for its own sake and the sake of victims, but we should also seek to use its energy creatively, sensitively and intelligently in order to take further the unfinished business of the Council".

He talks in this context, about his hope in 2100 that a historian will be able to look back on serious change of the Catholic Church happening over the 100 years between 1960 and 2060.

LANGUAGE eg: STOCK

What does it say about human dignity when a Commonwealth Department refers to unemployed people as stock? No, not cattle, not goods on shelves but human beings. This is how Job Network clients are referred to by the Department of Employment & Workplace Relations. If this is not dehumanising, objectifying and totally lacking in any respect for human dignity, tell me what is!

Increasingly the language in government contracts/tenders is about targets, outputs, outcomes. Human beings as consumers, let alone citizens, are infrequently mentioned.

DEREGULATION AGENDA OF GOVERNMENTS

Deregulation has been applied to a number of sectors over the past 10 years, eg: farming, banking, aged care, child care and so on. It is now biting the community services sector. The Commonwealth Government is particularly skilled, as was the Victorian Government under Kennet - and the Queensland Government is not far behind.

Essentially, there are a small number of providers with whom the government can easily do business. The standards eventually are set by competition, not by the government, the risk is carried by the services providers, not the government.

The standards for the service providers are linked to compliance - 'the bang in the buck'. This can lead to the inevitable tension between mission and margin.

The question that must be constantly on our minds is: are we so close to government because of funding that we loose sight of the wood for the trees, in terms of individual human beings falling through the cracks?

The move away from charitable organisations to being in the business of providing services is a major cultural mind shift currently happening. As I heard a speaker on this topic recently say: for mission driven organisations, it's like how to fit a square peg into a round hole.

If however we are to survive, to be available to deliver services to our clients, we need to ask the question - are we prepared to have such strong government intrusion into our organisations if our tender is successful?

FAMILY

Catholic welfare organisations in Australia have always placed a high priority on supporting families. Ours is no different.

Some of our key funding comes from the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services. At a recent National conference, a senior politician inferred that this funding may be at risk should Australia go to war. This funding is to provide family counselling, relationship education, parenting, support to those with domestic violence issues, to family members at times of family crisis, and working with children. Significantly, funding for this program has not been increased for at least 5 years and now we are being warned about its loss if our country goes to war. Insanity!!!!

CATHOLIC WELFARE AUSTRALIA [CWA] is a new organisation with our values based clearly on Catholic Social Teaching. CWA brings together what were two organisations - Centacare Australia and the Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission. We are clear and intentional that Catholic Social Teaching underpins all of who we are and what we do. Increasingly in Catholic organisations around the country, where clergy and religious are rarely present, staff are recruited because of their professional skills and competencies and not their religious beliefs. Giving life to Catholic Social Teaching becomes more and more urgent to ensure a proper fit between mission, values and the budget, ie: mission -vs- margin debate.

My hope is that in 10 years, ie: 2012, Catholic Social Teaching will be alive, visible, known and understood in Member Organisations of CWA delivering social services across Australia. This being so, advocacy and quality services will prevail for the clients we serve.