Brotherhood of St Laurence

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. At BSL, we are proud of the meaningful impact we have made in 2024. We extend our gratitude to all our staff, volunteers, partners and supporters who make this important work possible. We will continue to advance a fair Australia through our leadership on policy reform, our partnerships with communities, and the quality of our services. We look forward to working with you in 2025 on our collective goal for lasting systemic change that addresses the root causes of poverty in Australia. To learn more about our services and impact over the past year, read our annual report: https://lnkd.in/gdYSvtH7

“It’s stressless, it’s easy, just come on down!” Known as the ‘bikeman’, Matt is often seen cycling around the Geelong region collecting containers to recycle at our CDS Breakwater Depot. He’s renowned for bringing in thousands of containers at a time with his specifically modified bike. With quick service and no wait times, Matt’s able to quickly donate his containers and get back on the road with ease thanks to our drive through depot. Did you know CDS Breakwater is operating on extended summer hours? Open Monday-Friday: 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 8am-5pm. Closing 2:30pm on 24 December and reopening 27 December. CDS Breakwater will also close at 3:00pm on 31 December and reopen on 2 January 2025. Happy recycling! ♻️ 📍 6 Haworth Ct, Breakwater VIC 3219

The Brotherhood of St. Laurence is excited to be partnering with Per Capita and many other great orgs on the Community Tax Summit in early 2025. Join us in Feb to hear from some leading thinkers in the tax reform space and be part of the conversation about how a fairer tax system could help lift Australian households out of poverty.

We welcome the federal government's commitment to trial local jobs hubs with the Vic and Tas governments – an important first step in rebuilding the employment services system to work better for jobseekers and local communities.    BSL joined Federal and Victorian Employment Ministers Murray Watt and Vicki Ward yesterday as they visited Broadmeadows to announce the trial, which will support locals wanting to find work.   BSL's Thrive Hubs in Broadmeadows and Frankston show how valuable this approach is – with the Victorian government's support, we have connected hundreds of locals with work, training and other supports this year, while providing employers a pipeline of workers for the future.   We look forward to working further with the federal government to reform employment services to better meet the needs of the community. Further info on our Thrive Hubs is available here - https://lnkd.in/gHPJMHhJ

The Victorian Government’s proposed new rules to phase out gas hot water and gas heating at the end of the appliance’s life are a welcome and considered intervention. Released today, the proposed changes will help reduce energy bills for many Victorians, including those on lower incomes, and decrease dependency on dwindling fossil gas. By moving away from fossil gas, which accounts for 16% of Victoria’s carbon pollution, these changes will also help slow climate change. Gas bills have increased dramatically in recent years and are unaffordable for many. In recent months, we have supported many households unable to afford heating due to having costly-to-run gas ducted systems. Many of these households face very high bills and are often accruing ever-increasing debts to their energy retailer, or they go without heating to the detriment of their health and wellbeing. If implemented, the government’s preferred option to phase out gas heating and hot water systems will require a shift from these expensive-to-run gas systems to efficient electric systems. BSL will work with the Victorian Government and the Commonwealth to ensure low-income households get the appropriate supports to make the transition. BSL would also like to see other jurisdictions, including the Commonwealth, follow suit on these changes. https://lnkd.in/guiZSKHk

Early childhood is an important launchpad for life. At the Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) we believe that all children have a right to quality and affordable early education and care. As recommended by the Productivity Commission, we welcome the Government’s election commitment to scrap the activity test. As Trav McLeod, Executive Director of Brotherhood of St. Laurence, says in the attached article "What a parent does or earns should never hinder the access their child has to quality education and care in their early years." Advocating for a universal early childhood system, BSL has long called for the abolition of this punitive and inequitable test.  Working with families experiencing disadvantage, we constantly see how this unnecessary requirement prevents thousands of children from accessing formative early education and care. A recent estimate by Impact Economics and Policy suggested that the test currently denies care to at least 126,000 children from some of the country's poorest households. 

Watch our most recent BSL Talks – Opening opportunities: Removing employment barriers for young people with disability where Damien Charles, Regional Manager Northern Territory at NEC Australia spoke about the importance of supporting young people with disability to find what job fits best. Watch now: https://lnkd.in/gV2XEnY2

BSL is seeking to engage a First Nations consultant, organisation, or consortia to act as an independent facilitator to carry out community consultations in up to 20 sites across Australia. This is to support the transition of HIPPY from mainstream providers to Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs). If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit your RFP response to BSL's Tenderlink portal before 17 January 2025. To find out more, please register via this link: https://lnkd.in/g3f-5gPv If you have any questions, please contact Ivy Kuang, BSL’s Procurement Manager by emailing Ivy.Kuang@bsl.org.au

Happy International Day of Volunteering! A massive shoutout to BSL's amazing volunteers—you’re the heart of everything we do. From sorting books and clothes to supporting digital literacy, aged care, and children and youth programs, you’re making a real difference every day. We’re so grateful for your hard work and dedication—it means the world to us and the communities we serve. Thank you! 💛 #IVD2024

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒅𝒐, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒅𝒐.” This International Day of People with Disabilities, we invite you to watch our most recent BSL Talks – ‘Opening opportunities: Removing employment barriers for young people with disability’ where Maddison Bergen, local Youth Advocate, explains how tailoring educational activities can make a real difference to a young person’s job prospects. Watch now: https://lnkd.in/gV2XEnY2