The Samaritans Foundation is the welfare agency of The Anglican Diocese of Newcastle. Click on the logo to the right to visit Samaritans website or read the recent news below.
Please note; Samaritans head office has relocated! The new contact details are as follows.
Address: 36 Warabrook Boulevard, Warabrook 2304
Postal Address: PO Box 366 HRMC 2301
Phone: 4960 7100
Fax: 49607160
NB: Direct numbers have the same extension as previously eg: if the old number was 4969 0035 the new one is 4969 7135. Emails have not changed.
An excerpt from Samaritans CEO, Cec Shevels presentation to the Newcastle Business Club.
Every week some 250 families or individuals approach Samaritans in our region because they are in financial crisis and can’t afford their weekly groceries. These are generally people on low incomes with no savings. When something unexpected happens such as their car or fridge breaking down, family illness or death in the family they will struggle to pay the bills but often can’t buy their weekly shopping. They come to Samaritans because they don’t have anywhere else to turn. Many have gone without food in the day prior to coming to us.
So why do a thousand households approach Samaritans every month when the economy is booming? Samaritans, in conjunction with the Hunter Valley Research Foundation, has released a report on the situation of these families entitled “Crossing the Great Divide”. The report surveyed nearly a thousand people seeking assistance from Samaritans.
About a third of the families surveyed were in receipt of unemployment benefits, another third were lone parents and the final third were people on a disability support pension. Many of these people would work if there was a job available which they thought they could do.
I strongly support the concept of Welfare to Work but I think there are flaws with the current emphasis on compliance and punishment. When employers are talking about skills shortages, shouldn’t we be investing more in equipping people for work through stronger education and training programmes? Our national expenditure on these types of labour market programs falls well behind other OECD countries.
According to the HVRF report, following a survey of employers in the Hunter region, employers are looking for certain characteristics from their job applicants.
1. good work history
2. recent workplace experience
3. good references
4. enthusiasm and a positive attitude
5. qualifications
The vast majority of Samaritans would struggle to meet these criteria. They are unable to demonstrate work history, recent workplace experience and/or good references. Most haven’t gone past year 10 at school and find it difficult to present a positive attitude when life has given them so many knocks. These challenges which Samaritans clients are facing could be addressed with substantial investment in vocational training and paid work experience.
Saul Eslake (Chief Economist, ANZ Bank) recently called for our federal government to take advantage of this booming economy and build a more inclusive Australia by investing more in people currently shut out of community participation and work. This is a policy which will not only benefit not only welfare recipients but also employers and the general community.
I believe a paid job for people who can work is a much better alternative than a welfare payment, but let’s make it a real job with a decent minimum wage. As the HVRF report shows, life on welfare payments, unable to access mainstream employment, is usually a disappointing, demoralizing, unhealthy and unhappy experience for the vast majority of people and one which is highly likely to be repeated by their children.
These children need a better resourced education system if they are to avoid a life of welfare dependency. We need an education system that aims to prepare all students to become members of the workforce, not just those who are academically gifted. We are beginning to experience the consequences of a lack of investment in our young people and our future.
There is a growing divide in Australia between those who are doing well and those who are left behind. The divide is mainly to be found in the area of wealth. We can, and should, do more to assist people to work their way out of a situation of poverty and marginalisation so they can build a more secure future for themselves and their families.
