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MCM undertakes purposeful advocacy at all levels – government, private sector and community. We work closely with the sector to advocate for positive social change.
You can read our policy and research submissions below.
PDF | 944.7 KB
This inquiry presented an opportunity for people with a disability engaged with Melbourne City Mission’s programs to share their experiences and have their stories put on the public record. Our intention with this submission was to collect first-person accounts of the people we support who wished to express their opinions and insights on the themes of education, employment, housing and the NDIS and feed these directly to the Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Mr. Alistair McEwin.
PDF | 318.2 KB
The City of Melbourne has proposed a new local law to ban camping in the city, in response to community and media concerns about the prevalence of rough sleeping in the CBD and the increase in unattended items in major city thoroughfares. In the following submission, Melbourne City Mission outlines its concerns.
PDF | 569.6 KB
Newly released research has revealed that one in three Victorians is a renter, with 83 per cent having no long-term security. With this comes a range of complexities that must be acknowledged to make fair and adequate policy decisions that don’t precipitate vulnerable households into homelessness. With this in mind, Melbourne City Mission focuses on areas of concern in response to the preferences set out in the RTA Review Options Paper, advocating for the people we support who are often tenants dealing with housing stress, are living in low-income households, and who deal with vulnerabilities that increase their risk of falling into homelessness.
PDF | 1.2 MB
Figures from the Department of Education and Training show that the number of students being expelled has risen over 25 per cent in the past year. In our submission to the Ombudsman, we share Melbourne City Mission’s perspectives as a flexible learning and education support provider working with students who have multiple and complex disadvantage and concurrent high support needs, many of whom have experienced school exclusion. The case studies and insights presented in this submission come directly from the students who attend our Academy classrooms and the educators and wellbeing staff who work alongside them. This submission aims to capture on-the-ground realities, from a student and teacher perspective, of what gets in the way of education and students’ ability to learn within the classroom and wider school context.
PDF | 595.1 KB
In March 2016, the State Government introduced changes to Child Protection legislation. The changes – known as the Permanency Amendments – tighten the window for family reunification. The purpose of the amendments is to improve stability for vulnerable children. This is an incredibly complex area, requiring a delicate balancing of sometimes competing rights. Melbourne City Mission’s Cradle to Kinder team is on the frontline of navigating these changes with families. In this submission to the Commission for Children and Young People, Melbourne City Mission provides evidence on how the changes are being experienced thus far.