THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA – DISADVANTAGE,
HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY
Welcome to
this the second series of “Getting to Know You” – and the first to be
televised. My name is Gavin Williams.
The Mornington Peninsula is a lovely
part of Australia. Its beautiful countryside, beaches, vineyards and wines, as
well as its restaurants and fine food attract huge numbers to live and to
holiday.
There is, however, another side to the
Peninsula – a “dark underbelly” – which get little or no exposure.
To set
the scene. Across the Peninsula:
- there are significant
pockets of disadvantage;
- a sizeable
number of households are living in or near poverty;
- many people do
not live in a secure and safe environment;
- homeless is a
real problem with increasing numbers unable to get into the housing market;
- educational
performance and student engagement is poor in some schools and some parts of
the Peninsula;
- Domestic
violence, drugs, inability to get a job and mental health issues all add to the
problem.
So it’s
not a pretty picture. But what are we doing
to fix it?
To
discuss these issues I am joined today by four people who spend a good deal of
their daily lives on the front line of these problems:
- Kara Van Der
Heyde, Housing and Support Case Worker at Western Port Community Support;
- Judy Cooper,
Co-ordinator, Homelessness & Support Services on the Peninsula with the
Salvation Army.
- Stephanie
Exton, Executive Director, Mornington Peninsula Foundation; and
- Cr Sam Hearn,
Mayor of the Mornington Peninsula Shire.
The Issues – For Discussion
- Was the brief
outline I just presented a fair summary of the issues? Or did I exaggerate the nature
and extent of the problem?
- What do the
statistics tell us about the disadvantage on the Peninsula. Who/which groups
comprise the disadvantaged – and where are they? What are the main causes of
their disadvantage?
- What is the
number one social problem on the Peninsula? What key changes are required to
reduce social disadvantage on the Peninsula?
- What is the
focus of your organisation in helping people living in distress? What practical
assistance do you provide? What happens when you are simply unable to provide
such assistance?
- On a global
scale, Australia’s educational performance and outcomes are mediocre at best.
Why is the educational performance in some Peninsula schools and locations even
worse? How widespread is this poor performance?
- What is the
role of government and of all three tiers – local, state and federal. Is it
largely just to provide funds for projects? What more should they be doing? What
are the priorities of the Mornington Shire? And what of the role of the private
sector and private philanthropy?
- Why do these
social problems get so little mainstream media attention and publicity? Is
there, maybe, just some truth (as has been suggested to me) that a “conspiracy
of silence” exists, designed to protect the glossy image of the Peninsula?
To Draw the Program to an End:
- If you were all powerful, had a magic wand and bucket loads
of money what are the one or two things you would do to reduce social
disadvantage on the Peninsula?
More at www.rppv.com.au
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