Specialised help for our most vulnerable
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneToday I am pleased to announce the 144 organisations that will deliver the new Personal Support Programme (PSP) from July 2002 (see attachment). By 2005…
Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone
UK High Court decision lets down pensioners
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneI am very disappointed with the United Kingdom High Court’s decision that the refusal to pay indexed pensions into countries such as Australia was lawful.…
Government Invests in Keeping Families Together
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneThousands of families, particularly those in rural and regional Australia, will benefit from more than $5 million of investment in relationship services over the next…
Record Support for People with Disabilities
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneChanges in this Budget will see significantly more support and greater opportunities for people with disabilities to help them participate in work and in the…
Australians Have Their Say on Welfare Reform
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneI am pleased to release the report on the community consultations on Australians Working Together (AWT). The Government has placed a strong emphasis on the…
Big Budget Boost for Families and Communities
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneThe Government will provide an additional $843 millionas part of the Federal Budget to fund five key initiatives in the Family and Community Services Portfolio.…
Strengthening the Integrity of Australia’s Welfare System
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneNew compliance measures in the Budget will provide estimated net savings of $275 million over the next four years by identifying incorrect welfare payments and…
Australia Pursuing Four New International Social Security Agreements
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneAs a priority the Howard Government will seek to finalise new social security agreements with Croatia, Norway, Slovenia and Switzerland, as part of its continuing…
Funding Boost Marks National Volunteer Week
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneIn celebration of Volunteers Week I am pleased to announce funding of $1.6 million over four years to Volunteering Australia (VA) to help expand volunteer…
Educational campaign results in anonymous $3,500 cheque
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneThe educational campaign, Support the System that Supports You, has achieved an unexpected outcome in the form of an anonymous $3,500 cheque. Last week, a…
Children Need Our Care, Not More Bureaucracy
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneLabor’s policy recycling has continued with Simon Crean’s rehashed proposal for a National Children’s Commission. The proposal for a Commissioner has been around for years…
Visit To Vietnam By Senator Amanda Vanstone
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneThe Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Amanda Vanstone, is visiting Hanoi from 22 – 23 April 2002. This is the first visit to…
Aboriginal Housing Boost
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneIn its last Budget, the Howard Government announced the first real increase in Indigenous housing in ten years to help address serious housing issues in…
Centrelink’s commitment to reconciliation
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneCentrelink has shown great support for Indigenous Australians with its Statement of Commitment to Reconciliation (see attached). The Statement outlines Centrelink’s commitment to both its…
New Ads: Supporting the System that Supports You
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneAustralia has one of the best social security systems in the world. It is there to help people through difficult times and to improve the…
400 New Personal Advisers To Help Needy Australians
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneCentrelink has started advertising today for over 400 Personal Adviser positions as an important part of the Australians Working Together welfare reform package. These new…
Sole Parents Deserve Praise and Support
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone“Sole parents are one the most maligned groups in our society,” Senator Vanstone said today at the Towards Opportunity and Prosperity conference in Melbourne. “We…
Reporting on FTB debts inaccurate
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneNews reports this morning on the number of families with FTB (Family Tax Benefit) debts are not correct. There has notbeen a ‘five-fold increase in…
New voices to speak up for Australians with a disability
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneToday I am pleased to announce the appointment of several new members to the National Disability Advisory Council, the Government’s community-based advisory group on disability…
Centrelink – Helping Multicultural Australia
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneToday’s launch of Centrelink’s strategy for delivering services to customers of non-English speaking backgrounds is another example of the agency’s commitment to provide excellent customer…
New Peak Body for Australian Families
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneToday’s launch of the new peak body, Families Australia, will mean that the interests of families, young people and children in Australia are better represented.…
Tracking 10,000 Toddlers
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneTen thousand toddlers will be tracked over nearly a decade in groundbreaking research on the lives of Australian children. The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children…
New Indigenous Women’s Advisory Group
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneI am pleased to announce the launch of a new advisory group designed to further enhance the Commonwealth Government’s work with indigenous women. The 13-member…
Pensions up $11.30 per fortnight
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneToday I am pleased to announce that from 20 March 2002 there will be a further increase in adult pensions and allowances which will benefit…
‘Independent’ breaching report old news
Media Release by Senator the Hon Amanda VanstoneI am pleased that many of the recommendations made by Professor Pearce on breaching are consistent with much of the good work that Centrelink is…