PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH AT OPENING OF
OZANAM VILLA HOSTEL, LISMORE
8 JUNE, 1975 ^ I.
YOUR LORDSHIP, ON, DOUG ANTHONY, MR. MAYOR,
REVEREND CLERGY AND SISTERS, MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE
SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.
IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO BE BACK IN
LISMORE AGAIN AND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH ANOTHER
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL INITIATIVE. IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR
I WAS ASKED TO OPEN THE OZAmAM HOME IN CANBERRA AND
JUST TWO WEEKS AGO, MY WIFE AND I ATTENDED THE OPENING
OF ST. BEDE'S IN HURSTVILLE,
IN CANBERRA, THE BLESSING WAS GIVEN BY
BISHOP CAHILL AN EASY NAME TO REMEMBER IN NEW SOUTH ' ALES.
AT ST. BEDE'S THE BLESSING CAME FROM BISHOP CREMIN
ANOTHER GOOD, EASY IRISH NAME. AND BEING A CHARITABLE
MAN, BISHOP CREMIN FELT HE SHOULD WARN ME ABOUT LISMORE.
HE TOLD ME THAT BISHOP FARRELLY HAD BEEN SUCCEEDED BY
HIS LORDSHIP BISHOP SATTERTHWAITE, WHO MUST HAVE ONE OF
THE MOST DIFFICULT ECCLESIASTICAL NAMES IN THE COUNTRY
IF NOT THE WORLD. ,/ 2
2.
I MUST SAY I WAS SO INTRIGUED ' Y THE NAME
THAT I LOOKED IT UP INi A BOOK CALLED SI, R NAt OFl UT i E
UNITED KIGDDOM., THAT WAS AFTER I COULDN'T FIND IT IN
THE BOOK OF SAINS., ANYWAY, I LEARNED THAT IT'S OF
SCANDINAVIAN ORIGIN AND MEANS " THE HILL PASTURE CLEARING".
WHICH IS A QUITE PROPER NAME FOR SOMEONE WITH A FLOCK
TO TEND, -BISHOP CREMIN WAS SAYING TO ME THAT WHEN
HE WAS DOING POSTGRADUATE STUDIES IN ROME,
BISHOP SATTERTHWAITE LED A CHARMED LIFE, HE WAS
NEVER CALLED ON TO SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE NOBODY COULD
PRONOUNCE HIS NAME. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER HE MIGHT
LIKE TO CHANGE PLACES WITH ME.
TWO WEEKS AGO AT ST. BEDE'S IN HURSTVILLE
I WAS STRUCK BY THE GENEROSITY OF THE STATE PRESIDENT
OF THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY, BILL FITZGERALD.
NOT ONLY DID HE PRESENT ME WITH A BOOK ILLUSTRATING
THE PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN BY CATHOLIC CARE FOR THE AGED,
BUT HE REMARKED ON THE SENSE OF PARTNERSHIP WHICH HAS
GROWN UP BETWEEN THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND CHARITABLE
ORGANISATIONS IN TOGETHER IDENTIFYING AND SERVING THOSE
IN THE COMMUNITY WHO NEED OUR ATTENTION AND OUR CARE,
1 / 3
3.
IT IS A VITAL PARTNERSHIP AND) I APPRECIATE THAT
COOPERATION, 11TS TANGIBLE RESUJLTS, SUCH AS HOMES
LIKE THIS ONE, W/ ILL STAND AND SERVE THE NEEDS OF
GENERATIONS OF AUSTRALIANS WHO DESERVE TO DE LOOKED AFTER.
PEOPLE ARE ALW'AYS ASKING WHEIRE THEIR TAXES
GO, WHERE ALL THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT. IT IS EASY
TO JUSTIFY EXPENDITURE ON OBVIOUS THINGS LIK( E EDUCATION
AND HEALTH FACILITIES. ON PURELY ECONOMIC GROUNDS THE
INVESTMENT BRINGS EXCELLENT DIVIDENDS FOR OUR SOCIETY
AS A WHOLE. BUT THE REAL HUMANITY OF ANY SOCIETY [ S SEEN
TrHROUGH THE WAY IT BOTHERS TO TREAT ITS OL-DER PEOPLE,
PEOPLE W. 1HO HAVE RETIRED, HAVING( 5 GIVEN THEIR WORKING
LIVES AND QUITE FREQUENTLY THEIR HEALTH, NOT TO0 MENTION
THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS,, TO THE SERVICE OF THEIR
COMMUNITY AND THEIR COUNTRY, EXPENDITURE ON THE NEEDS
OF THESE PEOPLE CAN NEVER BE EXPECTED TO SHOW RETURNS
IN MATERIAL TERMS. i v A
IT'S PRECISELY THAT SORT OF EXPENDITURE
WHERE THE COMMUNITY SHOWS HOW I-HUMANE IT REALLY IS.
WHERE GOVERNMENTS SHOW HOW MUCH THEY CARE. THESE
ARE THE AREAS WHERE TIME AND AGAIN THE ST, VINCENT
DE PAUL SOCIETY HELPS BRIDGE THE VERY REAL GAP
BETWEEN THE HAVES AND THE HAVE-NOTS IN OUR SOCIETY,
THESE ARE THE AREAS THAT CONCERN MY GOVERNMENT,
THESE ARE THE VERY AREAS AT PRESENT UNDER CHALLENGE
IN OUR COURTS, SOME TWENTY YEARS AGO, SIR ROBERT MENZIES
INTRODUCED DIRECT FEDERAL SUBSIDIES FOR AGED PERSONS
HOMES, IT BEGAN AS A DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR SUBSIDY.
WHEN A LABOR GOVERNMENT WAS ELECTED IN DECEMBER 1972
THE LEVEL OF SUBSIDY WAS 1'! E HAVE
INCREASED IT SUBSTANTIALLY SINCE THEN, MOST RECENTLY
LATE LAST YEAR, WHEN WE RAISED IT TO A $ 4 DIRECT
FEDERAL SUBSIDY FOR EVERY ONE DOLLAR SPENT. THIS
OZANAM VILLA HOSTEL, AMONG MANY OTHERS, BENEFITED
FROM THAT DECISION, IT HAS BEEN ABLE TO ATTRACT A
MAXIMUM SUBSIDY OF $ 470,538 FROM THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT,
IN ALL, THIS LISMORE HOME HAS HAD $ 601,267 IN FEDERAL
GRANTS, DIRECT GRANTS. IT IS ONE OF 16 ST. VINCENT
DE PAUL HOMES IN NEW SOUTH WALES ACCOMMODATING 565 PEOPLE
AND ATTRACTING DIRECT AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT GRANTS OF
$ 2,998,142,
BUT WE'-C AINNOT AFFORD TO TAKE-SUCHI THINGS
FOR GRANTED, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THERE ARE HIGH COURT
CHALLENGES WHICH CAST DOUBT ON THE RIGHT OF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO PAY MONEY DIRECTLY TO CHARITABLE
ORGANISATIONS FOR AGED PERSONS HOMES AND HOSTELS,
IT ALSO AFFECTS OTHER VITAL COMMUNITY-ORIENTED SERVICES
WHICH ARE SUBSIDISED, RANGING FROM MEALS ON WHEELS TO
THE BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE, SO MANY THINGS WE TAKE
FOR GRANT. ED AND WHICH SUCCESSIVE FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS
HAVE EITHER INITIATED OR HELPED SUSTAIN,
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SCHEMES INVOLVING
QUITE COLOSSAL AMOUNTS OF MONEY, SCHEMES DESIGNED
TO STREAMLINE THE PROVISION OF VITAL COMMUNITY SERVICES
THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA, SCHEMES IN WHICH ALL THE CHURCHES
HAVE A REAL INVOLVEMENT, THE ST, VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
IN PARTICULAR IS CONCERNED WITH THE PROVISION OF SERVICES
RANGING FROM CARE OF THE HANDICAPPED TO SHELTER FOR
THE HOMELESS, ALL OF WHICH DESERVE AND GET DIRECT
FEDERAL SUBSIDIES. 1 6/ 6
THE CONTENTrI ON ADVANC: ED BY TH OSE CHALLENGINC;
US IN THE COURTS IS THAT THIS MONEY OUGHT TO D; E DOLED
OUT TO THE INDIVIDUAL STATES WHICH CAN IN TURN DOLE
IT OUT TO RECIPIENT COMMUJNITY ORGANISATIONS, AND PROJECTS,
WE ARE TALIKING ABOUT $ 31 MILLION UNDER THE ACED PERSONS
HOMES ACT, $ 19 MILLION UNDER THE AGED PERSONS HOSTELS ACT,
ALL. THAT COULD BE ACHIEVED BY CHANNELLING SUCH
MONEY THROUGH STATE BUREAUCRACIES WOULD-BE THE HOPELESS
SLOWING UP OF FUNDING FOR AREAS OF CARE WHICH SHOULD NOT
HAVE TO WAIT UPON THE RESOLUTION OF PETTY MANUJFACTURED
RIVALRIES. PEOPLE NEEDING CAP~ E INVARIABLY NEED IT
SOONER RATHER THAN LATER,-1 DON ' T NEED TO TE'LL THAT
TO THIS AUDIENCE WdHICH HAS ALREADY DEMONSTRATED HOW
MUCH IT CARES. THEL HOLY SPIRIT CONFERENCE OF THE ST. VINCENT
DE PAUL SOCIETY HERE IN LISMORE REALISED THE PRESSING
NEED FOR ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATION FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE
IN THIS AREA, AND IN BUILDING THIS NEW HOSTEL, THEY
CARRIED ON THE WORK BEGUN sY FATHER JOHN ROGER ArD
MiR. ARTHUR MONAGHAN IN 19691 THIS NEW HOSTEL IS A
CAREFULLY PLANNED AND EXECUTED PROJECT, INCORPORATING
THE LATEST DESIGN IDEAS AND CATERING FOR 149 ELDERLY
RESIDENTS AND 2 LIVE-IN STAFF, 1 ,17
7,
THE SOLE CRITERION FOR ADMISSION AS ALWAYS WITH
1HOMIES RUN BY THE ST, VINCENT IDE PAUL SOCIETY IS NEED,
I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS ALREADY A WAITING LIST FOR
ADMISSION TO THIS NEW HOSTEL AND THAT THERE ARE 50 PEOPLE
WAITING FOR ADMISSION TO THE ORIGINAL WING,
I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE TIME WILL COME
WHEN THE MEMBERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT CONFERENCE WILL
SIT DOWN AND CONSIDER THE WAITING LISTS AND WONDER
WHETHER THEY SHOULDN'T ADD TO THIS OZANAM VILLA COMPLEX
TO MEET THE CONTINUING COMMUNITY NEED FOR THIS KIND OF
ACCOMMODATION AND THE CARE THAT GOES WITH IT,
WHEN THAT HAPPENS, MY GOVERNMENT WILL BE
HAPPY TO COOPERATE WITH THEM IN THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS
AND ADVICE ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS KIND OF
BUILDING, AND PROVIDING THE HIGH COURT CHALLENGE TO
OUR FUNDING OF SUCH COMMUNITY PROJECTS DOES NOT SUCCEED,
MY GOVERNMENT WILL BE DELIGHTED TO ASSIST ONCE MORE
WITH THE PROVISION OF THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SUBSIDY,
THERE IS A VERY PEAL SENSE IN WHICH WE'RE ALL IN THIS
TOGETHER, I HAVE VERY MUCH PLEASURE INDEED IN DECLARING
OPEN THIS LATEST ST, VINCENT DE PAUL PROJECT, THE OZANAM
VILLA HOSTEL, A FITTING REMINDER OF THE VISION OF YOUR
FOUNDER, FREDERIC OZANAM,