Why Budgets are moments that matter for Children, Families and Housing
Investment is often framed as a financial decision. A calculation. A trade-off between competing priorities. But at its core, investment is something much simpler - and much more revealing. What we choose to invest in is what we care about. Budgets, whether at a household or government level, are more than lines on a ledger. They are expressions of values. They show us, in real terms, what matters enough to act on, and what does not.
As we approach the upcoming New South Wales Budget and reflect on the Federal Budget being handed down this week, this lens matters more than ever. Because the decisions made in these budgets will shape the lives of children, young people and families for decades to come.
Investment is a statement of care
We often talk about children and young people as our ‘future.’ But this language, while well-intentioned, can sometimes obscure a more urgent truth. Children are not just our future; they are our present responsibility. In our work across communities, we see the impact of this every day. When investment in early support, family stability, and safe housing is insufficient, the consequences are immediate and compounding:
Families are stretched beyond capacity
Young people disengage from education and community
Demand for crisis services rises
Systems become reactive, not preventive
In these moments, the absence of investment becomes its own form of decision-making.
Because when we do not invest early, we invest later - in crisis responses, in statutory systems, and in outcomes that are harder and more expensive to shift.
What families need is the right support at the right time
Across New South Wales and nationally, the child, youth and family sector has been clear and consistent. There is a call, not simply for more funding, but for investment that delivers the right support at the right time.
Investment that:
Prioritises early intervention and family preservation, so children can remain safely connected to their families and communities
Strengthens community-based services, particularly those that are culturally grounded and locally led
Recognises the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and invests in self-determined, community-controlled responses
Ensures the best possible outcome for children and young people in care
Addresses workforce sustainability, ensuring that skilled practitioners can continue to do this work well
These are not abstract ideas. They reflect what practitioners, families and communities have been telling us and what the evidence has confirmed over many years. The question is no longer whether these approaches work. The question is whether we care enough to invest in them at scale.
Housing is where the clearest story is told
If budgets reveal what we value, housing is where that truth is most visible. Because without safe, stable housing, everything else becomes harder and often, impossible.
Education continuity breaks down.
Family stress escalates.
Risks to safety increase.
Services are forced to work around instability rather than build on stability.
We see this play out in real time - young people trying to stay connected to school while experiencing housing instability, families navigating crisis without a stable base to rebuild from.
This makes clear that when housing is unstable, it limits what other supports can achieve. That’s why the Federal Government’s commitment of $60 million to establish a National Youth Housing Supplement in this week’s Budget matters. A campaign, lead by Home Time Campaign Youth Housing Coalition, has been critical to this Federal Government commitment; Marist180 is a proud member of this coalition, a grateful supporter of this campaign and an advocate for this commitment.
This investment recognises something fundamental, that when we care about children and young people, we invest in the foundations that allow them to thrive. It reflects growing recognition that housing is not a secondary issue, but a critical enabler of stability, connection and opportunity, particularly for young people who have too often been locked out of access.
A moment of choice
Budgets are moments of choice.
They ask us to decide - not in principle, but in practice - what matters most. At this point in time, the choice is clear. We can continue to invest in systems that respond to crisis or we can shift toward investment that prevents it. We can maintain fragmented approaches or we can build integrated systems that support children, young people and families earlier, and more effectively.
What will these Budgets say about us?
When the details of the NSW and Federal Budgets settle, the question will not just be ‘what was funded?’
It will be:
What did we choose to prioritise?
Whose needs were recognised—and whose were deferred?
What kind of future did we invest in?
Because budgets tell a story and if we listen and analyse closely, they tell us exactly what we value.
In closing
If investment is a reflection of care, then this moment calls for clarity. To care about children and young people is to invest in:
Their families
Their communities
Their stability
Their futures
Not in words, but in decisions.
Because ultimately, what we invest in is what we care about - and what we care about shapes the kind of society we become. And in words offered in February 2026 to an International Summit on Children’s Rights, Pope Leo encourages them and us:
‘you are speaking on behalf of those who have no voice. This is a truly noble task. Keep that in mind when the temptation to be discouraged arises because of failed initiatives, seeming lack of interest from others or the sense that the situation is not improving. Let the good you know you are doing carry you forward.’
Jane Powles
Partnerships and Advocacy Coordinator, and
Patrick O’Reilly
Director Mission, Inclusion and Identity
