And it's important when talking about a social coalition to understand that that is not some kind of euphemism or some kind of excuse for the Government reducing its role or retreating any way from its responsibilities. There will always be a fundamental and important role for governments to provide income support, to draw upon the general fund of taxpayers to help the needy and the less fortunate in our community. That responsibility can never be abandoned, it should never be abandoned and it can never be negotiated away. But there are, I believe, approaches which better combine the capacities of the Government, philanthropic individuals, the welfare sector, and the business community. And the social coalition is really about each of those groups getting together and doing what they can best do in order to help the disadvantaged within our society.
Governments are good at writing checks.
Governments are good at drawing upon the tax payers money to provide pensions, unemployment benefits and forms of welfare support. Governments are not always good at the coal face. And that of course were organisations such as your society come in. The human compassion dispensed by the Society of St Vincent de Paul, by the Salvation Army, the Wesley Mission, by Anglicare, and I can go onto name the great welfare organisations of Australia. That kind of human compassion is irreplaceable and unmatchable and can only be provided by the warmhearted members of organisations such as your own.