Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home Life Family

Saving a marriage for $200

byStaff writers
20 June 2014 - Updated on 24 March 2021
Reading Time: 3 mins read
AA
Marriage annulment
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Francine and Byron Pirola 

IN July, the Federal Government’s pilot relationship voucher scheme comes into effect.

The trial period has budgeted for 100,000 couples to receive a $200 voucher towards the cost of a relationship education class run by approved providers.

One has to ask why, with so many cutbacks in the budget, would the government initiate a $20 million program focused on strengthening marriage and family life?

Kevin Andrews, the minister for Social Services is well versed in the value of marriage education.

Together with his wife Margaret they are one of Australia’s pioneers in the field.

His recent book “Maybe ‘I Do’” sets him apart as arguably the most well informed of the marriage research in the country.

As the minister for Social Services overseeing a $140 billion annual budget, it is safe to say that he knows more than most the cost of marriage breakdown in the Australian community.

It is estimated that a typical divorce costs the government in excess of $60,000; made up of court costs and social welfare support of which single parents are major recipients.

The figure doesn’t include the cost to the individual family or their employer who will carry the burden of increased sick leave and lower productivity – both of which are well documented in the research.

Related Stories

Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says

Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

Minority Catholic woman takes pride in Asia’s overlooked saints

Nor does it count the cost to their children who will move into a higher risk group for depression, anxiety, poor school performance, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse and, according to the research, can carry the negative impact of a parents divorce well into their adult lives.

The obvious question is will marriage and relationship education help?

Marriage education is different to marriage counselling which tends to be sought in the terminal stages of a relationship.

 In marriage education the emphasis is on prevention; teach couples some healthy relationship skills and they can more intelligently and consciously manage their marriage.

Just like cooking is natural and most of us can do the basics, if you want to be an expert you need to get some training.

These days, while some marriages can survive without ongoing education, many won’t.

Time set aside as a couple in a well-designed program gives couples skills and insights that build relational resilience and that helps their marriage thrive.

Marriage Education is not about making couples stay in dysfunctional or dangerous relationships.

It’s about helping spouses to mature and up-skill so that they can create the marriage for which they long.

Like any kind of professional development, it’s often the difference between a struggling marriage and a thriving one.

Here’s the investment proposition at the macro-level; if a typical divorce costs the taxpayer $60,000 then only 350 couples out of the 100,000 taking up this trial need to avoid a divorce for this to be good for all of us.

While a little over simplified, the potential for this trial is compelling. And at the mirco-level, we are saying to anyone who will listen – “get off the couch and do something for you marriage together”.

It can’t hurt and it’s never been cheaper.

Francine and Byron Pirola are the authors of the SmartLoving series. For course information visit www.smartloving.org 

[divider]

ShareTweet
Previous Post

A spirit of self-sacrifice

Next Post

Centenary celebrated at St Columba’s

Staff writers

Related Posts

Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says
Faith

Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says

18 May 2022
Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says
World

Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

18 May 2022
Minority Catholic woman takes pride in Asia’s overlooked saints

Minority Catholic woman takes pride in Asia’s overlooked saints

18 May 2022
Next Post

Centenary celebrated at St Columba’s

Charity helping pregnant women in need honoured with major international award

ERDU helping to open up the Bible

Popular News

  • Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI turned 95 on a ‘very happy’ day

    Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI turned 95 on a ‘very happy’ day

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Here are the stories of 10 new saints being canonised this Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Queensland election: The pro-life political parties committed to abortion law reforms

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Angel’s Kitchen serves hot meals to the hungry in Southport

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Minority Catholic woman takes pride in Asia’s overlooked saints

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says
Faith

Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says

by CNS
18 May 2022
0

HOLINESS is possible, and the Catholic Church provides the tools for attaining it. That was the theme...

Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

18 May 2022
Minority Catholic woman takes pride in Asia’s overlooked saints

Minority Catholic woman takes pride in Asia’s overlooked saints

18 May 2022
Bishops call out racism, gun violence after U.S. shooting

Bishops call out racism, gun violence after U.S. shooting

17 May 2022
Parishes unite for Logan deanery family festival this Sunday

Parishes unite for Logan deanery family festival this Sunday

17 May 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping