Supporting the youth voice, a pink hi-vis recovery and a housing crisis in Queensland

All the latest news from the Councils of Social Service of Australia.

ACOSS 

ACOSS invites you to attend the next installment in the ACOSS Policy Webinar Series, which will explore new research and data on long-term unemployment, its causes, and who is affected, as well as discuss what the federal government can do to reduce it, including employment programs that give people a better chance of getting available jobs. See full details and register for free here.

In the lead up to Anti-Poverty Week (17 October), Everybody’s Home, Raise the Rate for Good, and Anti-Poverty Week are calling on the federal government to make sure everyone can cover the basics and keep a safe roof over their head. Please support by signing the petition here.

ACTCOSS

ACTCOSS this week has published its summary of the 2021-22 ACT Budget in its Budget Bulletin. Last week, ACTCOSS received a grant to establish ACT Health and Community Sector Careers Hub. ACTCOSS is grateful for the funding and is looking forward to the establishment of the Careers Hub to enhance career pathways in the sector to help people reach their full career potential and allow for stronger collaboration in the delivery of careers guidance.

TasCOSS

Want to help shape the future of the Tasmanian community services industry workforce? TasCOSS has two exciting new roles on offer. It is looking for a talented project manager to drive change and help bring the 10-year Industry Plan vision to life, as well as a support officer to assist with administrative and project support functions. Applications close 5pm, Tuesday 19 October. Interested? Find out more and apply now. 

NCOSS

National Anti-Poverty Week is 17-23 October and this year NCOSS will be highlighting the precarious housing situation for many women in NSW and urging the NSW government to boost investment in social housing construction and domestic violence and specialist homelessness services. Click here to get involved in our campaign – A Pink Hi-Vis Recovery – to support women in need, help local communities build back after COVID, and grow the broader NSW economy.

WACOSS

WACOSS and Fair Food WA, supported by the WA government and Lotterywest, have launched an online platform – the Community Organised Resource Exchange (CORE) – which aims to give local businesses and charities the ability to exchange surplus resources within their local communities. CORE will be officially launched by WA Community Services Minister Simone McGurk this Friday 15 October ahead of World Food Day 2021.

SACOSS

SACOSS is delighted to announce that leading economist Ross Garnaut will deliver the keynote address at its upcoming conference Liveable Futures: Towards Climate Justice and Social Equity on 18 November, with the topic being “The equity challenges of South Australia’s transition to net-zero”. It will also be looking at water justice, energy, urban greening, inclusive transport, and why community organisations are getting climate active. More information

NTCOSS

NTCOSS is supporting Youth Voice NT, a project that works with young people and youth workers to elevate the voices of young people in the Northern Territory. The project helps young people to have a say about things that impact everyone in the community. It also focuses on sharing the talents and stories of young Territorians. Click here to learn more

QCOSS

New analysis from Queensland’s peak body for the community sector shows there are now 50,301 people on Queensland’s social housing register. Since 2017, the social housing register has increased by 78 per cent. 

“50,000 people is equivalent to the population of Bundaberg. There is no question that we are in a housing crisis in Queensland,” said QCOSS CEO Aimee McVeigh. Click here to read more

VCOSS

VCOSS continues to encourage Victorians to get vaccinated with its Back To The Good Things campaign. 

“As a peak body, VCOSS can’t increase vaccine supply or get ‘needles into arms’ But we can help get people into vaccination centres. This campaign is all about highlighting the benefits of getting vaccinated. ‘Not getting COVID’ is the obvious one. But the list of things we will regain once enough Victorians are vaccinated is endless,” said VCOSS CEO Emma King.

This article was contributed by ACOSS Community Hub.