ACOSS Reports & Submissions
Australian Federal Budget
January 2009
Social Inclusion and Economic Security: Recommendations for the Federal Budget 2009-10
In this submission to the Australian Treasury, ACOSS outlines policy recommendations for consideration by the Federal Government in its 2009-10 Budget to increase social inclusion at a time of economic uncertainty.
Includes: Community Services and Health; Employment, Education and Training; Housing and Infrastructure; Indigenous Communities; Social Security; Tax.
June 2008
ACOSS has prepared this briefing on the 2008-09 Federal Budget. This paper explains the funding announcements made in the Budget in relevant areas of interest to ACOSS members. It does not offer extensive comment on the merit of these measures. It is intended to assist member organisations in their work.
For ease of analysis, at times the Budget announcements are set out by population group, even where this crosses Government portfolios. Revenue and expenditure measures are also set out under relevant portfolios, which explain why some programs are repeated. These include policy decisions announced on Budget night and those already announced beforehand (including many of the election promises).
May 2007
ACOSS has prepared this briefing on the 2007-08 Federal Budget. This paper explains the funding announcements made in the Budget in relevant areas of interest to ACOSS members. It does not offer extensive comment on the merit of these measures. It is intended to assist member organisations in their work.
April 2007
In this submission to the Australian Treasury, ACOSS outlines policy recommendations for consideration by the Australian Government in its 2007-08 Budget.
ACOSS Paper 147. Includes: Community services. Home and Community Care. Child care. Unemployment. Dental care. Medicare. Health care. Housing. Rent Assistance. Public housing. Indigenous communities. Legal services. Rural and remote communities. Social security. Poverty. Tax.
August 2006
As the peak council of the community and welfare sector, concerned about low income and disadvantaged Australians and social inequality, ACOSS welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Government’s ‘streamlining superannuation’ proposals.
May 2006
Includes:Tax revenue. Tax cuts. Superannuation. Family Tax Benefits. Indigenous disadvantage. Careers. Utilities. Medicare. Childcare. Mental Health. Smart Card. Child Support. Federal Budget Spending. Key Economic Indicators. Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Department of Family and Community Services. Department of Health. Department of Human Services.
February 2006
Includes: Community services. Home and Community Care. Child care. Unemployment. Employment assistance. Disability Open Employment Services. Dental care. Medicare. Health care. Housing. Rent Assistance. Public housing. Indigenous housing. Indigenous Health. Legal services. Rural and remote communities. Social security. Poverty. Tax.
July 2005
If the welfare changes announced in the Federal Budget are passed by the new Senate later this year, we estimate that a total of 150,000 people and 150,000 children, will be worse off in the three years after the changes start, in July 2006. This is due to an unprecedented change in future social security payments.
ACOSS Info paper 374. Includes: Social security. Unemployment. Employment. Jobseekers. Welfare reform. Workforce participation. Training. Job Network. Single parents. People with disabilities. Enhanced Newstart Allowance. Activity test. Poverty. Breaches/penalties.
April 2005
Address by ACOSS President Andrew McCallum to Melbourne Institute - The Australian ‘Sustaining Prosperity' conference, March 2005
ACOSS Info paper 39. Includes: Social security. 'Welfare dependency'. Unemployment. Employment. Jobseekers. Welfare reform. Workforce participation. Training. Job Network. Sole parents. People with disabilities. Social Security Appeals Tribunal.
April 2005
Ministers are examining over dollar of new "welfare reform" spending to help jobless people into work. Yet $12 billion is being wasted on tax breaks concessions and subsidies to well-off people who don't need them, and to uncapped programs that will eventually inflate the cost of essential health and child care services for all Australians. The cost of these tax breaks and concessions will continue to rise in future if they are not abolished or trimmed back. In particular, the cost of wasteful tax breaks for superannuation for high income earners and for well off retired people will rise exponentially as the population ages.
ACOSS Info paper 372. Includes: Budget waste on tax cuts. Tax breaks for high income earners. Private health insurance rebate. Capital gains tax (CGT). Superannuation tax breaks. Fringe benefits tax (FBT). Termination payments. Tax breaks for well-off older Australians. Child care rebate.
