Publications
ACOSS publications inform public debate about ACOSS policy issues, document ACOSS research and influence Government on policy. Many ACOSS publications are developed in partnership with other organisations
30 January 2012
Joint COSS Submission in response to the Treasury Australian Charities and NFP Commission exposure draft and Governance Arrangements Consultation Paper. In this paper we set out particular concerns with respect to the over-reaching scope of the enabling legislation for the Commission; the lack of clarity about the independence of the Commission; and the prescriptive tenor of the governance arrangements proposed.We conclude by addressing two areas that remain unclear in terms of the elgislative framework to enable the ACNC and its commencement. These are how the ACNC's Objects can best capture responsibilities to the sector and its clients or stakeholders, beyond those of public accountability; and how the extent of the ACNC's powers and its expectations of the sector will take account of existing or other responsibilities by charities and NFPs.
18 January 2012
ACOSS Submission to Senate Community Affairs Committee: Social Security Legislation Amendment Bill 2011.
This bill, if passed, proposes to further extend compulsory income management to recipients of government payments who are referred by State and Territory regulatory authorities. It also proposes to extend compulsory and voluntary income management to recipients of social security payments in five new regions outside the NT on referral from child protection authorities or Centrelink social workers on the grounds of ‘vulnerability’; and to extend the suspension for parents of certain income support payments whose children are not enrolled or regularly attending school under the SEAM measure to additional communities in the NT.
ACOSS recommends that these measures be opposed, and outlines the reasons in this submission.
18 January 2012
ACOSS’ submission to the Senate Economics Committee on the Tax Laws Amendment (Stronger, Fairer, Simpler and Other Measures) Bill 2011: reform of the tax treatment of superannuation contributions (ACOSS Paper 180).
ACOSS participated in the Australia’s Future Tax System Review (AFTS) process, and advocated reforms to make the personal income tax system and the tax treatment of superannuation fairer and more efficient. While we believe that there are some proposed changes that should be supported, such as the proposed mining tax in the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Bill, this submission proposes larger reforms to the present system of tax concessions for superannuation.
6 January 2012
In this submission, ACOSS outlines policy recommendations for consideration by the Federal Government in its 2012-13 Budget. The submission aims to resolve the tension between the Govern-ment’s commitment to restore the Budget to surplus from 2012-13 and the urgency of social and economic needs not yet met, of key social and economic reforms not yet completed.
Our priority for the 2012-13 Federal Budget remains to ensure that no person is excluded from the benefits of economic growth and prosperity and from the opportunity to fully participate in society. Some of the policy building blocks to meet this goal have been laid, including the commitment to introduce a National Disability Insurance Scheme, the emerging policy focus on employment participation for people excluded from the labour market, and last year’s mental health reform package.
8 December 2011
The Annual Report records ACOSS' activities and performance for the 2010-11 financial year. It documents our progress towards organisational goals and gives an organisational overview, as well as an outline of our financial position and performance.
28 October 2011
ACOSS has consistently called in its minimum wage submissions for Fair Work Australia to undertake and review research into measures of relative living standards as a guide to its decisions on minimum wages.
21 October 2011
To mark Anti-Poverty Week,, ACOSS has updated its Poverty Report bringing together all the latest publically available measurements of inequality and poverty in Australa. ACOSS is using the update to call on the Commonwealth Government to commit to increase income support allowances like Newstart as recommended by the Henry Review, in order to tackle the growing gap between the haves and have-nots in Australia. ACOSS CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie said, "The evidence is mounting of a growing divide with more people hitting hard times and falling into poverty.
"There is widespread consensus that the paltry payment levels for allowances such as Newstart, Parenting Payment Single, and Youth Allowance is one of the principle reasons for increasing hardship and poverty in our rich country. This was highlighted at the recent Tax Forum in Canberra where participants almost unanimously agreed that the Newstart Allowance of $35 a day is simply not enough to live on.
29 September 2011
The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) has a long history of involvement in tax and social security reform in Australia. ACOSS was a strong contributor to the Henry Review process. ACOSS has also pushed for strong community representation in the upcoming Tax Forum, which is to continue the tax reform dialogue started with the Henry Review.
ACOSS sees the Tax Forum is an opportunity for Government to gain the views of a broad cross-section of the community regarding the priorities and directions for further reform of Australia's tax and transfer system.
24 August 2011
This report reviews those parts of The Clean Energy Future package which most directly affect people on low incomes and the community service sector. In particular, we assess the adequacy of household assistance proposed to offset higher prices flowing from the package, as forecast in modelling by The Treasury. Based on these data, the package introduces a price on carbon and begins our adjustment to a low carbon economy, without adversely affecting people on low incomes - according to ACOSS. Read the full report >>
15 August 2011
The Australian Community Sector Survey 2011 (ACSS) presents the findings of the ACOSS annual survey of community services across Australia. The survey was conducted throughout November-December 2010 and covers the period from 1 July 2009 - 30 June 2010. A total of 745 agencies completed the survey, responding on issues relating to service provision, income and expenditure, operational, policy, and workforce issues for the community services sector.
The ACSS is the only annual national survey collecting data about the non-government, non-profit community services and welfare sector. This sector is a major provider of the community services that most of us rely on at some point in our lives, but which are particularly important to people on low incomes.
