Wednesday, 4 November 2020
Community Contributions

Click here to listen to artist Tyrown Waigana tell the story behind the artwork ‘Shape of Land’ which he created for the 2020 National NAIDOC Week poster #NAIDOCWeek #NAIDOC2020 #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe

Infoxchange and Connecting Up present the Digital Technology in the Not-for-Profit Sector report for 2020, which aims to better understand how not-for-profit organisations across Australia and New Zealand are using technology in order to recognise areas of growth and where improvement is needed.

Research is being conducted on governance and regulation of charities in Australia and in England and Wales. Researchers are seeking views of senior office-holders on their understanding of their governance duties and on their approach to conflicts of interest. Take the survey here.

Read the Something Stronger: Truth-telling on hurt and loss, strength and healing, from First Nations people with disability research report, written to support engagement with the First Nations disability community in a way that is considerate of cultural values and beliefs on disability and inclusion, acknowledging unique traumas arising from experiences of social isolation, inequality and discrimination.

Social Ventures Australia have developed a helpful article to assist with Scenario planning for times of great uncertainty. Read more here.

It is predicted that the far-reaching economic and social impacts of COVID-19 will continue to take a toll on Australians’ mental health. In this COVID-19 fact sheet CSI delve into the pandemic's mental health implications and our nation's response.

Community Conversations
NAIDOC Week | 8-15 November

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each year to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. 

You are encouraged to use the #NAIDOC2020 #NAIDOCWeek or #NAIDOC hashtag when talking about NAIDOC Week on social media.

Find out more about the origins and history of NAIDOC Week
Make your Seasons Greetings to Raise the Rate For Good

An announcement from the Government is likely in late November, which gives us just over two weeks to push the government to Raise the Rate For Good.

The Raise the Rate for Good (RTRFG) campaign has launched a holiday card campaign calling on our political leaders to deliver a permanent and adequate increase to income support before Christmas, so people can cover the basics now and into the future. The idea was developed by grassroots campaigners during a campaign development session and supporters have been posting holiday season cards to political leaders across the country.

We're asking organisations to send a RTRFG holiday card to members of the Expenditure Review Committee. Please get all your staff, friends and family to take part! We need thousands to be received, ideally by post. 

We’re also asking organisations to write to our political leaders spelling out why a permanent and adequate increase to income support is so important for people they support.

Here’s how you can help: https://raisetherate.org.au/make-your-organisations-seasons-greetings-to-raise-the-rate-for-good/

How your organisation can help Raise the Rate for Good
Australian Homelessness Monitor 2020

The latest Australian Homelessness Monitor shows the national homelessness rate is set to surge as short-term coronavirus and housing protections phase down.

The 2020 Australian Homelessness Monitor offers an independent analysis of homelessness in Australia. It investigates the changing scale and nature of the problem, and assesses recent policy and practice developments seen in response.

Learn more here
Young people risk more mental health issues as wellbeing declines

headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation has revealed the serious impact 2020 is having on the wellbeing and mental health of young Australians, with concerning new data showing rates of psychological distress remain high or very high, and there's an overall decline in wellbeing.

Jason Trethowan, CEO of headspace says, "What's highly concerning is that one third of young Aussies are already reporting high or very high levels of psychological distress, treble what they were in 2007, but we're also seeing the impacts of a really challenging year affecting their sense of general wellbeing."

Read the headspace insights paper here
Arbitrary detention policies continue despite community support in for resettlement of refugees

An Essential Media poll on attitudes towards detention release and resettlement was commissioned by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and conducted online from 30th September to 5th October 2020. Significantly, poll results (1,074 respondents) show there is wide agreement that indefinite detention is inhumane, and refugees should be immediately allowed to resettle once their claims have been processed.

Poll results show:

  • Over half of people (54%) strongly and somewhat agreed with the statement ‘Once a person is found to be a refugee, the Australian Government should immediately progress their resettlement,’ with just 21% disagreeing.
  • 52% of LNP voters either strongly agree or somewhat agree that those found to be refugees should be resettled immediately.
  • There were more who agreed, 49% (rather than disagree, 26%) with the statement ‘It is inhumane to detain people seeking asylum indefinitely in immigration detention facilities.’
Read more here
 
Community Sector Events
  • University of Queensland's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences & Aboriginal Studies Press invite you to an In-Conversation event with author Dr Debbie Bargallie and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, which will take participants inside Unmasking the Racial Contract: Indigenous voices on racism in the Australian Public Service - 10 November 2020 - Click here for more information
  • Join this webinar for a groundbreaking panel discussion from Settlement Services International (SSI) unpacking the invisible struggles of domestic violence victims within our migrant and refugee communities - 12 November 2020 - Click here for more information
  • 2021 is just around the corner. As leadership teams turn to planning for the coming year, this time the task is not a simple one. Where general parameters within which to lay plans are usually understood, the current context contains layers upon layers of uncertainty. This 60-minute session, hosted by Pro Bono Australia, guides leaders through essential questions and strategies to develop a plan that will lead them into 2021 with confidence - 12 November 2020 - Click here for more information
  • What can we learn from the history of adult learning and education in Australia and what lies ahead? Join this Adult Learning Australia virtual event : Looking back, casting forward – 60 years of Adult Learning in Australia - 25 November 2020 - Click here for more information
Community Sector Resources
  • The National NAIDOC Committee released resources to support teachers and local communities to build knowledge and celebrate First Nations culture - read more here. SBS has also produced a NAIDOC Week 2020 Teaching Resource for Foundation to Year 10. The Teaching Resource contains concepts relevant to a broad range of learners and topics, and will provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in classrooms beyond the dates of NAIDOC Week 2020. It is available on the SBS Learn NAIDOC Week page - read more here.

  • Leading Generous Teams by Clare Desira (Top Five Movement) + Pro Bono Australia is a podcast dedicated to improving the mindset, resilience and mental health of people working in the social sector. The first season presents real conversations with sector leaders about the impact COVID-19 is having on their staff - the pressure of changing service delivery, the challenges of delivering on the front line during a pandemic, the financial uncertainty in the face of growing demand; and the mental health challenges of balancing all of this with other challenges, like remote learning. Listen here.
  • See this collection of resources developed by Red Cross in response to COVID-19 to share with sector partners and other agencies working with communities during this time. The list includes information surrounding: Remote casework practice in the context of COVID-19; Child Protection in the context of COVID-19; Safeguarding vulnerable people in the context of COVID-19; and Guidance for agencies and local government on planning recovery from pandemic.
COSS Corner
The latest news from State and Territory Councils of Social Service

This week is Gambling Harm Awareness Week in the ACT. ACTCOSS has joined with the Canberra Gambling Reform Alliance to call on the incoming ACT Government to urgently act on gambling harm in the ACT. You can help reduce gambling harm by joining this campaign. With the final results of the ACT election now known, ACTCOSS is reaching out to engage with new and returning members in a changed ACT Legislative Assembly.

Join us at the NCOSS NSW Post-Budget virtual event on Thursday, 26 November at 10am, to hear about the economic and fiscal outlook for NSW and how the 2020-21 Budget will impact the community services sector and the people it supports. We are pleased to announce NSW Treasurer, The Hon. Dominic Perrottet, MP will be joining us to highlight key budget priorities and the challenges ahead. We will also hear from Shadow Treasurer The Hon Walter Secord, MLC, Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services The Hon Gareth Ward, MP and Lead Economist with Equity Economics, Angela Jackson.

QCOSS has hosted a webinar on Engaging and Working with interpreters, exploring how COVID-19 has affected the sector and sharing tips and useful information on how community services can access interpreters to improve the way they communicate with diverse communities.

With borders reopening and freedom of movement returning in a number of jurisdictions around Australia, it is important to acknowledge the tension and anxiety out in the community and within our workforce. TasCOSS's COVID-19 Planning Series resources and How To guides are available to provide assistance and guidance on ensuring you have a COVID-19 safe workplace.

New evidence commissioned by WACOSS from the Not-for-profits University of Western Australia Research Group has revealed that WA’s charities are facing increased financial pressure, resulting in fewer services and lower quality jobs in the sector. The NFP Landscape 2020 report is alarming, and further evidence that funding for community services is not covering the cost of services.

On November 24, SACOSS will host the Working to Make Ends Meet Virtual Conference. Featuring keynote speaker Saunoamaali'i Karanina Sumeo (Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner at New Zealand Human Rights Commission), this conference draws on foundational SACOSS research into the key drivers of waged poverty, how to address it, and how we can plan a more equitable future for all. Register today at bit.ly/WTMEM

"I want to give a shoutout." More than 160,000 Victorians work in the community and social service sector, keeping people safe, healthy, supported and empowered. Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and as part of #ThankYouDay, Premier Dan Andrews has a message for them. More at vcoss.org.au/advocacy/thankyou/

This year Anti-Poverty Week focussed on the desperate national need for affordable housing, and NTCOSS joined forces with NT Shelter to look at the Territory’s housing challenges. In an Anti-Poverty Week webinar, Peter McMillan, the Executive Officer of NT Shelter, set out a path for the Northern Territory that would ensure all residents have access to safe, secure and affordable housing while supporting the building and construction sector to get the job done.

Members in the Media
Ageism blinds us to jobs bonanza

Our attitudes to the aged are encapsulated in the problems facing the underfunding of the sector - Tracey Burton, Executive Director, Uniting NSW and ACT.

Read here
A special census is happening on Tuesday and multicultural Australia is a top priority

CEO of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia, Mohammad Al-Khafaji discusses the importance of engaging with multicultural Australia.

Read more
Closing Australia’s education divide will take a generation, landmark study finds

The Smith Family's head of research Anne Hampshire believes the problem can be fixed within one generation

Read more
 
Feature Tweet

We are spiritually and culturally connected to our land and waters.

This year’s NAIDOC theme Always Was, Always will be recognises this connection and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have occupied and cared for this country for over 65,000 years. pic.twitter.com/Exd5wYNk5N

— Coalition of Peaks (@coalition_peaks) October 26, 2020
Click here to see full tweet
 
We respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the country on which we work, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.

We recognise the right of all First Peoples around the country to self-determination.

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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