Wednesday, 17 March 2021
Community Contributions

YWCA is calling for applicants for its 2021 Australia Board Traineeship Program! They are looking for two passionate, dedicated and suitably skilled young women or non-binary people (aged 18 to 30) who are members of YWCA to join the board as trainees for a period of 12 months from 1 July 2021 till 30 June 2022. Click here for more information

Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) has released issue 10 of the Positive CALD Ageing Network (PCAN) newsletter for 2021. Click here to access the publication

On 11 March 2021, the disability sector released a joint statement opposing the Federal Government’s changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The disability sector is concerned about the impact of mandatory ‘Independent Assessments’ on people with disability, including how they access the NDIS and receive funding and support. Read the full sector statement here

The Settlement Council of Australia (SCoA) is has circulated its State of the Sector Report for 2020. This report is an assessment of the make-up of the industry, priorities and challenges for the sector in 2020. Click here to for more information and to read the report

HESTA is calling for nominations of dedicated professionals working in disability, allied health, aged care and community services in Australia for the 2021 HESTA Excellence Awards. For more information or to submit a nomination, click here

OrganiseUs want to grow digital skills and organising capacity across a diverse sector of our community, and are currently running the following specific scholarship funds: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Campaigner Scholarship; and Campaigners of Colour Scholarship. Click here for more information and to apply

Community Conversations
Close the Gap Day, 18 March 2021

The 12th annual Close the Gap Campaign report entitled, Leadership and Legacy Through Crises: Keeping our Mob safe is a wake-up call to Australian Governments that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have the solutions to health inequality in their grasp.

The report showcases the resilience, strengths and leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations throughout critical health crises in 2020: devastating bushfires and climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and the mental health emergency facing First Australians.

The message delivered from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 2020 is loud and clear: Value our cultures. Engage our leadership. Share the power and let us lead decisions about matters that affect us. We will not fail. This is the legacy that will live on through our children.

Click here to join the 12PM AEDT Close the Gap 2021 Report launch event today

Click here to read the report
Black Lives Matter

Almost 30 years and 441 deaths since the Royal Commission, no police officer or authority has been convicted for Black deaths in custody. There is no accountability, and no justice. The Prime Minister is called on to meet face to face on the 30 year anniversary to hear stories, to see pain, but most of all to provide answers.

Closing the health and life expectancy gap between First Nations Peoples and non-Indigenous Australians means the deaths of First Nations People in custody must stop. The government must take action to stop First Nations people dying in custody. Those responsible for the deaths must be held accountable. The government must work with First Nations organisations, communities and individuals to implement the Royal Commission recommendations and ensure an end to the injustices experienced by First Nations people.

Join NATSILS and the families who have lost loved ones to injustice. Sign the petition calling on the Prime Minister to meet with families whose loved ones have died in custody in April.

Click here for more information and to sign the petition
World Social Work Day - I am Because We Are

World Social Work Day (16 March 2021) is the annual celebration where social workers across the globe stand together to highlight the contributions of their profession, raise the visibility of social services and reaffirm their commitment to defend social justice and human rights. Australian Association of Social Workers, Chief Executive Cindy Smith said for more than three decades World Social Work Day has been a major feature of the social work calendar. "This year highlights the theme of Ubuntu: I am Because We Are - Strengthening Social Solidarity and Global Connectedness, a concept and philosophy that resonates with the social work perspective of the interconnectedness of all peoples and their environments."

Learn more here
The COVID recession hit women hardest

The COVID recession hit women much harder than men, and will compound women’s lifetime economic disadvantage, according to a new Grattan Institute report. Women’s work: the impact of the COVID recession on Australian women shows that women copped a triple-whammy:

  • they lost more jobs than men - almost 8 per cent at the peak of the crisis, compared to 4 per cent for men;
  • they shouldered more of the increase in unpaid work including supervising children learning remotely - taking on an extra hour each day more than men, on top of their existing heavier load; and
  • they were less likely to get government support - JobKeeper excluded short-term casuals, who in the hardest-hit industries are mostly women.

The faster-than-expected economic recovery and school re-openings have helped improve the outlook for women, but unemployment and underemployment remain too high, especially for vulnerable groups such as single parents, who are mostly women. 

Read the report here
 
Community Sector Events
  • Victorian Women's Trust Presents the webinar: Can gender equality be achieved without reforming early childhood education? While there has been hard-fought wins to remove many of the discriminations against women at work, there is still lag behind when it comes to providing women with children the support their family needs - 18 March 2021 - Click here to register
  • Connecting Up is thrilled to share that this year's Connecting Up Evolve2021 Conference will be its first hybrid event, with every session streamed live to you, wherever you are - 5-7 May 2021 - Click here for more information and to register
  • The theme for the Refugee Alternatives Conference 2021 is Rebuilding: resilience and innovation, which recognises and celebrates the incredible and challenging work that took place over the past 12 months whilst navigating the unprecedented impact of the current global pandemic. This will be the first time the conference is being offered both virtually and face to face - 6-7 July 2021 - Click here for more information
    Community Sector Resources
    • Organising Essentials is a new training program for people from non-profit organisations and grassroots groups who want to explore a range of organising frameworks, tools and practices. It will suit those who are new to organising and those who want to refresh their thinking around organising, learn new approaches and sharpen their skills. Learn more here
    • Stage two of the Indigenous Voice co-design process is now underway. The proposals for an Indigenous Voice would provide a way for Indigenous Australians to provide advice and input on matters that are important to improve their lives. To help you make a submission to the second stage of Indigenous Voice co-design process, which follows the Interim Voice Report and is part of a co-design process to decide what a Voice to Parliament will look like, you can find a range of resources here (including discussion paper, conversation guide, fact sheets and other resources related to the proposals), and you can lodge your submission here by 31 March
    COSS Corner
    The latest news from State and Territory Councils of Social Service

    Adrienne Picone, CEO, TasCOSS  writes about the harsh impacts of the reduction of Jobseeker: “We are facing a perfect storm with JobSeeker being wound back and at the same time moving into winter where people have higher costs with electricity and utilities. All combined, with higher costs of petrol and other items like fresh fruit and vegetables, it comes together to really push people below the poverty line and make it hard to get by. We're gravely concerned. We feel like last year what we talked about a lot was this potential cliff, and what we're seeing right now is people poised on the edge of that cliff.”

    VCOSS supports the First People’s Assembly of Victoria in establishing “a Truth and Justice Commission to investigate historical, ongoing and systemic injustices committed against Aboriginal people. This is exactly what Aboriginal Victorians have been calling for. Because you can't have progress without truth. You can't have Treaties without justice.”

    Do you work with or for young people aged 18-24 in NSW? NCOSS and Youth Action are conducting research into how young people (aged 18-24) are using Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platforms. We are asking young people to complete a short survey here. It will approximately take 10 minutes, on their experiences with these products. The survey includes questions on experiences with BNPL, frequency of use, purchase types and payment methods. Responses will remain anonymous and will go in the draw for a $100 voucher. Please help us by distributing the survey to young people in your networks. More information here.

    ACTCOSS participated in the second annual Hands Up for Canberra Giving Day, a hyper-local 24-hour campaign to raise funds for community organisations in Canberra. A total of over $600,000 in matched donations was raised by participants, with the event providing a platform to highlight ways in which disadvantage and inequality impact Canberrans.

    QCOSS is hosting an In Conversation with Under Treasurer Rachel Hunter to discuss Queensland’s State Budget planning process. The webinar will explore how the community services sector can influence and contribute to the state government’s funding decisions as the Queensland Government prepares its 2021/22 Budget. Register here.

    NTCOSS CALL FOR INPUT: Positive stories – Story of Our Children and Young People NT 2021.
    The 2021 edition of the Story of Our Children and Young People (the Story) is in development seeking the following: Positive stories of change for children or young people and their families and cultural stories of wellness. For further information visit here. Expressions of interest are invited by 19 March. To view the 2019 Story, its Regional Stories and data tables visit here.

    Following a landslide win for WA Labor and Premier Mark McGowan at the State Election on the weekend, WACOSS issued a media release calling on the Government to “take the historic opportunity to engage in the progressive, structural reform necessary to address inequality and injustice in our state. WA cannot afford for this opportunity to be wasted.”

    Come to SACOSS’s Energy, Water and Housing Conference on Wednesday 19 May, 2021 to hear from cross-sector speakers on addressing gaps and areas of disadvantage. Housing, energy and water are fundamental, but our experiences differ depending on where we live and whether we have tenure over our home.  Find out more here.

    Members in the Media
    JobSeeker cuts will widen health gaps for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

    Raising the JobSeeker payment by just $25 a week will “unfairly and disproportionately” affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and “drive more people into poverty”, according to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).

    Read here
    ‘So disappointing’: Consumer advocates lash responsible lending inquiry’s findings

    Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Gerard Brody says the findings “fly in the face” of testimony that showed how current lending laws were instrumental to bettering consumer outcomes.

    Read here
    ‘Disgusting’ welfare cuts to leave people on JobSeeker starving and homeless

    On the front lawn of Parliament House, representatives from the Australian Council of Social Service, GetUp and the Australian Unemployed Workers Union called on the government to vastly increase the unemployment payment currently being received by 1.4 million people.

    Read here
     
    Feature Tweet

    YWCA #Canberra & @YWCAAus joined the #March4Justice protest to say #EnoughisEnough! Between all of us we have hundreds of years of protesting & resisting for women’s rights. We’ll never stop fighting for gender equality  pic.twitter.com/uRYdofNqTI

    — YWCA Canberra (@YWCACanberra) March 15, 2021
    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.

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