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

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.

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."

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. 

• 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

• 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

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).

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.

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.

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