The deadline for submissions to the Indigenous Voice co-design process has been extended to 30 April, 2021. The feedback from submissions will help inform the Indigenous Voice co-design groups final recommendations to the Australian Government. Submissions can be submitted in written form or in a number of creative ways, including song, video, artwork or poetry. Public input is critical to ensure the best possible proposals are presented by the Indigenous Voice co-design groups. Click here or here to learn more. 

Click here to sign the Everybody's Home petition to Minister for Education and Youth, Alan Tudge, to tell him young people who are homeless need: Adequate income support to afford rent; Access to social housing; Support to recover from homelessness and to connect with education. 

Click here to read the Declaration statement in support of literacy and numeracy for all adult Australians. Signatories to this Declaration, Adult Learning Australia (ALA) and coalition partners seek to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for all adult Australians, with the belief that this is central to the nation’s social and economic prosperity and that it will position Australians to live more healthy, fulfilling, and productive lives.

The Joint Council on Closing the Gap agreed that joined work between all governments in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives is critical to reducing the rate at which Indigenous people are incarcerated, and thereby reduce deaths in custody. Given the urgency and enduring nature of this issue Joint Council agreed to the high priority of accelerating the critical work to establish a Policy Partnership on Justice with the aim of reducing youth and adult incarceration. Click here to learn more.

A new Mission Australia report reveals that economically disadvantaged young people face greater social exclusion and more limited opportunities compared to their more advantaged peers. Click here to read the report and learn more.

Disability advocacy organisations are supporting the calls for a 17-month extension to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, with a new campaign urging the approval of the proposed extension as soon as possible. Click here to learn more.

How prevalent is poverty and financial stress in Australian children and families? What has been the impact of Covid-19? And how much would it cost to address poverty and ensure all children grow up with the same opportunities?

To help answer these questions, the Brotherhood of St. Laurence and SVA commissioned the Centre for Social Research and Methods at the Australian National University to undertake research which models:

• Australian trends in poverty, child poverty and financial stress for families relying on income support
• The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting income support changes on poverty and child poverty rates
• The optimal level of income support required to reduce poverty and financial stress for families and children in the most cost-effective way

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) published a new report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people seeking asylum and how the ASRC responded thanks to your support.

Throughout the pandemic, people seeking asylum were exposed to even greater disadvantage and loss and were excluded from Government safety nets. But backed by a generous community of compassion, the ASRC was able to become a lifeline of hope to thousands of people seeking asylum who had no other place to turn for help.

A recent research project, Fostering the sexual wellbeing of Aboriginal young people by building on social, cultural and personal strengths and resources has looked at how urban Aboriginal young people foster sexual health and wellbeing for themselves and others. The project purposely sought to adopt a strengths-based approach by identifying the resources and capacities of Aboriginal young people to minimise harm and promote health.

More specifically, the project aimed to explore the community resources that Aboriginal young people access to help them make positive sexual choices, inform their understandings of sexual health and relationships, manage their sexual wellbeing, and engage with health promotion and health care services. The research will provide health services and policymakers with insightful new knowledge to better support young urban Aboriginal people and their communities.

Climate scientists have observed with mounting concern the continuing emissions and the rise in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. For decades, they have issued dire warnings about what is at stake and what is required to curb global warming. Yet global temperatures continue to rise, along with damages from extreme weather.

The report “Aim High, Go Fast: Why Emissions Need to Plummet this Decade” is the Climate Council’s science-backed vision for what Australia’s best effort could look like. Australia is a nation of currently high emissions but rich renewable energy resources. The country has been ravaged by unprecedented bushfires, droughts, and floods in recent years, and decision makers should not ignore these warnings.

• First Nations people in Australia have cared for this country for millenia, yet are being disproportionately affected by climate change. This First Nations Climate Justice panel  will explore how First Nations people are leading the fight for climate justice in Australia, and learn more about why First Nations solutions, such as cultural burning, must be front and centre in Australia's response to extreme weather - 29 April 2021 - Click here for more information and to register

• Learn how you can be part of the action for the upcoming Fourth Anniversary of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in this webinar, where From the Heart Director Dean Parkin will discuss what next steps you can take to back a Voice to Parliament to ensure we get this across the line - 29 April 2021 - Click here for more information and to register

• The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) has partnered with the ABC for the second season of the television series Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, to assist older people living in the community to get support at home. OPAN are rolling out the red carpet for older stars of the show to talk about their experiences and how meaningful relationships transformed their lives - 2 May 2021 - Click here for more information and to register

• The Healing Foundation CEO Fiona Cornforth will be addressing the National Press Club in Canberra. Fiona will be releasing The Healing Foundation’s “Make Healing Happen: It’s time to act” report. The report sets out a plan with recommendations to achieve real and lasting healing for Stolen Generations Survivors and to promote intergenerational healing - 2 June 2021 - Click here for more information

• The Stop it at the Start campaign encourages adults to positively influence the attitudes and behaviours of young people aged 10–17 by role modelling positive behaviour, calling out disrespect and starting conversations about respect. It aims to unite the community around positive actions everyone can take to break the cycle of disrespect, and ultimately, violence against women. To access a range of Stop it at the Start resources, click here

• The Refugee Council of Australia provides a list of information and factsheets, to give those seeking information about getting to Australia, visas, and living in Australia, and getting to Australia, a directory to access reliable sources. Click here for more information and to access these resources

• The Disability Housing Outcomes Framework is a free resource designed by and for stakeholders across the disability sector, with a particular focus on providers of disability housing and in-home supports. Click here to access the resource and learn more

The executive officer of advocacy group National Shelter, Adrian Pisarski, said housing affordability is the "worst that I've experienced in the 40 years that I've been looking at it".

Homelessness groups say the "perfect storm" they have been predicting for months is coming to fruition, featuring Kate Colvin, manager of policy and communications, Council to Homeless Persons.

Ian Yates, the chief executive of the Council on the Ageing, said the reported $10bn in additional funding “isn’t on the right scale” and is hopeful “we’ll still see significantly more than that” promised by the government as part of its budget response.

Thought and strength are with the family of Wayne Fella Morrison as the inquest into his death in custody continues this week.#JusticeForFellahttps://t.co/ua0qGZyWGD

— NATSILS (@NATSILS_) April 28, 2021