Wednesday 1 September 2021

Community Contributions

Today is Indigenous Literacy Day. Launched by The Indigenous Literacy Foundation, today is a chance to acknowledge and celebrate the first languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Click here to for ways to celebrate and support.

FECCA appeared at the Senate Finance and Public Administration Reference Committee inquiry into the current capability of the Australian Public Service. FECCA Senior Policy and Project officer, Lauren Stark, presented at the hearing - highlighting challenges people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds encounter when accessing Australian Government services, presenting findings from FECCA’s most recent Multicultural Access and Equity report.

The Climate Council is calling on the Federal Government to listen to the science and develop a whole-of-economy plan to triple Australia’s climate efforts. It says we must get our greenhouse gas emissions down by 75% in the next ten years. Click here to sign the petition.

The Women’s Safety Summit is next week. As governments prepare to finalise the National Plan that will set our country’s direction and framework for the next 12 years, key organisations across the country have come together to jointly call for 12 actions as the starting point for government commitments to women. Thousands of signatures from individuals, organisations and community groups in support of the 12 asks can strengthen the push for these desperately needed changes, and help get what we need from the Safety Summit in September. Can you back the joint call for action now?



More than 300 organisations, businesses and community groups have thrown their support behind a letter the Refugee Council of Australia has written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and all Federal MPs and Senators – calling for urgent action regarding Afghanistan. The letter, signed by 312 groups and sent August 18, includes a plea that the Australian Government do “everything possible to evacuate people at grave risk”. Click here to read the letter in full.

Teaching young people how to identify healthy and respectful relationships helps mitigate experiences of family violence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, according to a report. The Indigenous-led study found support services must be orientated around families and broader kinship systems. Click here to learn more.

*TRIGGER WARNING* The three busiest days in Lifeline’s 57-year history have been during August, with the service receiving 3,436 calls on Monday, according to new data released by Lifeline Australia today. The record demand for Australia’s largest suicide prevention line is a reminder that this is a physical and mental health pandemic. Click here to read more.

Community Conversations

Culturally safe vaccination services crucial

Lieutenant General John Frewen, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly and CEO of NACCHO Pat Turner have co-signed a letter addressing COVID-19 vaccinations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The letter that will be sent to Australian COVID-19 vaccine delivery partners states that we all have an important role to play in providing culturally safe vaccination services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“For all Indigenous Australians to be vaccinated and bridge the current gap, we are asking the whole primary care sector to work together and ensure there is equitable COVID-19 vaccine uptake across Australia.”

Read the letter 

National Child Protection Week: 5-11 September

The 2021 theme for National Child Protection Week is all about the importance of the ‘bigger picture’ in addressing child abuse and neglect - Every child, in every community, needs a fair go.

Children can thrive and be healthy when they have what they need to develop well. But not every family has these resources. This is why we need to support every child, family and community according to their needs. This will create a healthier, fairer Australia for all children.

This year’s theme is based on the framing research for the Core Story for Early Childhood Development and Learning.

Click to learn more about how you can celebrate

Women's Health Week: 6-10 September

Women's Health Week is a nation-wide campaign of events and online activities – all centred on improving women's health and helping you to make healthier choices.

Women, communities and workplaces are encouraged to get involved by hosting an event, sharing the health information and encouraging women from all corners of Australia to put good health first.

Learn more and get involved here

State and Territory governments urged to adopt minimum standards to
keep renters healthy and safe

Seventy-five organisations from across Australia have written to state and territory Cabinet Ministers calling for minimum standards for rental properties to safeguard the health of renters and protect them from the impacts of climate change.

The open letter was signed by community, faith, environment, housing, industry, and social sector organisations, including CHOICE, Healthy Futures, People with Disability Australia, and the United Workers Union. It comes after the IPCC issued its most dire warning about the impacts of climate change on public health.

Learn more and read the media release here
 

Community Sector Events

  • AI could be a powerful tool in disrupting disadvantage, and is currently doing so in areas such as education, healthcare and service delivery, but can equally be used to further systemic discrimination or harm communities. Is Australia equipped to embrace the opportunities of technological innovations in a way that keeps humans, and their rights and dignities, at the core? Join this UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion Webinar to discuss - 8 September 2021 - Click here for more info and to register

  • FWD+ORGANISE 2021 is the place where community organisers and digital campaigners come together to share practical skills, learn innovative approaches to advocacy and build lasting collaborations to win systemic change. Given the COVID-19 situation in cities across the country, the conference will run online over two days, offering all changemakers from across Australia the opportunity to learn from the very best in offline and digital - 2 December 2021 - Click here for more information and to register

Community Sector Resources

  • The National COVID Vaccine Taskforce has produced an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communication campaign slide deck. This campaign provides an overview of the communications approach for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences, including creation of custom designs and relevant assets with Indigenous artwork. Click here to access the slides and learn more.

  • The closed captioned recording from the launch briefing of Passing the Message Stick is now available, featuring Dr Jackie Huggins AM, Larissa Baldwin (GetUp) and Eleanor Glenn (Common Cause), with case studies from June Riemer (First Peoples’ Disability Network) and Amelia Telford (Seed), as well as appearances from the First Nations Messaging Fellows. The presentation slides are also available with alt-text. Click here to access these resources, as well as a hard copy of the report and a summary.
  • The current COVID-19 restrictions are affecting many among us in Australia, particularly family carers caring for a person at the end of life. To support them in their caring role, a range of information resources have been developed by CarerHelp, including factsheets. Click here to access these resources.

COSS Corner

The latest news from State and Territory Councils of Social Service

ACTCOSS this week has called on the ACT Government to increase investment into the community sector to reduce the gender pay gap. ACTCOSS last week demanded an improved response by the ACT Government and Canberra Health Services to the COVID-19 outbreak at Condamine Court public housing complex. ACTCOSS also called on all Senators and MPs to reject new legislation that threatens charities with deregistration for speaking out on behalf of the vulnerable communities they serve.

NCOSS welcomes $200 million not-for-profit support package - A very welcomed announcement by NSW Government for a $200m support package for NFP sector organisations to help with the financial impacts of the pandemic. As part of the package, the 30 per cent turnover threshold required for JobSaver will be reduced to 15 per cent for the social support sector and a $50 million Social Sector Support Fund will be delivered for NFPs. A much-needed boost for our essential services. See our media release for further details: https://bit.ly/2WB8RPU

There are green shoots of change in the 2021/22 Tasmanian State Budget, such as the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy which should make a material difference to the lives of thousands of Tasmanian children and young people. Moreover, a significant investment in food security and place-based programs that put people at the centre, such as the Jobs Hub model which is delivering tremendous outcomes for local people out in the communities in which they live. These initiatives are developed as solutions should be: shaped by community, driven by community, and championed by community. Read TasCOSS CEO Adrienne Picone's The Mercury Newspaper Talking Point and watch the recording of TasCOSS's 2021/22 State Budget Briefing.

Renna, who is a member of the 100 Families WA community advisory group run by WACOSS, spoke to The West Australian on the weekend about the need for more government investment in early-intervention supports to prevent people from going into crisis like she did.
Check out the interactive online tool, Welcome to Our World, which shares stories to promote awareness of what living in disadvantage is like: https://ourworld.100familieswa.org.au/
Read the full article by clicking here.

QCOSS is hosting a free Human Rights in Action webinar on Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 and how it could be adapted for the 21st Century. Join Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall and QCOSS CEO Aimee McVeigh as they discuss how the Act could better respond to people who have experienced discrimination and explore its impact on workplaces. Register here.

SACOSS have written a submission outlining that privatisation of the SA electricity network also increased inequality. SACOSS flagged that while it is concerning that privatisation of the network has increased inequality, it is even more alarming that the energy regulator is setting rates of return on capital at levels which will continue increasing inequality in years to come. It is also a major problem that, by law, the Australian Energy Regulator is not allowed to consider the impact of its decisions on economic inequality. SACOSS is calling for legislative reform to ensure that the regulator takes account of social impact embedded in its determinations. Read more here.

The Victorian Government will soon begin crafting the 2022 Budget — the last to be handed down before next year's state election. Budgets are always important, but with COVID raging and the task of rebuilding still ahead of us, this budget is proving particularly critical. VCOSS want to know what specific programs and initiatives VCOSS members want funded. Fill out survey here.

We need meaningful, evidence-based action from the national Women’s Safety Summit. Domestic, sexual & family violence is rife and is destroying lives. Add your name, along with NTCOSS, to the joint call for real Government commitment at http://safetysummit.org.au

Members in the Media

Parents struggling to get kids with disabilities vaccinated

Parents of children with disabilities say they're frustrated at having to fight to get their kids vaccinated against COVID-19.

While people with disability are classified as high priority in the rollout, advocates say children with disability are missing from pandemic planning and once again the most vulnerable in society are being forgotten.

Mary Sayers, CEO of Children and Young People With Disability Australia, discusses.

Listen here

Calls grow for united effort to get homeless Australians vaccinated

Homeless and vulnerable people living in central Sydney are rushing to get vaccinated, with almost 4,000 doses administered since a joint clinic was set up in May.

Julie Smith, the health services manager at St Vincent de Paul’s Matthew Talbot hostel, said she had seen a dramatic drop in vaccine hesitancy over the past 12 weeks among Sydney’s homeless community as the city was forced into lockdown.

Read here

20,000 Aussie homeless kids shunned in lockdown

Save the Children's Child Wise managing director Natalie Siegel-Brown said 20,000 children younger than 14 are homeless across Australia.

Scared Aussie street kids younger than 14 have nowhere to live because foster carers don’t want to take in children during Covid-19 lockdowns.

Read here
 

Feature Tweet

CCA CEO Don Perlgut says post-secondary Aust institutions need to encourage vaccinations ASAP with leadership, education, messaging & and financial incentives https://t.co/uTTdHBvEAQ pic.twitter.com/zCkuFtQkPY

— CommunityCollegesAu (@CCollegesAust) August 9, 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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