Wednesday 9 November 2022 

Community Contributions

As we head towards an historic referendum on the Voice to Parliament, the Sydney Peace Prize -  Australia's only international Prize for Peace - is being awarded to the ground-breaking Uluru Statement from the Heart. From over 200 nominations from the community, the Sydney Peace Prize Jury chose the Uluru Statement from the Heart as a stand-out winner 'for bringing together Australia's First Nations Peoples around a clear and comprehensive agenda for healing and peace within our nation'. Click here to learn more.

Relationships Australia is pleased to announce the return of their nationally representative survey into the state of relationships in Australia. Relationship Indicators 2022 explores the effect the pandemic, rising cost of living and other challenges have had on relationships and generates a variety of indicators which can be measured again to understand how relationships change across time. Click here to keep across the release.

Last week the Climate Council launched a new report, G'Day COP27: Australia's Global Climate Reset, which found that over the past year, extreme weather records have been broken on every continent. Click here to read more.

Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) is running its National Youth Education Survey. The survey helps identify how students with disability are being supporting in the school system. It also helps understand what students with disability want and need to be best supported in their learning and feel included at their school. Click here for more information.

Anglicare Australia has welcomed the weekend's Fair Work Commission decision to award an interim pay increase to aged care workers. "Everyone deserves quality care as they get older. All of us should be able to get quality care, with dignity, when we need it. The only way to deliver that care is with a strong workforce," said Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers. Click here to read the full response.

HESTA is thrilled to announce the finalists of the 2022 HESTA Excellence Awards. The awards recognise exceptional achievements in a range of settings across aged care, allied health, community services and disability services. Click here to learn about the finalists and their achievements.

Community Conversations

The Community Sector responds to the Federal Budget 2022

Two weeks on from the new government's Federal Budget announcement, ACOSS have accumulated responses from across the community sector highlighting what the budget did and did not include for those experiencing poverty and disadvantage.

Click respective organisation names to access responses:

  • SNAICC - National Voice for our Children
  • National FVPLS Forum
  • From the Heart
  • Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
  • Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA)
  • Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA)
  • Refugee Council of Australia
  • Mission Australia
  • People with Disability Australia
  • Council on the Ageing (COTA)
  • Anglicare Australia
  • The Australian Institute
  • Good Things Foundation Australia
  • Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC)
  • Early Childhood Australia
  • National Shelter
  • Community Housing Industry Association
  • Everybody's Home
  • Brotherhood of St Laurence
  • UnitingCare Australia
  • St Vincent de Paul
  • Australian Red Cross
  • Australian Federation of AIDS Organisation
  • HESTA

Indigenous Voice to Parliament: Learn More and Take Action

From the Heart and the Uluru Dialogues today unveiled an interactive digital learning resource to build awareness and understanding of the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

The interactive course has been created following demand from across the country - from individuals, small business, local organisation's and even corporates wanting to share with their staff - to drive awareness on the significance of constitutional recognition for First Peoples, understand what the Voice to Parliament is and why a referendum is needed to change the Australian Constitution.

Click to access the new learning platform
 

Community Sector Events

  • The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) is proud to be hosting the Mental Health Social Work and Contemporary Practice Symposium. The Symposium will feature Keynote Speakers Professor Lisa Brophy, Discipline Lead in
    Social Work and Social Policy at La Trobe University and The Hon. Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural
    and Regional Health. The panel discussions will focus on social work private practice, cutting-edge interventions in trauma, foetal alcohol syndrome, neurodiversity, pandemics and disasters and the NDIS - 17 November 2022 - Click here for more information
  • Call it Out is an independent, Indigenous-controlled platform that records all forms and levels of racism and discrimination experienced by First Nations Peoples, without the usual barriers often inhibiting reports of racism.  Join Larissa Behrendt, Chris Cunneen, Fiona Allison, Lindon Coombes, and Robynne Quiggin as they reveal the preliminary findings from Call it Out’s Interim Report and discuss some of the important structural and cultural changes needed to address the pervasive and entrenched racism and discrimination that exists in this country. This event is jointly presented by the UTS Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research, the National Justice Project, and the UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion - 24 November 2022 - Click here to register

  • Presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Awards are an annual celebration of human rights achievements. Join up to 500 guests from across the country to acknowledge, congratulate and share the important work of individuals and organisations who are making valuable contributions to advancing human rights in Australia. This year, 17 finalists are being honoured across four categories - 9 December 2022 - Click here for more information and to register

Community Sector Resources

  • The Common Approach is a prevention-focused and flexible way of working to support quality conversations with young people and their families about all aspects of their wellbeing. It has been implemented across education, health, allied health, community, and social service teams, organisations and departments across Australia and until now been delivered as a whole day face to face offering. The new blended learning model delivery involves self-paced eLearning modules, which take around 3 and a half hours to complete and contains a mixture of video, podcast, audio supported text and online activities. Following the completion of the eLearning modules an online 90 minute interactive workshop is undertaken, providing an opportunity for participants to discuss their learning and practice the Common Approach® with expert support and guidance. Click here for more information

COSS Corner

The latest news from State and Territory Councils of Social Service

SACOSS has just released its latest Cost of Living Report. With a focus on rental affordability in regional SA, the report highlights rapidly increasing rent and rental affordability problems in regional South Australia. It underlines the need for a significant investment in public housing in the regions, and improvements to housing concessions to help those who are struggling most.

Western Australians are facing a difficult and turbulent economic future, with the cost of essential items like food, transport and housing rising at an alarming rate. WACOSS 2023-2024 State Budget Submission has been developed to have the greatest impact for those doing it hardest and focuses on creating a stronger future for our state. Click here to read.

NTCOSS welcome legislative changes to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12. NTCOSS congratulates the NT Government for keeping its promise and will continue the campaign to increase it to 14. Click here to learn more.

VCOSS launches the 2022 Victorian election Policy Tracker. The tracker catalogues the major parties' social policy pledges ahead of the November election. It will be updated each weekday between now and November 26th. VCOSS CEO Emma King said side-by-side comparisons will help voters assess the parties' social platforms.

 Government will often ask for submissions to help them understand sector concerns, and the process is an important way we can influence government decision-making - but it can be difficult to know where to start. Join QCOSS for this webinar on Tuesday, 15 November from 2:00pm-3:00pm (AEST) to find out.

ACTCOSS has cautiously welcomed a commitment to increase to the age of criminal responsibility to 12, and then to 14 within two years, through a staged response to allow for the implementation of service reforms. ACTCOSS expressed significant concern at the Government’s decision to include carve outs or exceptions for 12 and 13 year old children who commit serious offences. Click here to read the full statement.

Join TasCOSS's upcoming online Policy Conversation to discuss the need for a Tasmanian charter of rights, the Alliance for a Tasmanian Human Rights Act and the upcoming rally on Saturday 26 November 2022. Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, Sarah Bolt, will introduce the campaign and moderate a discussion between Yvette Cehtel (Women's Legal Service Tasmania) and Daney Faddoul (Human Rights Law Centre). 

NCOSS Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan 2022-2023 (RAP) was created in conversation with First Nations stakeholders and NCOSS staff. The implementation is guided by lead RAP consultant Rowena Lawrie from Yamurrah, and the First Nations Partners and Advisors Group (PAG), chaired by Boe Rambaldini – Bundjalung Elder and Associate Professor Macquarie University and Belinda Field, CEO Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Services.

Members in the Media

At Foodbank, a Melbourne mother's query about yoghurt raises some very difficult questions about inequality in Australia

Foodbank featured

Read here

Peak body for First Nations kids warns Dutton not to treat children as "political football"

SNAICC - National Voice for our Children featured

Listen here

Alarm over budget gap in homeless help

Homelessness Australia featured

Read here
 

Feature Tweet

It was awesome catching up with you deadly mob, at the 2022 NACCHO Youth Conference after 3 long years!

We’ve put together a video that wraps up this year’s great sessions that focuses on improving health outcomes for our people https://t.co/TzgykxMNr6

— Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands (@NACCHOAustralia) October 31, 2022
Click here for 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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