Increases to the minimum wage, drop in solutions and the high cost of doing business

All the latest news from the Councils of Social Service of Australia.

ACOSS

ACOSS welcomes the Fair Work Commission’s $40 (5.2 per cent) increase to national minimum wage and 4.6 per cent increase to modern award minimum wages. This approach recognises the particular challenges that workers on low incomes are facing with high inflation, with the lowest paid workers receiving an increase on par with the 5.1 per cent increase in the cost of living over the past year. 

ACOSS acting chief executive officer, Edwina MacDonald said: “Real wage rates have been stagnant for a decade now. They can and should be increased substantially, at least to compensate for inflation, without triggering a wage-price spiral or higher unemployment. We must do more to improve the lives of people on low and modest incomes: At the forthcoming Employment Summit, ACOSS will work together with unions and business to find ways to lift real wages in an orderly way while restoring full employment.” Click here to read the full response

SACOSS

SACOSS has released its full state budget analysis, following the recent annual post-budget breakfast with the treasurer. Held only days after the state budget was handed down, the popular breakfast event provided an opportunity for the sector to hear about budget measures directly from SA Treasurer Stephen Mullighan. Panellists Mark Henley, Natalie Wade, Fran Baum and Cheryl Axleby provided a range of thoughtful perspectives, and the treasurer also took questions from the floor. SACOSS looks forward to continuing some of the conversations from this informative event.

QCOSS

QCOSS welcomes important social reforms and investment announced in Queensland’s state budget, but says it is extremely disappointed there was no additional funding for one of the state’s biggest issues – the housing crisis. QCOSS CEO Aimee McVeigh congratulated the government on its record health spending, including record funding for mental health and to build more hospitals. McVeigh welcomed the restoration and increase to Neighbourhood and Community Centre funding, which was cut 10 years ago. Click here to read the full response.

ACTCOSS

This fortnight, ACTCOSS held the ACT government to account after public housing tenants were given a 48 hour deadline to prepare for a formal hearing to argue why they should not be forcibly relocated. ACTCOSS welcomed the Fair Work Commission’s announcement of an increase to the minimum wage, recognising the vital efforts of frontline workers throughout the pandemic and the need to fully fund this raise. ACTCOSS also welcomed the ACT government’s commitment to drug law reform, and called for a new Social Planning Unit that better reflects the needs of vulnerable people in the ACT Planning System review.

TasCOSS

The announcement of an 11.88 per cent increase to electricity prices next month is a further blow to Tasmanian electricity customers, with household budgets already under pressure from rising prices and falling real wages. TasCOSS was however pleased to see the Tasmanian government’s recognition of the strain this price increase will place on the most vulnerable with the announcement of an increase in the electricity concession, a bill credit for concession card holders, and the timely removal of aurora+ product fee which is a barrier to 90,000 Tasmanians accessing the benefits of better understanding and managing power usage. Read TasCOSS’s full response here. 

WACOSS

With EOFY just around the corner, the DropIN Solutions team, a WACOSS social enterprise, is ready to take on new projects to help community service organisations drive their vision and purpose. DropIN Solutions offers logo design, annual report design, website development, video editing and marketing solutions. They understand the community service sector and the challenges they experience, and are able to deliver professionally packaged materials on a tight budget. Have a look at some of their latest designs.

NCOSS

Non-government organisations that do the heavy lifting during times of crisis need adequate resourcing to cover the growing administrative load they carry. Commissioned by NCOSS and conducted by Ask Insight, the High Cost of Doing Business report puts forward practical, common-sense steps – identified in collaboration with our participant organisations – that funding bodies can take to lessen the administrative and management overload and support the sustainable provision of essential services. Click here to learn more.

VCOSS

Victoria is on an absolute winner with its new $9 billion early childhood package, according to VCOSS. The Victorian government has announced it will make kinder free for three-year old children, introduce a fully funded “pre-prep” year, and build and operate 50 new childcare centres offering high quality, affordable and accessible care. The wide-ranging package will be phased in gradually from 2023. “This is a big, bold and transformational reform package,” VCOSS CEO Emma King said. Click here to learn more.

NTCOSS

More than $800,000 will be dedicated to amplifying the voices of young people, with NTCOSS to receive $170,000 in grant funding each year for the next five years to deliver the NT Youth Voice Project. The project will strengthen the ability of young people to have their say in the development of policies and strategies that impact them directly. Click here to learn more.

This article was contributed by ACOSS Community Hub.