Income support push, award nominations open

ACOSS calls for real increase to income support payments, WACOSS opens award nominations, VCOSS holds event focussed on extreme heat. 

ACOSS is calling for a real increase to income support payments, arguing that routine indexation is simply not enough. On 1 January each year income support payments including Youth Allowance and Austudy are adjusted for inflation. ACOSS believes the federal government must deliver a significant real increase to Youth Allowance and JobSeeker rather than holding them at well-below poverty levels. “The routine indexation of payments on January 1 does not deliver the real increase that so many people desperately need,” said ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie. Read the full release here.

WACOSS: Nominations are now open for the Community Services Excellence Awards. Nominate an individual or an organisation who has made an outstanding contribution to their community in Western Australia, across one of the 8 award categories. Regional organisations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation providing outstanding services are strongly encouraged to nominate. Winners will be announced in a ceremony on Monday 1 May 2023.

QCOSS delivers a range of capacity building workshops each year to support community organisations in writing tenders and to build partnerships for delivery with other local organisations. If you’re interested in sharpening up your tender writing skills, these Skilling Queenslanders for Work sessions are for you! Register now to attend in locations throughout Queensland during February and March.

SACOSS joined the rest of the COSS family in calling for an overhaul of energy concessions to make them fairer and to encourage the electrification of low-income households. And with rents increasing at an alarming 13 per cent in Adelaide over the last year, we are advocating for a rental price cap. Click here for our media release.

There is no panacea to this cost of living crisis, but there are clear, evidence-informed measures that the Tasmanian Government can pursue which prioritise the wellbeing of Tasmanians and lay the foundations for a healthier future. In TasCOSS‘s 2023/24 Budget Priorities Statement: Wellbeing First, we set out six priority areas for action to place wellbeing at the centre of the economy for the medium- and long-term, and for providing immediate relief to Tasmanian households struggling to afford the basics.

NTCOSS CEO Deborah Di Natale spoke to Adam Steer on ABC Radio about the NTCOSS Cost of Living report, which shows Territorians are struggling to make ends meet “A new report shows the highest inflation in Australia in more than 30 years is making the cost of housing, fuel and even food unaffordable for many Territorians.” Watch the clip here.

Every year we are confronted by images of bushfires, floods, droughts and storms. But although there’s less attention paid to the dangers of extreme heat, it’s a major killer in Australia we should all be thinking about and planning for. This is the top-line message from a VCOSS event that brought community organisations together with representatives from government, local councils and academics. Click here to learn more.

NCOSS has welcomed most of the elements of the NSW Opposition’s poker machine package but wants more done to support vulnerable communities. “We welcome the detail announced by the NSW Opposition on what they plan to do to tackle the harm done by poker machines across the state,” NCOSS CEO Joanna Quilty said. Read the full response here.

Reforming electricity concessions to better meet need, found that while around three million households receive some form of ongoing financial assistance for their energy bills, the poor design and implementation of the assistance means too many people still can’t afford the energy they need. Dr Emma Campbell, CEO, ACTCOSS, said: “People who face disadvantage are disproportionately impacted by rising energy costs and spend a greater proportion of their incomes on energy bills. It is critical that the government review energy concessions to ensure they are sustainable, targeted and adequately respond to need.”