New research, strategies, jobs and events across social service

NTCOSS reports a spike in households having power disconnected, WACOSS unveils a pathway to cross-sector collaboration and VCOSS is hiring. 

The latest cost of living fact sheet from NTCOSS reveals an alarming jump in households having their power disconnected as electricity, water and sewerage prices in the Northern Territory (NT) rose at more than double the national average. In the last decade in Darwin, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for electricity rose at 25.2 per cent, double the national rate, and for water and sewerage 48.6 per cent, nearly triple the national average. The inflation rate for utilities was similar across the NT. Click here to learn more.

SACOSS CEO Ross Womersley has been hitting the airwaves in Adelaide raising the issue of South Australia’s confusing and inequitable concessions system, emphasising the problems by pointing to discounts available to pensioners on ambulance call-out fees that you have to know about to access and contrasting it to the eye-watering $1000 call-out fees that someone on JobSeeker can incur. SACOSS is also supporting Australian Lawyers for Human Rights in advocating for a Human Rights Act for South Australia.

This week, ACTCOSS launched the ACT Community Sector Careers Gateway, celebrating the incredible personal and professional benefits of working in community organisations. ACTCOSS also launched A Just and Inclusive Gas Transition in the ACT, our report on how the ACT Government can centre equity outcomes and impacts throughout their plans to phase out fossil fuel gas in the ACT. We are looking forward to working with the ACT government following their response to the Counting the Costs report this week, in which they agreed or agreed in principle to all our recommendations.

Join QCOSS for an exclusive In Conversation event with Queensland Under Treasurer, Leon Allen, on Friday, 24 February from 1:30pm to 2:30pm (AEST). We’ll dissect the different stages and requirements of building the state’s budget, how decisions are made, and key timelines for stakeholder input.

Last week, WACOSS launched the Planning for Partnerships Framework. The framework provides clear guidance on how to build robust, effective cross-sector partnerships and collaborations. It is designed to help organisations understand, identify and select the most appropriate forms of collaboration, providing a series of tools that support organisations through each step of partnership development, management and measurement. While designed with the WA health sector in mind, the framework is an accessible tool that can be applied in a range of contexts across the community sector. Learn more about the Planning for partnerships Framework.

NCOSS has welcomed the NSW Coalition’s announcement to make every poker machine in NSW cashless by 31 December 2028. NCOSS CEO Joanna Quilty said the Coalition’s policy has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of NSW citizens impacted by gambling harm. “We commend NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s commitment to gambling reform,” Ms Quilty said. Read the full response here.

VCOSS has four positions available across its Policy, Thriving Communities and Communications teams. VCOSS are looking for the following: Policy Advisor (Education, children, youth and families); Policy Advisor (Climate change); Economics and Policy Advisor; Digital and IT Officer. Click here to learn more.

Tasmania’s community services industry launched a new campaign for a fair and reasonable funding increase from the Tasmanian Government. TasCOSS acting CEO, Dr Charlie Burton, said the Fair Funding campaign calls on the Tasmanian Government to provide a fair and reasonable funding increase of 9.5 per cent in this year’s budget, to allow the community services industry to continue to provide the essential services and support Tasmanians need. Click here to learn more.