ACOSS’ initial analysis of the 2013-14 Federal Budget outlines key measures announced in the Budget. It does not offer extensive comment on the merit or otherwise of these measures.

Download: ACOSS' initial analysis of the 2013-14 Federal Budget

The detailed Government Budget papers can be downloaded at: www.budget.gov.au

For a comprehensive analysis of this year's Federal Budget, join ACOSS next Thursday for the Community Sector Post-Budget briefing with the Treasurer, the Hon Wayne Swan MP.

This lunch event will include an address by the Treasurer speaking on the impacts of the Budget on the community sector and on people facing poverty and inequality. It will also provide you, the community sector, with the chance to ask questions of the Treasurer on these impacts and expectations for improving rates of poverty in Australia.

Building on the success of the inaugural post-Budget lunch with the Treasurer in 2012, this year's event will include a panel discussion with:

• Dr Cassandra Goldie, CEO, ACOSS
• Lindon Coombes, CEO, National Congress of Australia's First Peoples
• Marc Purcell, CEO, Australian Council for International Development

The panellists will provide further perspectives on the impact of the Federal Budget on poverty alleviation and on the work of Australian organisations both nationally and internationally.

Places are limited so Register Here Now!

Download: ACOSS' 2013 Budget Priorities Statement

Download: ACOSS' initial analysis of the 2013-14 Federal Budget

NCOSS has endorsed a report prepared by Northern Rivers Social Development Council on a survey of NSW Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme users. The report, "The Shrinking Circle", recommends that the level of subsidy be revised to 75% of the total fare, with a subsidy cap of $60. It calls on the NSW Government to make provision in its 2013-2014 budget for an increase to the TTSS allocation.

Download:  Report - The Shrinking Circle

The draft Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney was released by the NSW Government on 19 March 2013 and is open for public comment until 31 May 2013. The strategy details zoning and other strategies to support 545,000 new homes and 625,000 new jobs between now and 2031.

NCOSS is holding a workshop to assist NGO peaks and sector organisations to better understand the philosophy underlying the draft Strategy:

• When: 2pm-5pm, Monday, 20 May 2013
• Where: Upstairs meeting room, NCOSS, 66 Albion Street, Surry Hills
• RSVP: to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 9211 2599, ext 118. Please indicate if you have any special needs when you register (eg wheelchair access, dietary etc)

Download:  Flyer and draft Agenda (updated 15 May 2013)

For other enquiries about the workshop, please contact Warren Gardiner, NCOSS Senior Policy Officer, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 9211 599, ext 112.

By Robyn Edwards
The end of daylight saving in NSW, shorter days and cooler weather should not be cause for alarm. However for vulnerable households it may bring worries about the next electricity bill. In a State which has seen over 23,000 disconnections (2011–2012) households have good reason to fear that the simply daily rhythms of cooking a hot meal for the family, turning on the lights when it gets dark and heaters when it turns cold could deliver bills a household cannot afford to pay.

NCOSS and NSW Legislative Council Workshop

Parliamentary Inquiries: How to have your say and maximise your influence

Do you work for a non-government organisation and want to know more about Parliamentary Inquiries, so that you can take part and influence policy?

Do you want to build your skills in writing submissions or appearing as a witness?

NCOSS and the NSW Legislative Council are jointly running a workshop on Parliamentary Inquiries: How to Have your Say and Maximise your Influence.

• When: 9.00am-1pm, Tuesday, 4 June 2013
• Where: UnitingCare Institute of Family Practice, Level 4, 146 Marsden Street, Parramatta
• RSVP:  by 29 May 2013 to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Places are strictly limited.  Due to the demand for these workshops, NCOSS reserves the right to give preference in registrations to organisations which have not attended a previous workshop and to limit registrations from organisations to one person where there are more people wanting to attend than places available.

Special needs:  Please advise if you have any special needs (e.g. disability access or dietary requirements) when you register.

• Download:  Flyer
• Download:  draft Program

For more information, please contact Wendy Hall This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 9211 2599, ext 118. 

NCOSS welcomes today's announcement that the Commonwealth and NSW Governments have reached agreement on a 12 month extension of the COAG National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH).

This agreement should ensure that NGO projects funded under the NPAH can continue for another year. We are concerned, however, that there is as yet no agreement on the longer term future of the NPAH beyond June 2014. NCOSS recently wrote to both the Prime Minister and the Premier asking them to set aside funding in their respective budgets for a longer term agreement to be put in place.

For more information contact Warren Gardiner, NCOSS Senior Policy Officer on 9211 2599 ext 112 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

NCOSS welcomes the offer of Commonwealth/State incentives to build a further 10,000 new affordable rental houses under the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS).

The shortage of affordable rental housing is one of the biggest concerns facing low to moderate income households in NSW.

Last week the latest Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot found that just 23 of the 12,880 properties available for rental in Sydney were affordable and appropriate for households on income support. The situation was only slightly better for a couple on the minimum wage with just 241 affordable properties.

Applications for NRAS Round 5 incentives opened on 7 May 2013 and close on 6 August 2013.

To date NSW has received just 17% of the almost 40,000 NRAS incentives that have been allocated. We would urge the Commonwealth and NSW Governments to work together to ensure that NSW receives its fair share of the 10,000 new incentives now on offer.

For more information contact Warren Gardiner, NCOSS Senior Policy Officer on 9211 2599 ext 112 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The NSW Family Energy Rebate (FER) helps families to pay their electricity bills. Applications close on 14 June 2013 for the 2012-13 financial year. The NSW Department of Trade and Investment has provided a fact sheet/application form detailing eligibility, amount of rebate and how to apply:

Download: Fact Sheet/Application Form

Go to https://applications.fer.trade.nsw.gov.au to complete the online form or complete the application form on the back of the fact sheet and send it to the NSW Department of Trade & Investment.

For more information, contact Robyn Edwards, NCOSS Senior Policy Officer, on 9211 2599, ext 128 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

On 14 May 2013, NCOSS and Central Coast Community Council will hold a community sector consultation in Gosford to discuss affordable housing, infrastructure and services on the Central Coast.  The consultation will discuss how affordable housing links to land use and human services planning, big picture planning and infrastructure issues, homelessness and localization.

• When: 10am-2pm, Tuesday, 14 May 2013
• Where: Pacific Room, Gosford RSL, 26 Central Coast Highway, West Gosford
• REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

This is a free event. Morning tea and lunch will be provided.

The presentation will be followed by a facilitated Q&A session and a consultation on local issues in the afternoon.

Our consultations are aimed at workers, managers and board members of non-government not-for-profit human services. Community services workers in local government are also welcome. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community services workers are encouraged to attend.

Download:  Flyer and registration form

NCOSS welcomes the release of the Auditor-General's report on the Management of the ClubGRANTS Scheme and the Government's response.

NCOSS will be analysing the report for its implications both for NCOSS' advocacy and also for the sector. This analysis will be available on the website soon. NCOSS is finalising its kit for the community sector reps on ClubGRANTS committees and the Report findings, recommendations and Government's response will be incorporated into the kit.

• Download:  Report
• Download:  Media Release

For more information, contact Alison Peters, NCOSS Director on 9211 2599, ext 107 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

By Rashmi Kumar
March saw the announcement by the Minister for Ageing, Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Mark Butler, of the long-awaited Aged Care Workforce Compact and Supplement. The Compact is an initiative under the Commonwealth Government’s “Living Longer. Living Better” aged care reform package designed to increase the wages of workers in the aged care sector.

The Compact involves the Workforce Supplement, which is $1.2 billion in funding that will be disbursed to aged care providers who comply with the terms of the Compact. To comply, providers must pay above award wages, improve training and professional development opportunities, review part-time and casual working conditions, manage workloads better, and ensure that employees are able to participate effectively in workplace health and safety, and disciplinary matters.

The 2013-14 NSW State Budget will be delivered by the Treasurer on 18 June 2013. NCOSS staff will go to Parliament House on Budget Day to analyse the budget papers, and this analysis will be presented at a community sector forum on the following day. For those not able to attend, proceedings will be webcast live on the NCOSS website.

In the week before Budget Day, NCOSS will present a workshop on how to get the most from the budget papers.

Workshop: NCOSS Seminar on how to get the most from the Budget papers, 11 June 2013

• When: 2pm-4pm, 11 June 2013
• Where: NCOSS, 66 Albion Street, Surry Hills
• RSVP: by 4 June 2013. Room capacity is limited and RSVPs are essential. RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Special needs: Please let This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it know if you have any special needs (eg dietary, wheelchair access) when you register.

Seminar: NCOSS analysis of the 2013-14 NSW State Budget, 19 June 2013

• When: 2pm-4pm, 19 June 2013
• Where: Club Room, Ground Floor, NSW Teachers Federation, 23-33 Mary Street, Surry Hills
• RSVP: by 12 June 2013 to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Special needs: Please let This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it know if you have any special needs (eg dietary, wheelchair access) when you register.

Please note: The Commonwealth Budget will be released on 14 May 2013.

By Robyn Edwards
Melbourne has the ‘myki’, Perth the SmartRider, Auckland the HOP, New York the SmartLink and London the Oyster. Sydney is set to have the Opal card. The new electronic ticket for use on trains, light rail, buses and ferries across the wider Sydney metropolitan area has been a long time coming, but NCOSS News has been informed that it will be coming to a transport stop near you soon.

The Opal card will be available to the travelling public following a customer trial progressively being rolled out firstly on Sydney ferries, then trains and finally buses. Lessons from the trial will inform and guide the final make-up of the fully integrated ticketing system and hopefully resolve any problems along the way.

NCOSS is undertaking a survey of the not-for-profit community sector's engagement with NSW Medicare Locals. We are seeking your organisation's support to complete the survey and to circulate it to your networks/members.

Medicare Locals are new primary health care organisations established by the Commonwealth Government to coordinate and integrate primary health services (see NCOSS Briefing paper: Medicare Locals). They are all at different stages of development and will continue to evolve over time.

Preliminary feedback from some NCOSS members about their engagement with Medicare Locals to date is mixed. This survey aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of community sector organisations' relationship with Medicare Locals. The final report will be used to inform NCOSS advocacy to Government and Medicare Local peak bodies.

Click here to complete the survey or go to this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QPGF25W. The closing date for responses is Friday 3 May 2013.

We encourage you to circulate the survey through your networks as appropriate. For further information, or to be added to our mailing list to receive the monthly NCOSS health policy e-news, contact:

• Solange Frost, Senior Policy Officer (Health)
  ph: 9211 2599 (ext 130)
  email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it