NCOSS wrote to the Sydney Morning Herald's Letters page in response to a column by Elizabeth Farrelly on 21 July 2011 - Overfed, overgrazed and difficult to overcome.  The letter was shortlisted but not published:

Dear Editor

Ms Farrelly’s argument that overconsumption is the reason for the high prevalence of diabetes in low socio-economic areas (Overfed, overgrazed and difficult to overcome, 21 July) is a deeply misleading oversimplification. While individual lifestyle is a key risk factor, health status is also socially determined by factors including access to health care, education, employment, transport, and urban environments.

While we all have individual choice, Ms Farrelly ignores the fact that low-income people do not have the same options as the more well-off. If you live in an affluent inner city suburb you can walk or cycle to work. If you have a high disposable income you can afford child care while you go to the gym or hire a personal trainer. Sadly, if you are poor in our society you do not have the same opportunities to maintain good health.

Ms Farrelly is correct on one point – that addressing the rising incidence of diabetes (and other chronic conditions) is a matter of will. It requires the will of Government to invest more in prevention and early intervention and not just headline-grabbing hospitals. It requires the societal will to fundamentally change the way that we live, eat, work and play. It requires the will to design and construct healthy urban environments, improve public transport, increase affordable healthy food options and limit the availability of junk-food. And it requires the will to recognise and address the underlying causes of poverty and disadvantage so that everyone has equal opportunities to maintain good health.

• Alison Peters, NCOSS Director
  ph: 9211 2599, ext 107
  email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Nirimba Room Blacktown Council 9.00am to 3.00pm, 10 August 2011 

A seminar workshop designed to develop three core skills sets required for more effective community sector advocacy:

• Economic literacy – how to cut through the jargon, ask the right questions, and prepare a "business case" to back your arguments for government intervention on social equity and community development issues;
• "Taking local issues national" - how to give your organisation's specific challenges and agendas greater weight and momentum by locating them within the appropriate state and/or national policy discussion; and
• Using the media – how to create and maintain momentum for your issues using current affairs media.

• 9.30 to 10.15 Economic Literacy (Richard Denniss – Australia Institute)
• 10.15 – 11.00: Policy Development
• 11.00 – 11.30: Morning Tea / Networking
• 11.30 – 1.00: Media – Policy Advocacy
• 1.00 Lunch
• 1.00 – 2.30 Case studies: participants will apply the new skills to real life challenges facing their constituents / organisations. Each table will have a self selected organisation type / theme. At the end of the day they’ll have a campaign work program mapped out for the chosen issues.
• 2.30 – 3.00 Plenary / Themes from tables Presenters: The Seminar will be run by Jeremy Goff and Richard Denniss

Jeremy Goff has been Chief Executive Officer at WSROC, Australia's leading regional government organisation; a senior executive at a major Australian multi-national high technology corporation; a Ministerial and Shadow Ministerial Advisor in State and Federal Parliaments; an issues and media management consultant with one of Australia’s leading agencies; and a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. He also taught in the politics faculty at Macquarie University. While Jeremy was CEO, WSROC set the national public policy agenda on sustainable population growth, food security and the economic case against maintaining government "AAA" credit ratings.

Dr Richard Denniss is the Australia Institute's Executive Director. He is an economist with a particular interest in the role of regulation. Prior to taking up his current position he was an Associate Professor at the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University where he continues to hold an adjunct appointment. Richard has also worked as Strategy Adviser to the Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Bob Brown, Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Australian Democrats, Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, and lectured in economics at the University of Newcastle. Richard has published extensively in academic journals, is a frequent contributor to national newspapers and was the co-author of the best selling Affluenza (with Dr Clive Hamilton) and is the co-author of An Introduction to Australian Public Policy: Theory and Practice (with Dr Sarah Maddison).

Cost structure:

• Early Bird Member (before July 31st): $60 inc GST
• Early Bird non-Member: $75 inc GST
• After July 31st Member: $80 inc GST
• After July 31st non-Member: $95 inc GST

Enquiries:

• Western Sydney Community Forum: 9687 9669
  Eve Gerencer This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Tom Nance This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
  Book on-line www.wscf.org.au

NCOSS has joined with ACOSS in welcoming the Commonwealth Government’s commitment to support the sector meet their obligations arising from any decision made by Fair Work Australia in the equal pay case.

Please follow the link here http://ncoss.org.au/resources/110707-ACOSS-hails-Govt-commitment-to-help-community-sector-with-equal-pay.pdf to the ACOSS media release.

We have also called on the NSW Government to give a similar commitment to meet their fair share of any award increases that will apply to services in NSW.

Further information: Alison Peters

NCOSS and NSW Legislative Council Workshop - Canley Vale
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: 12.30pm-4.30pm, Thursday, 18 August 2011
• Where: Waratah Room, Cabra-Vale Diggers, 1 Bartley Street, Canley Vale
• RSVP: By 11 August 2011 to Wendy Hall at NCOSS This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 9211 2599, ext 118

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

For more information on the content of the workshop, please contact Dev Mukherjee, NCOSS Acting Director Policy and Communications, ph: 9211 2599, ext 116 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

The NSW Government is offering five scholarships in the Graduate Diploma in Public Administration, each to the value of $26,640 as part of an initiative to support workforce development in the community sector.

The Diploma is an 18-month course offered by the Graduate School of Government at the University of Sydney. It encompasses important themes of study relevant to contemporary organisations including leadership and strategic administration, Commonwealth/State/Local government relations and whole of government policy development and program implementation.

Applications should be returned to the Department of Premier and Cabinet by 19 August 2011. 

Download:

• Letter to NGOs
• Program brochure
• Application guidelines
• Application form

 Please direct any queries to:

• Timothy Burt
  Senior Advisor, Performance and Development Public Sector Workforce,
  NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet
  Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
  Phone: 9228 3607

The workshop Making Headway: New directions in charity advocacy laws and not for profit regulation was held at NCOSS on 15 June 2011.  The workshop was organised by ACOSS, Changemakers Australia and NCOSS to discuss current initiatives in the not-for-profit law and regulation area.

Jason Aitchison from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) presented on the draft charities Tax Ruling and Esther Abram from Changemakers presented the results of her research into the legal barriers to charities doing or funding advocacy. The workshop reflected on whether the draft Tax Ruling resolves the barriers to advocacy and sought input from participants into the ATO’s consultation process.

The ATO and Tessa Boyd-Caine also presented on the recent Budget announcements regarding the establishment of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, changes to tax concessions and the introduction of a statutory definition of charity.

Download:

• Presentation by Jason Aitchison, Australian Tax Office
• Presentation by Esther Abram, Changemakers Australia
• Changemakers submission to the Australian Taxationn Office on the Draft Taxation Ruling TR 2011/D2 – Income and fringe benefits tax: charities

On 16 May, Fair Work Australia issued an initial decision in the equal remuneration case for social and community sector and disability workers. The decision found that workers in our sector do receive unequal remuneration compared to equal or comparable work undertaken in state or local government; and that the pay disparity is largely due to the predominantly female workforce in the community sector. FWA called for further evidence and added a new round of hearing dates in early August.

Meanwhile, we still have no firm commitment to fund pay equity from the Commonwealth or NSW Governments. This is of great concern, not least because both the Commonwealth and NSW Governments are such significant funders of community services through contracts and other funding relationships. The Commonwealth Government also allocates funds to the states who then also administer funding to the sector. ACOSS and NCOSS have also been calling for a commitment on industry support for those organisations receiving little or no government funding, but who are part of the great value of the community sector and will be affected by the case just the same.

We must maintain the pressure for commitments to fully fund equal pay in the community sector. In particular, we are seeking a firm commitment for full funding from the Commonwealth and NSW Governments.

We need to hear the voices of employers who support equal pay and support the campaign for funding to cover higher wages costs in the community sector. And we need to hear those voices before the Commonwealth makes its final submission to Fair Work Australia on 30 June.

As part of this campaign for fair and proper funding we are asking all social and community services to write to their Federal MP and follow this up with a phone call to their electorate and parliamentary offices.

ACOSS has drafted a template letter that you can adapt, as well as talking points for the follow up phone calls. We will repeat this with State MPs in a few weeks time.

For more information about the Funding campaign see the ACOSS website www.acoss.org.au/equalpay or contact Alison Peters, NCOSS Director on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Held in the NCOSS Courtyard on Thursday 26 May, this important day begun with the weather clearing and the opening of proceedings by NCOSS Director Alison Peters. Alison acknowledged the history of the Old Children’s Court premises and said that this day was about understanding the past and its impact for the future generations. She highlighted the commitment that NCOSS has made with its first community forum this year in bringing forth Aboriginal issues and self determination.

Alison introduced Michael West from Metro Land Council to do the official Welcome to County and he led us on a journey of understanding that this is Aboriginal land and always will be Aboriginal land on which we stand. Michael shared with us the importance of Welcoming people to your country, as a measure of cultural goodwill and the importance of acknowledging past injustices but excepting reconciliation.

We were then honoured to have Uncle Max Harrison a Yuin Elder perform a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony. He invited all present to move closer and the circle engaged us be part of a special time of cleansing for this site and renewing its spirit. Max spoke of being a proud Aboriginal man and shared his story of truly understanding Aboriginal culture and what we do to our environment, where our first people have always walked and lived. When I looked around the guests were captivated in the words of this softly spoken Elder and this itself sent a strong message of healing for this building.