Every Australian Counts is the campaign for the introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS will revolutionise the way people with a disability, their families and carers are supported in this country.

The NDIS will be a new support system for people with a disability, their families and carers. It will transform the way services are funded and delivered, ensuring people are better supported and enabling them to have greater choice and control.

NCOSS supports the introduction of the NDIS and encourages you to take action to support the Every Australian Counts campaign.

Every Australian Counts website:  www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au

The election of the O’Farrell Government in NSW offers many opportunities for the community sector. A new Government gives us the opportunity of new relationships, individually and collectively, as well as expectations for positive change. It offers a chance for reflection and review and opens the prospect of new ways of working that will make a difference.

The measure of all of these opportunities must always be whether life for those on low incomes, who are vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalised gets better.

The Rental Affordability Snapshot released today by Anglicare highlights a key problem facing low to moderate income households. It tracked all private rental properties available for rent in Sydney, the Central Coast and the Illawarra earlier this month to see how many were affordable and appropriate for households receiving government benefits.

Of the 10,144 properties for lease, only 123 were affordable using the 30% of income benchmark. If target households spent up to 45% of their income on renting, putting themselves into rental stress, there will still only 1,600 properties potentially available.

These findings highlight the need for the Federal and NSW Governments to work together to expand the supply of both social and affordable housing, as NCOSS has been advocating for some time.

Download: Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot - full report

12 April 2011
The South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) recently led submissions to the Productivity Commission and the federal parliamentary inquiry into gambling, on behalf of the national network of Councils of Social Service. 

The COSS Network are concerned that the $20m campaign being undertaken by the Australian Hotels Association and Clubs Australia is misleading, particularly the claim that people will need a 'licence to punt'.

SACOSS Director, Ross Womersley responded to the AHA campaign: "Far from being a 'licence to punt', the pre-commitment scheme currently under consideration is a basic consumer protection tool that allows all gamblers to budget how much they will spend".

NCOSS supports the SACOSS position on this issue.

Download:  SACOSS Media Release 11 April 2011 'Licence to punt' claim unreal

Australians excluded from mainstream banks and services will be assisted to access fair and appropriate financial products, including loans, under a $6.27 million Australian Government pilot.

The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, launched the initiative at the Fitzroy and Carlton Community Co-operative in Melbourne  The Co-operative is one of five community development finance institutions (CDFIs) across Australia that will be supported under the pilot project. These institutions have all demonstrated a commitment to supporting vulnerable Australians to get access to financial services. They provide individuals and organisations who are able to repay a loan but who are excluded from mainstream banks and services with access to safe and affordable credit.

Download:  Media Release - New Financial Services for Disadvantaged Australians

In its recent submission to the Parliament of Australia Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform Inquiry, the COSS network supported a universal and mandatory pre-commitment scheme as a means for reducing problem gambling.

The Gambling Impact Society is circulating an on-line petition in support of a universal pre-commitment scheme. The proposed Federal gambling reforms aim to prevent people getting into difficulties with poker machine gambling and assist those who may be developing problems.

The petition can be accessed at: www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/gis

The Community Services Performance Monitoring Framework for Funded Services (PMF) was published in 2006. Since then, Community Services has implemented formal performance monitoring for the following programs: Brighter Futures, Alcohol and Other Drugs (AoD), Supported Accommodation and Assistance Program (SAAP), and Families NSW using the Framework.

Based on comments received from peaks, funded services and Community Services Partnerships & Planning staff, an updated version of the Framework has been prepared. The updated Framework:

• reflects the current practical application of formal performance monitoring with service providers in Brighter Futures, AoD, HNK OOHC, SAAP, and Families NSW.
• includes additional information on performance-based contracting to provide clarity on the context of formal performance monitoring.
• incorporates current templates for the main PMF tools: the Service Provider Self Assessment and the Performance Improvement Plan.

The updated Framework document has been loaded to the Community Services website. Please note that the revisions do not include any significant changes to policy and practice related to the PMF but rather bring the documentation up to date with existing practice.

In the coming year, Community Services will work towards the introduction of formal performance monitoring arrangements based on the PMF to the small number of funding programs that have not already done so.

Contact: Any queries you have about the updated Community Services Performance Monitoring Framework for Funded Services should be directed to the mailbox: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Download: Performance Monitoring Framework for Funded Services

The Australian Council of Social Service welcomes the Federal Government's prompt action to fund essential work to restore infrastructure damaged by the floods in Queensland, including the imposition of a temporary flood disaster levy, but believes spending cuts in high priority areas such as affordable housing should be avoided.

"Overall we are pleased that the Federal Government has acted quickly to support the vital reconstruction efforts of the Queensland Government and support the idea that all Australians with the means to contribute to this effort do so through a flood disaster levy," ACOSS CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie said today.

"This is similar in principle to previous levies for purposes such as the buy-back of guns after the Port Arthur massacre, which were widely supported. An income tax levy with an exemption for low income earners is the fairest approach.

"The main weakness of the proposed levy is that it covers less than one-third of the predicted flood costs leaving the rest to be met through spending cuts in other areas. However, ACOSS supports the use of cuts in poorly targeted spending to assist with the reconstruction effort.

"Indeed we have called for more action to rein in poorly targeted spending in the Federal Budget, including tax concessions that mainly benefit high income Australians. For instance tax breaks on golden handshakes and removal of tax shelters on private discretionary trusts would have raised in the order of $2.5 billion per year.

"ACOSS is disappointed that some of the spending cuts affect programs that are vital to improve the living standards of people on low incomes, especially the National Housing Affordability Scheme which is being cut at a time of great need for affordable housing, both before and after the floods. The axed Greenstart scheme also had the potential to assist low income households to reduce their energy costs.

"ACOSS is supportive of the other proposed cuts to the carbon abatement scheme, which on the whole were not efficient and well directed programs. Nevertheless it is important that the partnership agreement with the Queensland government requires reconstruction to be done in accordance with high standards of energy and water efficiency, and for proofing against future climate-related risks.

"The community and social services sector is playing a crucial role on the ground assisting those most affected by these floods and therefore has a key role to play in the decision making process, including the Flood Taskforce," Dr Goldie said.

• Also see ACOSS Opinion piece: Responding to a national crisis: business not the only voice in town: http://www.acoss.org.au/media/opinion/responding_to_a_national_crisis_business_not_the_only_voice_in_town

The social and community services sector is a growing and diverse sector. It is made up of large, multi-site organisations and smaller place based organisations.

Many target their work to improve the lives of particular groups of vulnerable and disadvantaged people whether that be a matter of geography, age, income level, culture or ethnicity or gender. Some organisations focus on particular types of programs and services while others provide a broad range. Within these there are also specialist, niche services as well as more generalist services.

This diversity is where the work of the sector shines through. The fact that we operate at different levels, across different programs and silos of government (State, Federal and local) means we can take both a holistic systems wide approach as well as a tailored and local approach to meet the need of specific communities and groups. Our diversity is a strength that is too often overlooked by governments whose processes are designed for conformity of procedure rather than a uniform approach to achieving better outcomes. 

The Department of Industry & Investment NSW has released an Energy Assistance Guide to provide a 'one stop shop' of information to be used in assisting household manage their energy costs.

The Guide outlines customer rights and billing information as well as details about what rebates and programs are available to assist with payment with of energy bills and explains how to access energy assistance.

The Guide and associated Fact Sheets are now ready for download on the Department’s website: 
www.industry.nsw.gov.au/energy/customers/energy-assistance-guide   

The Energy Assistance Guide has been prepared for and in consultation with Community Welfare Organisations, Energy Retailers' Customer Hardship Units and Financial Counsellors.

The Community Builders Funding Program is a community strengthening and capacity building program. The Program includes both fixed term funding available each year for new projects, and a renewable component that comprises former Community Services Grants Program (CSGP) services transferring to the Community Builders Program.

A Community Builders Fixed Term Tender for new projects will open on 1 November 2010. The Tender closes on 8 December 2010.

For more information, go to the Community Builders website:  www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au

Energy poverty is something people experience when they have inadequate access to a supply of energy. Energy poverty affects people’s day-to-day lives, impacting on their health and wellbeing.

Four short video clips created by PIAC’s Energy and Water Consumers’ Advocacy Program (EWCAP) and posted online this week focus attention on energy poverty. You can access the clips at: http://www.piac.asn.au/energy-poverty

The clips include conversations with:

• Kevin, an energy consumer; 
• Dr Lynne Chester, an energy researcher from the University of Sydney, and
• Dr Alan Morris, a sociologist from the University of NSW.

A short panel discussion on Energy Poverty is also included.

If energy poverty is something that you have experienced or feel strongly about, PIAC invites you to leave a comment on the page at the link above.

EWCAP’s policy team will use your feedback to advocate for affordable and accessible energy for energy consumers across NSW. The Energy Poverty web page also includes a link to information about support that is available for people who are struggling to pay their energy bills.

Contact the Public Interest Advocacy Centre for more information on ph: 8898 6500

As part of 2010 Anti Poverty Week and five months out from the March 2011 NSW State Election, NCOSS held a forum on 22 October to re-launch Vote 1 Fairness in NSW and ask the question “Are We Fair Yet?”.

The forum was hosted by The Hon Clover Moore, MP, and NCOSS invited speakers recognised for their services to the community in 2010 to speak about what fairness means to them. Speakers included Ms Ronni Kahn, Australia’s Local Hero 2010, Mr Robert Schneider, Community Father of the Year and Rachael Martin, from Wirringa Baya Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre and winner of the 2010 Justice Medal.

NCOSS also released 33 individual Vote 1 Fairness in NSW Fact Sheets which can be used by community sector organisations in their campaign and advocacy work in the lead-up to the March 2011 Election. The Fact Sheets can be used individually to support campaigns on particular issues or as an adjunct to the information in Vote 1 Fairness in NSW. 

NCOSS will continue to use Vote 1 Fairness in NSW and the Fact Sheets post-Election to ensure that Election commitments are implemented.

Download Fact Sheets:  www.ncoss.org.au/vote1fairness/factsheets

The Sydney Food Fairness Alliance presents a lively and thought provoking Q&A style forum as part of the Sydney International Food Festival!

Helping Ourselves Restaurant critic for the Daily Telegraph Simon Thomsen will moderate this Q&A style forum that will explore the innovative ways that people are providing for themselves and debate how to best work to foster access to enough, healthy food for all Sydneysiders.

Audience members are invited to asks questions of a panel of experts including The Reverend Bill Crews from The Exodus Foundation; Ronni Kahn from Oz Harvest; and Simon Gregory from Food For Life community supermarket.

• When: 6.30pm on Thursday 21 October 2010
• Where: Sydney Mechanics School of the Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney.
• Cost: $15 or $10 for members and concession (cash only on the night)
• RSVP: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Refreshments from Agape Restaurant, Iggy's Bakery and B-d Paris Creek Farm will be served.

• Download brochure

Information: 

• Mark Ludbrooke Service Development Officer
  Sydney Food Fairness Alliance
  email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it