News and Media
Here you’ll find news, announcements, and media releases from ACTCOSS and the Gulanga Program, along with major community sector news.
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Social housing and community sector funding should be at the forefront of the next governing agreement
In a city full of politics, one of the ACT’s great political mysteries is why the ACT Government’s practical support for people experiencing poverty has gone backwards over more than a decade. How could this happen with such a progressive electorate, with governments that have been elected on their progressive promises over the last quarter […]
Here’s what real courage would look like from an ACT candidate
It’s difficult to think of an issue in the ACT that is more widespread and more keenly felt than poverty, so it is appropriate that the election falls on Anti-Poverty Week. The experience of poverty is responsible for much of Canberra’s suffering, and it reduces the human potential and contribution people can make to our community. Today, parents […]
The cost of living is ripping our social fabric. Who can mend this?
The stakes could hardly be higher for this ACT election, but you might not know it listening to many political parties and candidates. Global and national forces are ratcheting up the financial pressure on households, with an unprecedented growth of the working poor in the territory. A fundamental challenge this election is preventing the lower […]
Breaking point: financial stress of ongoing cost-of-living crisis hitting low-income Canberrans hardest
ACTCOSS’s latest ACT Cost of Living Report reveals persistently high inflation and high interest rates are exacting a devastating toll on low-income households and adding to demand for community sector services across the ACT. ACTCOSS CEO, Dr Devin Bowles said: “The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has extended the reach of financial stress to more and more […]
Woolworths incident evokes the spirit of Robin Hood
Earlier this week, my children witnessed a man hastily push a trolley loaded with groceries out of Woolworths, skipping payment at self-checkout. While no one in my family had seen anything similar before a couple of years ago, it is now a semi-regular occurrence. I’ve been wrestling with how to help my kids interpret this. […]
How long can the climate safety net hold?
The golden period between Christmas and New Year’s Day has traditionally been a time when Australians relaxed and recharged for the year ahead. As climate change worsens, this period of respite will be viewed differently by today’s children, who will come to associate it with predictably unpredictable extreme weather events. This year, many in Queensland were […]
If nothing is done, we’ll be waving goodbye to middle-class Australia
There is growing understanding about the depth and extent of the Australian cost-of-living crisis, which is driving thousands of working families into poverty. It is less well appreciated that the most dramatic effects of the crisis will be in permanently remaking economic and social relationships across communities, driving and solidifying inequality. Without decisive government intervention, […]
Community Sector marks the end of Anti-Poverty Weeks 2023
This year, Anti-Poverty Week (APW) was held across Australia from 15 to 27 October 2022. APW was co-chaired in the ACT by the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) and VolunteeringACT and was a time for the community to learn more about the causes and realities of poverty and take collective action against disadvantage. Several […]