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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ACTCOSS welcomes bill to enshrine access to housing as a human right
The ACT Greens today introduced a bill to the Legislative Assembly to enshrine the right to housing in the ACT’s Human Rights Act. This move follows sustained advocacy from ACTCOSS, service providers, other community organisations, and frontline workers who see the impact of housing insecurity every day. “Housing is a human right, and we need […]
Why Housing as a Human Right matters in the ACT
The Government should prove it’s on the side of citizens when it comes to housing The ACT Greens recently circulated draft legislation that would enshrine housing as a human right, following advocacy to all parties by ACTCOSS and others. Making housing a human right might strike some as odd at first glance. Deeper analysis suggests that […]
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 […]
Now, post-election, it’s time for the most consequential bit of our democratic process
After the final seat in Brindabella went to the Greens’ Laura Nutall, negotiations around the formation of government began in earnest. It is vital to our democracy that this occurs transparently. In the ACT, it is historically rare for any one party to govern on its own. Negotiations are a feature of the ACT system, […]
Everyone is getting more ambitious when it comes to housing. Except one party
In the midst of a housing crisis, a focus of policy debate has been “location, location, location.” It is important that this does not distract from the main objective of ensuring everyone has safe, affordable housing, and that means rapidly expanding the stock of social housing. It is a numbers game. This is especially important […]
Joint Media Release: Once-in-a-generation leadership needed to tackle the ACT’s housing & homelessness problem
ACTCOSS and ACT Shelter have today launched their shared housing and homelessness election platform, which calls on all political parties and candidates in the upcoming ACT Election to commit to transformational investment in social housing. Amidst a housing crisis fuelling cost-of-living pressures, ACTCOSS and ACT Shelter warned of a deepening housing divide and growing homelessness […]
Let’s tear down this housing policy and completely rebuild
For an alarming proportion of Canberrans, securing and keeping appropriate housing is a struggle that is too often unsuccessful. A quarter of a century ago, young adults worried about whether they could afford to buy a house, but for many that concern is now about whether they can afford to rent an apartment. A growing number […]
10,000 new public housing dwellings welcome
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) responded to today’s announcement by the ACT Greens of an election commitment to build and buy 10,000 new public housing dwellings in ten years. “ACTCOSS calls on all parties and candidates to commit to similarly transformative change of the ACT’s housing system,” said Dr Devin Bowles. “Business as […]