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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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 […]
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, […]
ACTCOSS welcomes decision to end mandatory relocations of public housing tenants
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has welcomed the ACT Government’s decision to not proceed with mandatory relocations under the Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program. “We commend the ACT Government for responding to the recommendations made by the ACT Ombudsman, and for listening to the concerns raised by public housing tenants and the […]
Joint COSS letter to National Cabinet on Rental Crisis
Ahead of the National Cabinet meeting (16 August), ACTCOSS and the broader Councils of Social Service (COSS) Network* has called on state, territory and federal governments to step-up and take significant action to address the rental crisis. In a letter to the Prime Minister and Australia’s premiers and chief ministers, the COSS network – representing thousands of social […]
ACTCOSS welcomes investments to address ACT housing crisis
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has today welcomed the ACT Government’s announcement of $345m in additional funding for housing measures in the 2023-24 ACT Budget. The investment will be spread across public housing growth and renewal, land release and the Affordable Housing Project Fund. ACTCOSS CEO Dr Devin Bowles said: “We congratulate the […]