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 releases 2023 ACT Cost of Living Report
Living costs in the ACT have reached their highest levels in twenty years, and women are disproportionately facing the effects of these increases – these are the latest findings in the 2023 ACT Cost of Living Report, released today by the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS). The report, which tracks the changes in the […]
Full range of human rights need to be enacted by ACT Government
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has welcomed the ACT Government’s commitment to introduce a right to a healthy environment in the Human Rights Act 2004 but has called on the ACT Government to enact all Economic, Social and Cultural Rights including a right to housing. Minister for Human Rights, Tara Cheyne MLA […]
ACT Government must #RaisetheAge to 14 without carve outs or exceptions
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has today cautiously welcomed a commitment to increase to the age of criminal responsibility to 12, and then to 14 within two years, through a staged response to allow for the implementation of service reforms. However, ACTCOSS expressed significant concern at the Government’s decision to include carve outs […]
ACT Government commits to delivering accessible human rights complaints mechanism
Joint Media Release Human rights lawyers and social advocates have applauded the ACT Government’s commitment to immediately commence the process of legislating for an accessible complaints mechanism within the Human Rights Act 2004, giving Canberrans whose human rights are breached the ability to bring a complaint to the ACT Human Rights Commission for confidential conciliation. […]
ACT Community Sector CEOs join to launch 2022 Anti-Poverty Week and ACT Poverty Factsheet
Leaders from across the ACT community sector came together today to launch 2022 Anti-Poverty Week (APW) and to call for action to be taken to end poverty. During the launch, CEOs representing organisations working with local families highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by Canberrans living below the poverty line. To coincide with Anti-Poverty Week, ACTCOSS […]
ACTCOSS welcomes calls for an Independent Inquiry into Poverty in Canberra
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) welcomed Elizabeth Lee, MLA’s motion delivered yesterday, calling for the ACT Government to commission an independent inquiry into the prevalence of poverty in Canberra. The motion comes before Anti-Poverty Week (16th – 22nd October) and refers to ACTCOSS’ submission to the ACT Budget 2022-23. ACTCOSS Acting Chief Executive […]
Anti-Poverty Week is next week!
Anti-Poverty Week (APW) 2022 will be held across Australia from the 16-22 October. APW is all about supporting the community to understand poverty and take collective action to end it. In 2022, the aim of APW is calling on Australian Parliamentarians to commit to halving child poverty by 2030. This commitment would bring us in […]
Anti-Poverty Week is around the corner!
Anti-Poverty Week (APW) will be held across Australia from the 16th to the 22nd of October 2022. This Anti-Poverty Week we are calling on all our Parliamentarians to commit to halve child poverty by 2030. This means we can meet our international commitments to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and UN […]