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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Public housing tenants given 48 hour deadline
Media Release ACT Public Housing tenants, many of whom have been in their homes for decades, have been given just two days to prepare for a formal hearing to argue why they should not be forcibly relocated. The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) said today that public housing tenants threatened with loss of their […]
ACTCOSS welcomes increase to minimum wage recognising vital efforts of frontline workers
Media Release The ACT Council of Social service (ACTCOSS) has welcomed the Fair Work Commission’s announcement of a 5.2% increase to national minimum wage and 4.6% increase to modern award minimum wages. This approach recognises the challenges that low income workers are facing with high inflation and rapidly rising cost of living. ACTCOSS Chief Executive […]
ACTCOSS and CMCF welcome draft Multicultural Recognition Bill 2022
ACTCOSS and Canberra Multicultural Community Forum (CMCF) joint media release. The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) and Canberra Multicultural Community Forum (CMCF) have today welcomed the release of the ACT Government’s Draft Multicultural Recognition Bill 2022 (pdf) for consultation. The Bill is set to be presented to the Legislative Assembly later this year and […]
ACTCOSS Welcomes Next Steps For Our Kids
ACTCOSS today welcomed the release of the Next Steps for Our Kids Strategy 2022-2030 [pdf], the ACT Government’s strategy to strengthen and support families. The strategy aims to build a restorative, therapeutic and trauma-informed child protection system that is also transparent, accessible and accountable. ACTCOSS also acknowledged the strategy’s prioritising of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait […]
Urgent reform needed to tackle social harm from pokies
In a submission to the ACT Government today, the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has expressed its support for the ACT government’s proposed changes to reduce gambling harm caused by the ACT’s Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) or pokies. ACTCOSS’s submission was in response to the Justice and Community Safety Directorate’s Discussion paper – ‘Lowering […]
ACTCOSS welcomes ACT Discrimination Law Reform
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has welcomed today’s tabling of the ACT Discrimination Amendment Bill 2022 that aims to bring discrimination law in line with the Human Rights Act and strengthen responses to discrimination. ACTCOSS CEO, Dr Emma Campbell said: “ACTCOSS welcomes the expansion of the Discrimination Act to cover all areas of […]
Joint media release: Canberra community calls for accessible human rights complaint mechanism
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has today joined a coalition of Australian community organisations, including Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR), the Human Rights Legal Centre (HRLC) and Civil Liberties Australia (CLA) to call on the ACT Government to implement an accessible human rights complaint mechanism. Yesterday ACTCOSS made a submission to the […]
Implementation of prison Blueprint for Change recommendations must engage community
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) today acknowledged the release of the Blueprint for Change staffing review of the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) and welcomed some of its key recommendations. The ACT Corrective Services Blueprint for Change Oversight Committee, chaired by Christine Nixon AO, APM, was engaged to make a broad examination of staffing […]