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 announces Policy Priorities for 2022 Federal Election
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has called on all parties in the upcoming federal election to commit to a fairer Canberra by backing policies that support those who have the least. Using national analysis and ACT-focused research, ACTCOSS has identified six policy priorities that will give a fair go to people on low […]
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 […]
ACTCOSS supports call for review of fines compliance and enforcement system
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has today welcomed Andrew Braddock MLA’s calls for the ACT Government to perform a cost/benefit analysis for the current compliance and enforcement system for those who fail to pay fines for minor transgressions. The motion, presented in the Legislative Assembly today, also calls for canvassing alternative options to […]
Media release: Bill to Amend Crimes Act finally introduces Affirmative Model to ACT
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) this week welcomes Dr Marisa Paterson MLA’s Crimes (Consent) Amendment Bill 2022 to be presented to the ACT Legislative Assembly. The Bill introduces a new definition of consent based on free and voluntary agreement and acknowledges that consent must not be assumed. Dr Gemma Killen, ACTCOSS Head of […]
Joint media release: Over-incarceration of Indigenous people in the ACT continues
Joint media release: Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services and ACTCOSS. Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services and the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) have today welcomed news that the average daily number of prisoners in the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) has gone down but expressed deep concern about the ongoing over-incarceration […]
Media release: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children continue to be overrepresented in child protection and youth justice systems
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has called on the ACT Government to progress work to implement all recommendations from the Our Booris, Our Way report and increase investment in Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, following today’s release of a national report showing the continued overrepresentation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children in child protection […]
Media release: Implementing OPCAT: Protecting the human rights of detainees in the ACT
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) today welcomed news that the ACT Government has designated three independent bodies to ensure the human rights of people in detention are protected. The Office of the Inspector of Correctional Services, the ACT Human Rights Commission and the ACT Ombudsman to the Commonwealth have been appointed as the […]