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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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 […]
COVID-19 Update, 28 January 2022
To subscribe to our COVID-19 Update mailing list, please email [email protected] and we will subscribe you. If you would like to share any gaps or issues affecting your organisation, or any services that require increased funding to meet an immediate need in the COVID-19 response, please get in touch with ACTCOSS through our general email […]
Media release: Canberra’s Housing and Homelessness Crisis Worsens
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has called on the ACT Government to urgently review the implementation of its housing strategy and improve community oversight following today’s release of a national report that shows major failings in the ACT Government’s policy to address the Territory’s housing crisis. The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services […]
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: ACTCOSS welcomes more discussion on fairer way forward for fines
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has today welcomed the ACT Legislative Assembly’s call for close consultation with the community sector to ensure that people on low incomes are not unfairly impacted by the imposition of fines. A report published by the Planning, Transport and City Services Standing Committee on the impact of revised […]
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 […]
Community sector and vulnerable Canberrans need open access to Rapid Antigen Tests
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has today called for Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) to be universally available to all Canberrans who need them. ACTCOSS CEO, Dr Emma Campbell said: “The provision of up to 10 free tests for concession and health care card holders is a good start. However, thousands of Canberrans will […]
Report highlights need for more community sector funding
The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) has called for more funding for the community sector following the release of a report highlighting increased demand across the ACT for services including housing and homeless supports, domestic and family violence crisis services and mental health supports. ACOSS’s Australian Community Sector Survey 2021, released today, showed that […]