Advocacy Publications

In ACTCOSS’s submission we call for the 2021-22 ACT Budget to work towards a fair and just Canberra through: A sustainable recovery from the social, health and economic shock of COVID-19.  Adequate funding for community sector organisations.   Addressing the ACT’s ongoing housing crisis.  Reducing inequality and supporting increased numbers of Canberrans receiving income support.  Improving outcomes for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our […]

ACTCOSS made a submission to the Justice and Community Safety Committee inquiry into Community Corrections. Our submission highlights the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples across the justice system and the experiences of people with disability and mental illness in Community Corrections. We also called for significant investment into housing, mental health and […]

ACTCOSS strongly supports passing the Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Bill 2021. Moving toward decriminalising a range of drugs for personal use will have enormous positive impact, especially for some of the most disadvantaged and marginalised people in the ACT and broader community.

ACTCOSS supports the use of body worn cameras by ACT policing and we recognise the positive impact these cameras can have on community safety and police accountability. We are, however, concerned about the expansion of their use into private contexts without consent and without a clear framework for securing footage that is more likely to […]

ACTCOSS has made a submission to the Standing Committee on Education and Community Inclusion’s inquiry into the management of ACT school infrastructure. The submission calls on the ACT Government to prioritise adequate and high-quality school infrastructure in all areas of the ACT, including and especially for pockets of disadvantage in the Territory. Our submission also […]

The ACTCOSS Gulanga Program, with feedback from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Sector Network (ATSIComSec Network), has provided a submission to the ACT Government on the future of the Yarramundi Cultural Centre. In this submission, we have listed suggestions about the facilities, design, use and management of the centre.

The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Prohibition on Credit Card Use) Bill 2020 would prevent online gambling service providers from accepting payments by credit card (either directly or indirectly), create a criminal offence and civil penalty provision for a person who accepts, facilitates or promotes credit card payments for interactive gambling services, and provides for the Australian […]

The Canberra Gambling Reform Alliance (CGRA) welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications Inquiry into the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Prohibition on Credit Card Use) Bill 2020. The Bill would prevent online gambling service providers from accepting payments by credit card (either directly or indirectly), create a […]

ACTCOSS appreciated work that Elections ACT undertook in engaging with the community sector in the lead up the 2020 election to ensure that the election process and requirements were accessible and understood. In this submission to the Inquiry into the 2020 ACT Election and the Electoral Act, ACTCOSS identified two main concerns: The scope of […]

In this ACTCOSS position statement, ACTCOSS outlines its views on commissioning and procurement, based on the collective expectations and expertise of the ACT community sector. The position paper includes: A suggested definition of commissioning in the ACT context A broad outline of key steps for an authentic commissioning process What commissioning is not An appendix […]