Advocacy Publications

ACTCOSS has responded to the ACT Government’s updated Commissioning Roadmap. There are some positives including identification of priority sub-sectors, clarity of procurement pathways and more information of contract flexibility and extensions during the commissioning processes. However, we remain concerned that there is more work needed on identifying outcomes, an explanation of cross-directorate engagement, and the […]

This bulletin provides a summary of ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) responses to the 2021-22 ACT Budget announced on 6 October 2021. The bulletin summarises key announcements for community service organisations and Canberrans on low incomes and facing disadvantage. It also includes a list of measures about which ACTCOSS will be requesting more information. […]

In ACTCOSS’s submission to the Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into housing affordability and supply in Australia, we urged the federal government to invest in public housing and renew its focus on community housing, and provided a number of other recommendations to improve the availability of affordable housing.

This submission responds to Libraries ACT’s Imagine 2030 process to co-design our future libraries with the community. In this submission, ACTCOSS acknowledges the significant role that Libraries ACT plays in supporting social justice in our community. By providing a space for everyone, they play an important role in supporting social inclusion and social cohesion in […]

The ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) made a submission responding to the ACT Government’s discussion paper on raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility. We strongly advocate that the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) in the ACT should be raised from 10 to at least 14 years old, with no exceptions or carve […]

The 2021 ACT Cost of Living Report tracks changes in the cost of living for low-income households in the Australian Capital Territory over the past 12 months and five years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty has increased in the ACT. Over the past five years, housing, health, education, food, and energy prices in Canberra have […]

This submission responds to the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission’s (ICRC’s) consultation draft of the ACT Retail Electricity (Transparency and Comparability) Code Guideline. ACTCOSS had advocated for the introduction of the Code as an important measure to make it easier for small energy consumers in the ACT to identify electricity offers that better suit their […]

ACTCOSS has highlighted the additional costs of disability and costs of living in Canberra, barriers to obtaining payments, the lack of employment opportunities and powerful personal stories in our submission to the Inquiry into the purpose, intent and adequacy of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee. Our submission supports […]

ACTCOSS provided feedback on Dr Marisa Paterson’s exposure draft of the ACT’s Crimes (Consent) Amendment Bill 2021, which introduces a new definition of consent based on free and voluntary agreement. We support the Bill yet request further clarity and consultation regarding potential perverse outcomes on marginalised people.

In ACTCOSS’s submission to the inquiry and review of current health assessment programs in the ACT for children and young people, we highlight the need for the ACT Government to commit to a real increase in spending on health services. There is also a need to implement key worker strategies to attract and retain health […]