6 April 2023

6 April 2023

NSW votes

With the state election done and dusted and our new Premier announcing his Cabinet this week, we have written to The Hon Chris Minns MP, the 47th Premier of NSW, to congratulate him on the election outcome. We have also congratulated him on his Cabinet comprising 50% women, thanked him for the increase to NCOSS core funding, and expressed our desire for a strong working relationship to progress important priorities as per our policy platform.

NSW’s housing crisis is likely to worsen before it improves and cost of living issues continue to bite hard, so the next four years will be extremely challenging for many communities. We look forward to working with relevant Ministers, government bureaucrats and our members to ensure effort and investment are directed toward those doing it toughest who can ill afford to slip further behind.

Economic disadvantage in NSW widens

And in this regard, there is not a moment to waste. The preliminary findings of our latest research with NATSEM – drawing on the latest Census to update our interactive maps of economic disadvantage by suburbs and towns across NSW – are sobering. They show that we now have 1 million people in NSW living below the poverty line. And unfortunately we are seeing a widening divide.

In the five years since the 2016 census, already disadvantaged suburbs in Western and South Western Sydney have gone backwards while for those in the leafier suburbs closer to the coast, things have improved.

For children living in the locations left behind, we are seeing poverty rates of up to 40%, while across NSW there has been a 43% rise in older people living in poverty, more part-time workers struggling, and a significant increase in renters falling below the poverty line. The full research report and maps will be available at the end of the month, providing valuable data for political leaders, decision makers, program planners and our sector so that, collectively, our efforts are targeted to where they are most needed.

Pokies reform: It's time

This week I was privileged to be part of Wesley Mission’s Annual Easter breakfast, joining a panel discussion alongside the Hon Alex Greenwich MP and the Reverend Tim Costello to look at what is next for gambling reform in NSW. It underscored the diverse and strong coalition of support that exists, the respectful and effective leadership from Wesley’s Reverend Stu Cameron, and the fact that the issue isn’t going away.

We know that it is in our most disadvantaged suburbs that pokies do their greatest damage and that the time to act is now. We are looking forward to the opportunity to work with our new state government, parliamentary cross-benchers and the growing coalition of supporters to progress sensible, long overdue reform in this area.

NCOSS supports a Yes vote on the Voice

Finally, and most importantly, NCOSS is excited to announce our support for a YES vote in the referendum for a First Nations Voice to Parliament. In discussion with the NCOSS First Nations Partners and Advisors Group, we recommend that non-Indigenous organisations support a YES vote while respectfully recognising the complexities of the issues for First Nations people and the diversity of views that exist. (You can read our statement of support here.)

We also recognise that the lead up to the Referendum will be stressful for many First Nations people, with a variety of commentary playing out in the media, on other public platforms, and within organisations.

Our approach begins with a free sector webinar on 18 May 2023 for our member organisations seeking to understand the impacts of the referendum on their First Nations staff, and the communities they work with.

The webinar will outline strategies and practices to address racism, ensure a safe workplace, and strengthen cultural humility within non-Indigenous organisations. It will be delivered by Rowena Lawrie, founding director, Yamurrah, along with Belinda Field, CEO, Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Services (and co-chair of the NCOSS First Nations Partners and Advisors Group). Down the track we will be offering further opportunities to hear from other First Nations experts and partners about both the process of the establishment of the Voice and implications for First Nations people.

I wish you all a safe, relaxing and well-deserved Easter break.

NCOSS supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart as a moderate and generous invitation from First Nations people pointing the way forward for Australia as a united nation. We recommend that non-Indigenous people vote YES in the upcoming referendum for a Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution. As an organisation that is founded on research, knowledge, and advocacy we recognise the power in having a guaranteed voice at the table.

With the NCOSS First Nations Partners and Advisors Group we acknowledge that:

There are many different views of the Statement from the Heart and the Voice to Parliament. There is no one view amongst First Nations people about these matters. NCOSS is committed to promoting respectful dialogue on these issues that is well informed, and where all are able to participate safely.

The Voice to Parliament needs to stand strong and independent, with its shape determined by First Nations communities. It should be connected to, and not replace, existing structures that First Nations people have created, managed, and relied on for decades to give them a voice – Land Councils, tribal organisations, ACCOs, peak bodies, and alliances, as well as new organisations and coalitions established by First Nations communities. It should be answerable to communities, not government or bureaucracy.

A Voice 'to' parliament, rather than a voice 'in' parliament, will be in a position to speak out strongly about the most pressing issues for First Nations communities today, including:

o Aboriginal children being taken from their families.

o High rates of incarceration of Aboriginal children, young people and adults.

o Overcrowded, unsustainable housing, and homelessness.

o Poor health and life expectancy outcomes.

o Holding governments to account for achieving the Closing the Gap targets.

These must be first order priorities if the Voice is to make a meaningful and lasting difference.

For many Aboriginal people the lead up to the referendum will be stressful with stories about them being played out in the non-Indigenous media, and non-Indigenous spokespersons potentially being emboldened to give ignorant, arrogant, and racist analyses of the issues.

NCOSS encourages non-Indigenous organisations to work together with their First Nations staff, stakeholders and the communities they serve to identify what is needed in the lead up to the Referendum to keep people strong and safe; and to provide a platform for the diverse range of First Nations voices.

Once the Voice is established it must be empowered to begin the work of advocacy and relationship building. NCOSS further supports treaty and truth-telling as key steps towards healing and improved relationships. Whatever comes next must be decided by a sovereign people in their own land – the First Nations peoples of this country.

Read more on our statement of support here.

Building Cultural Safety in Times of Change is a webinar focusing on cultural safety for First Nations staff and communities in the lead up to the Voice Referendum.

Thursday 18 May 2023, 10am to 12noon – Online

FREE

This webinar will be led by Rowena Lawrie, founding Director, Yamurrah – a collective of First Nations clinicians, educators, consultants, and legal professionals. Yamurrah is a leading provider, advocate, and crucial voice in the intersection of trauma, violence, and healing and recovery.

The webinar will focus on the lead up to the Voice Referendum and possible impacts for the sector – particularly impacts on First Nations staff and communities. The webinar is for leaders and decision makers in the sector to understand what these impacts might be, strategies for addressing racism, and building cultural humility and safety in the workplace in times of change.

Rowena and Belinda Field, CEO, Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Services, will provide practical examples of how to support staff to support communities during the lead up to the referendum.

Register here.

Commissioned by peak social services body NCOSS, the preliminary findings from the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) at the University of Canberra draw on 2021 census data to reveal the dire state of poverty across NSW.

“It is incumbent on the newly elected NSW Premier Chris Minns and his Ministers to address these issues by building social housing, investing in essential social infrastructure, and prioritising policies that help those doing it tough.”

Ms Quilty said NCOSS will closely examine the final report when it is completed, and then release a set of recommendations to the NSW Government to address these findings.

An interactive mapping tool will also be released with the final report, allowing policy makers, state and local government, and community organisations to better understand how poverty affects different locations and groups, and target their efforts accordingly.

Read the NCOSS media release to see our NATSEM key preliminary findings.

This online workshop is for First Nations CEOs and leaders who advocate for their communities and want to improve their lobbying skills. The workshop will be presented by AbSec, NCOSS and will be moderated by Belinda Field, CEO of Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Services.

Get an overview of the big picture on advocacy and change-making from John Leha, CEO, AbSec.
Learn how to create a compelling and practical "ask" of the Government from Billy Briggs, Senior Consultant and former Ministerial staffer at Australian Public Affairs.
And get an overview from NCOSS of the new parliament in NSW.

For further information, email Francesca at NCOSS francesca@ncoss.org.au or Dakota at AbSec Dakota.Torrens@absec.org.au

NCOSS CEO, Joanna Quilty, said the new state government needed to act quickly to reduce poverty, including making major commitments to improve housing affordability including boosting social housing stock.

“We absolutely need our new government to focus really strongly on closing this widening divide and ensuring that social inequality doesn’t continue to rampage through our state,” Quilty said.

“Social housing performs that safety net role – it provides that stable foundation so that people are better able to get on with their lives.”

Read more in The Guardian article by Tamsin Rose.

And more in The Catholic Weekly article by Marilyn Rodrigues.

How are they playing us?

The poker machine industry in NSW has for decades made billions of dollars by methodically designing an addiction that causes harm and targets our most vulnerable communities. And while $23 million a day in losses is astronomical, the harm isn't just financial. Gambling harm tears families and communities apart. Yet successive governments have allowed the industry to continue to do everything in its power to feed this addiction.

What's the real cost?

The impact of pokies on our communities is devastating. Not only is every dollar fed into them taken away from being spent in the local economy, so many people caught in the systematic trap of poker machines struggle to find a way out.

Make a stand for poker machine reform here.

Read about Wesley Mission's 5 key reforms here.

The NCAS is the world’s longest-running population-level survey of community attitudes towards violence against women. The NCAS tells us how people understand violence against women, their attitudes towards it, and if there has been a change over time. It also gauges attitudes to gender inequality and people’s preparedness to intervene when witnessing abuse or disrespect towards women. The findings are drawn from interviews with a representative sample of 19,100 Australians aged 16 years or over.

Read more.

Register for their webinar: new survey questions and new evidence here.

The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) was designed to identify, for the first time, how many Australians in the general population experienced any of the five types of child maltreatment – physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence) – and to estimate the associated impacts on key health outcomes through life.

The statistics are shocking.

Australian children and youth are suffering now, and they need support. Equally, Australian parents need support. Some types of child maltreatment are strongly influenced by social determinants and structural factors.

Read the brief report here.

Read the ABC News article written by Penny Timms here.

The National Library of Australia welcomes the commitment made by the Albanese Government to provide $33m over the next 4 years to maintain Trove, with $9.2m ongoing and indexed funding from July 2027. NCOSS joins those delighted that Trove’s future has been secured.

Trove has a place for every story, with 14 billion Australian moments captured for future generations. It has a story for every place, with Voluntroves from Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory to Burnie in Tasmania. It is where old poetry is transformed into new lyrics, newspapers articles become historical fiction, and where Australian humanities research is powered.

Most recently, it has been a place for First Nations communities to continue to tell their stories, through our First Australians pages.

Read more.

LGBTQ+ advocates are calling for stronger legal protections after a series of attacks against Australia’s queer community. This month neo-Nazis held a banner reading “destroy paedo freaks” at a rally in Melbourne attended by trans rights activists, and days later an LGBTQ+ group said they had been attacked by a mob while protesting outside a Sydney church.

Every jurisdiction in Australia has various degrees of anti-discrimination legislation based on sexuality or gender in workplaces, schools and service settings, but advocates say they are patchy and have broad exemptions, especially for religious organisations.

Read The Guardian article written by Cait Kelly here.

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) is conducting a survey for the Own Motion Inquiry into Platform Providers Operating in the NDIS Market (Own Motion Inquiry) and to learn more about:

Participants' access, experience and engagement.
Supports and services accessed and delivered.
Quality and safeguarding arrangements aligned with the NDIS Code of Conduct spanning quality improvement and assurance.
Trends, patterns and insights from data and feedback.
Relationship between Platform Providers, workers and participants including contractor and billing arrangements.
Differing business models, assurance and governance structures.

Complete the survey here.

Community Housing
Conference
10- 11 May 2023

The program will focus on a range of priority issues, including systemic housing policy reform, innovative funding and partnership models with state and local government, industry responses to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, best practice approaches to asset and tenancy management, and more. We will be announcing our speakers over the coming weeks.
Register here.

Creating Safe Spaces
Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies (NADA)
Conference
11- 12 May 2023

This conference will attract delegates from across NSW, the broader Australian alcohol and other drug treatment sector and other health and human services. Showcasing interventions designed to improve outcomes for clients, this event will inform with new ideas, engage with the evidence base and provide networking opportunities.
Register here.

Facilitating access for people with disability workshop
People With Disability Australia (PWDA)
Ongoing

Designed for workers in any sector or industry, this three-hour advanced workshop provides a comprehensive understanding of how to be more supportive when communicating with and addressing barriers experienced people who are d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing, blind or low vision, have a disability that affects mobility, or have an intellectual disability.

Ready to get upskilled? Please email training@pwd.org.au or call 02 9370 3100

Digital approaches to support wellbeing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families
Child Family Community Australia (CFCA)
Online
April 26 2023

Hear from three Aboriginal presenters as they share their experience with online and digital wellbeing programs including:

How Aboriginal-led online and digital programs can help address barriers to accessing health services.
Examples of culturally safe, online and digital approaches to supporting children and families.
Practice tips and insights for using online and digital approaches to remote service delivery.
Examples of culturally safe, online and digital approaches to supporting children and families.
Practice tips and insights for using online and digital approaches to remote service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.

Register here.

Changes to Workplace Laws: What your NFP Needs to Know
Justice Connect
Online
23 May 2023

Recently there have been key reforms to workplace laws that affect not-for-profits, including extensive changes to the Fair Work Act, new sexual harassment laws, and rules about managing risks to mental health in the workplace. Are you up to date with these recent changes? Are you concerned about how upcoming restrictions on the use of fixed term contracts might affect your not-for-profit? Join us and a guest presenter from Lander & Rogers’ specialist workplace law team as we unpack key reforms affecting the not-for-profit sector and answer some frequently asked questions.

Register here.

SUPPORTING LGBTQIA+ REFUGEES AND PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM
Australian Communities Foundation
Close 24 April 2023

Pride Foundation Australia (PFA) and Sidney Myer Fund (SMF) have announced their next large grant round to a total value of $20,000 with a focus on supporting sexuality, sex and gender diverse (LGBTQIA+) refugees and people seeking asylum.

Read more.

Building Digital Skills grant
Be Connected
Close 28 April 2023

Building Digital Skills grants enable organisations to support older Australians 50+ through free digital mentoring sessions. These support sessions can be provided either one-on-one or in small groups. Grant funding can be used to pay for staff and volunteer expenses, program marketing, technology and internet, room hire, catering and transport. A range of resources and support materials are available to help organisations to deliver this program, including the the learning courses available on the Be Connected Learning site.

Register here.

Case Worker (Eastern Suburbs) – St Laurence House – VIEW JOB

Social Impact Researcher (Sydney wide) – For-Purpose Evaluations – VIEW JOB

Case Worker (Inner City Sydney) – B Miles Women’s Foundation – VIEW JOB

Care Coordinator/Counsellor (Newcastle) – ACON – VIEW JOB

Director of Communications and Engagement and Senior Media Advisor (Inner City Sydney) – ACOSS – VIEW JOB (Director); VIEW JOB (Advisor)

Counsellor – Women’s Health (South East Sydney) –The Benevolent Society, Centre for Women’s Children & Family Health – VIEW JOB