Services cannot be delivered without secure funding

5 February 2025

As we scale back up for 2025, a recurring question keeps challenging me: have we become what one NCOSS member has dubbed “a sector of professional volunteers”?

Of course, our sector emerged from traditions of volunteerism, mutuality and faith to become a genuine community of mission-driven community service organisations and professionals.

But its development was marked by a recognition by government that organisations with deeper community links, be they geographical or practise-based, were a far more efficient and effective way of delivering services than via centralised government.

This revelation drove a bi-partisan partnership where government would support services to deliver high quality supports and care across the state, underpinned by the security of funding to build a skilled workforce to deliver it.

The sector has further developed in response to the changes in our society and communities, driven by technology, economic, demographic and environmental change.

Right now, we are living through a period of economic challenge caused by concurrent housing and cost of living crises. This means a growing number of people are seeking support, and their circumstances are growing in complexity.

But as the NCOSS 2025 pre-budget submission illustrates, that model is now under severe stress. Too many of our members living with the tension of choosing between having to scale back services or reduce staff to live within their available funding envelope. Or they have to make unsustainable choice like running a deficit or underpaying staff to meet their communities’ needs.

A survey of our members conducted late last year shows:

Two in three NCOSS members report operating costs exceeded funding.
90 per cent report their costs rose by more than the indexation received by government
70 per cent are either scaling back staff numbers, staff hours or training and development – many forced to cut all three
And six in ten have scaled back their services, even in a time when they are required more than ever.

The impact of these pressures has forced leaders in the sector to shift their focus from designing and delivering the best services, to chasing down funding to keep their organisations viable.

This is a terrible outcome for both the government and the NSW community, a sector ready to serve is instead being forced to downsize.

Over the coming months I’ll be doing everything I can to make the case for secure funding for social services including:

A one-off support package to assist organisations in crisis
A standardised approach to indexing to ensure services don’t experience real funding cuts
Sector funding to cover new Portable Long-Service Leave obligations.

We will also be arguing for a special focus on two areas of the sector currently under existential threat – our Neighbourhood and Community Centres and Community Legal Centres.

I know every organisation that makes a budget submission seeks more money. I also know that funding is finite. But when it comes to supporting the organisations that maintain the state’s safety net, this seems like an investment too important to ignore.

NCOSS spoke to Louise Farroway, Coordinator of the Illawarra Legal Centre.

What brought you to the community legal sector?

My career has always been in small community services. While working in youth services, I gained significant experience in the youth criminal justice system and advocated for young parents facing various legal issues, including reuniting with children removed from their care.

Seeing ongoing barriers to people accessing their legal rights, the opportunity to work in a sector so driven and committed to social justice was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

Tell us about your centre.

The Illawarra Legal Centre (ILC) is a generalist legal service based in Wollongong, celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025. We offer services in General Law, Financial Counselling, Tenancy Advice, University of Wollongong Student Legal Service, Port Kembla Children’s Court Assistance Scheme, Welfare Rights Law, and more.

Our team of 20 dedicated professionals provide high-quality, accessible legal assistance to clients from Helensburgh to the NSW-Victorian border.

What’s an example of an intervention that made a real difference?

In 2022, we piloted an assertive outreach program to support women at risk of or experiencing family and domestic violence (FDV) in accessing legal advice. We employed an FDV specialist worker to offer additional social support, alongside a female solicitor. The program design was to co-locate in women’s services, allowing women to receive legal and social support where they were already seeking help, reducing repeated storytelling, and reducing safety risks.

We set modest initial casework targets, and we exceeded them within five months. We learned that, for many women, legal issues continued long after immediate crisis, requiring continuing advocacy and casework support. 85% of casework clients in the pilot successfully resolved many of their legal issues.

How have funding pressures impacted your work?

Funding has not kept up with the rising costs of service delivery, leading to reduced service hours despite growing demand. Community Legal Education is a core focus, but we prioritise casework due to limited resources, as we can’t afford additional staff.

Short-term and unpredictable funding also makes it challenging to attract and retain staff, especially as our centre is in a regional area.

Our service is not funded for the full cost of running the service and funding conditions limit our administration spend, yet the time and resources needed to run the service and meet these funding body requirements are substantial, often requiring input from multiple staff members.

What are your fears for the future of the sector?

I fear the sector will remain underfunded, while the needs of our communities increase. We will be expected to provide more and more services, with fewer and fewer resources with the clients bearing the impact.

I fear the risk we move towards a cost per client target, and to prevent handing back funding for “failing to deliver”, we are forced to allocate services to only easy and low need clients, and our most vulnerable and high need clients become further disadvantaged.

I fear we will continue to lose amazing workers to Legal Aid and the private legal sector, as we can’t afford to pay these highly skilled, qualified professionals a competitive income, and their clear commitment to social justice and supporting our vulnerable communities doesn’t protect them from the impact of the cost of living.

If you could say one thing to the Premier about the sector, what would it be?

Community Legal Centres offer an exceptional return on investment of around 1:18. To ensure we can continue providing vital services to the most vulnerable, full cost funding and clarity on NSW’s commitment to the National Access to Justice Partnership are essential.

Find out about the campaign for more funding for
Community Legal Centres in NSW.

In December 2024 more than 200 psychiatrists employed in the NSW public health system indicated they would resign due to an industrial dispute around wages and work conditions. As of 30 January 2025:

55 have resigned
26 have rescinded their resignation
75 have deferred their resignation
50 have transitioned to VMO (Visiting Medical Officer) roles

The mass resignations have already led to psychiatric beds and units being closed in the public health system, including the hospitals at Westmead, Cumberland and Prince of Wales in Randwick.

The Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) has been keeping the sector updated on the latest developments, including the NSW Health response. They have also joined with other NSW mental health peaks BEING Mental Health Consumers and Mental Health Carers NSW, to renew calls for urgent and significant investment in the entire mental health system.

The impact of this crisis is likely to extend beyond the mental health system and may start to be felt across the broader community services sector, including AOD, domestic and family violence and homelessness services. If you are seeing impacts to your organisation or service, and/or the communities you work with, please share what you are seeing with NCOSS at advocacy@ncoss.org.au.

If you are a member of the MHCC, you can also email them directly at info@mhcc.org.au.

This year, NCOSS has made some changes to our membership structure to make it fairer and simpler. This change was approved by the membership at the last AGM.

All memberships will renew on 1 July

From this year, all memberships will renew on 1 July. This makes it easier for you to remember when your membership is due and will help us cut down on administration to make sure we spend more time on advocacy and creating change.

Organisations and individuals can still apply to join NCOSS at any time during the year and will pay a pro-rata membership fee in their first year.

More membership tiers

We have increased the number of membership tiers to make it fairer for small and medium organisations. You can see the new member fee bands here.

NCOSS is a member-based organisation and we look forward to working with you and for you in 2025. If you have any questions or feedback on these changes please get in touch by email at info@ncoss.org.au.

Sweltering Cities in collaboration with Australian Red Cross have launched Australia’s first Extreme Heat Awareness Day on February 5.

Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest environmental disaster and kill more people than all other environmental disasters combined. The toll is often unnoticed as people suffer alone in their homes, with heat exacerbating existing physical or mental health conditions

At NCOSS we advocate for a properly funded community services sector that can meet increasing challenges, including the impacts of extreme weather.

For more information, see our Heat Resources for community organisations.

Introducing our Disaster Legal Toolkit for not-for-profits.

Climate change and disasters affect our most vulnerable communities and individuals. That’s where not-for-profits step in - helping people through disasters.

But what happens when not-for-profits face their own disaster-related legal challenges? Many leaders tell us these hurdles impact their organisation’s services and sustainability.

That’s why Justice Connect’s Not-for-profit Law has developed a Disaster Legal Toolkit for not-for-profits - to help organisations navigate legal issues so they can spend their time and resources achieving their purpose.

Explore the free legal resources here.

Webinar: Natural Disaster-Related Legal Assistance
Law and Justice Foundation of NSW
26 February, Online
Free | Register here

This webinar will explore how the legal assistance sector prepares for and responds to natural disasters. Key findings from two recent research reports will be presented.

- A state of the evidence report including a data-driven analysis of disaster-related legal need in Australia, including insights from Legal Aid service data.

- A qualitative study exploring community legal centres’ experience of disaster preparedness.

Webinar: Families with Children and Centrelink
Welfare Rights Centre
4 March, Online
Free | More info here

Our free webinar outlines Centrelink payments targeting families with children.

Speakers address eligibility requirements, income and assets tests, mutual obligations relating to work, and the way that the number and age of children affects different payments.

They will also explain how people needing further support can access a Centrelink Social Worker, and what to do if a claim is rejected, payment is stopped, or a debt is raised.

Regional Community Leaders Forum
Resilient Villages Blue Mountains
8 March, Kurrajong Heights
Free | Register here

Join us for a day of networking, collaboration, and learning with other community leaders in your region. This in-person event will be held at the Kurrajong Heights Bowling and Recreation Club.

Come together with like-minded individuals to discuss local issues, share best practices, and build relationships that will benefit your community. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with others who are passionate about making a difference!

NAIDOC Local Grants
Closing Date: 20 February 2025

The NAIDOC Local Grants provide a co-contribution to the cost of activities and events being held around National NAIDOC Week (6 to 13 July 2025) that celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, achievements and continuing contributions to our country and Australian society. Activities and events should align with the annual National NAIDOC Week theme The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.

For more information, please visit the grant information page.

Gambling Research Capacity Grants 2025
Closing Date: 28 February 2025

Gambling Research Capacity Grants aim to improve the quality, diversity and impact of Australian gambling research by supporting talented and committed researchers.

In 2025, the Responsible Gambling Fund is offering two PhD scholarships and a post-doctoral fellowship. Each PhD scholarship is for up to $60,000 per annum for three years. Top-up scholarships of up to $30,000 per annum will be considered for students receiving other stipend funding, such as Commonwealth Research Training Program (RTP) scholarships. The post-doctoral fellowship is for up to $160,000 per annum for three years.

For more information, please visit the grant information page.

Disaster Ready Fund
Closing Date: 2 April 2025

The Disaster Ready Fund Round 3 is open for applications from eligible applicants delivering disaster resilience and mitigation projects.

The objectives of the program are to:

increase the understanding of natural disaster impacts, as a first step towards reducing the risk of future natural disaster impacts,
increase the resilience, adaptive capacity and/or preparedness of governments, community service organisations and affected communities to future natural disasters to minimise the potential impact of natural hazards and reduce the risk of future natural disasters, and
reduce the exposure to risk, harm and/or severity of a future natural disaster’s impacts, including reducing the recovery burden for governments, cohorts at disproportionate risk, and/or affected communities.

For more information, please visit the grant information page.

Some of the latest from our Jobs Board:

Paralegal Homeless Persons' Legal Service (Sydney CBD) - Justice and Equity Centre - VIEW JOB

Senior Receptionist (Sydney CBD) - Kaleido Health Centre - VIEW JOB

Program Coordinator MyTime (Sydney Wide) - Playgroup NSW - VIEW JOB

Government Relations Advisor (Inner City Sydney) - Wesley Mission - VIEW JOB

Neighbour Aid Coordinator (Hawkesbury, Western Sydney - Richmond Community Services Inc - VIEW JOB

Finance, Membership and Corporate Services Officer (Sydney CBD) - LGBTIQ+ Health Australia - VIEW JOB

NCOSS gives its members the opportunity to share their stories, research, resources, events and more through NCOSS eNews. If you have something to share with the sector, send through a short blurb (50-70 words), image (250 x 250px) and relevant links to info@ncoss.org.au.

We will endeavour to add it to an edition of NCOSS e-News (goes out every fortnight on Wednesday morning). Deadline for content is 5:00pm on Monday, the week of publication. The next deadline is Monday, 17 February 2025.