NCOSS Post Budget Breakfast + Budget WrapUp

27 June 2024

Analysing the NSW budget

Last week the NSW budget was released. NCOSS was pleased to see such a significant investment in social housing. However, with almost a million people in NSW living below the poverty line, these measures must be viewed as the first step. Significant work remains to address the housing crisis.

Other key areas of the social service sector missed out, including domestic and family violence supports, tenancy advice services; homelessness supports; financial counselling; mental health services; community legal services; and neighbourhood centres and other similar place-based services. There is also limited new cost-of-living relief for low-income families.

You can read NCOSS’ budget analysis of seven key areas here.

NCOSS Post Budget Breakfast

Thank you to those of you who made it to the NCOSS Post Budget Breakfast at Parliament House yesterday. It was a packed room and wonderful to see the sector so well represented.

We welcomed the Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope, who laid out their budget plans for the social service sector. They answered questions from the audience on issues such as funding NGOs to respond to disasters in their communities, fixing the broken child protection system, and how to help people through the cost-of-living crisis.

Makeeta Stubbings from the NCOSS lived experience panel gave a personal perspective of the cost-of-living crisis. She spoke about the work she has done to break cycles of trauma and how important it is to get the support you need to live the kind of life you want to live.

We then had a wide-ranging discussion touching on the impact of disasters; child protection, including early intervention and out of home care; building homes to a standard of accessibility; and operational funding. Thank you to Rebecca Pinkstone from HomesNSW, Paul Coe from Birribee Housing, John Leha from AbSecNSW, and Jessica Innes from Peppercorn Services for joining our panel to offer their perspectives.

I hope that some ideas were sparked during discussion and the sector can collaborate on key demands for the next budget.

Community Sector Disaster Capability Project

Thank you to all those who been part of the Community Sector Disaster Capability Project, which winds up this week. Scroll down for more information about this project. The project has been led by NCOSS in partnership with the Local Community Services Association and AbSec, and delivered by place-based organisations in four locations.

The project has demonstrated the important role social service organisations can play in strengthening disaster readiness, particularly for people experiencing vulnerability. And check out our new Disaster Support web resources here. NCOSS hopes to build on the achievements and learnings of the project through further grant funding in the future. 

Recently, NCOSS made a submission to the inquiry into community safety in regional and rural NSW. Our most important messages to the Inquiry were as follows:

The drivers of youth crime, including in regional and rural NSW, are complex and involve challenges at individual, family, and community levels. This requires a holistic policy response that investigates, understands, and addresses the root causes and avoids over-reliance on responding to symptoms, including through the policing and justice system.
Unless youth crime is viewed through the lenses of poverty and disadvantage, investment and reform will continue to be ineffective in breaking the cycles of incarceration and therefore unsuccessful in building safer communities. This will include addressing the immense unmet needs in areas such as safe and stable housing, mental health support, and domestic and family violence prevention and response.
There is an alarming over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in detention and interaction with the police and justice systems. Given this, efforts to address youth crime in NSW must include specific provisions to work with Aboriginal communities and provide space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander decision-making and leadership in the design and execution of programs and services, in line with the Government’s obligations under the Close the Gap agreement.
The non-government sector plays a critical role in diverting young people away from the justice system and in keeping communities safe. These organisations deliver programs across the full spectrum of community services, including: early intervention programs; wrap-around supports such as mental health and alcohol and other drugs treatment; and programs aimed at supporting young people to navigate the justice system. Greater investment in the non-government sector is critical in addressing the root causes of crime and ensuring that young people feel safe and supported in their community.

You can read our submission here.

NCOSS has made a submission to the Statutory Review of the NSW Reconstruction Act, which draws on our engagement with the Reconstruction Authority through the Community Sector Disaster Capability Project.

The NCOSS submission highlights key gaps in the legislation including the role the social services sector plays across the phases of disaster and recognition of the intersection of social and disaster vulnerability. We call for consideration of amendments that would support more holistic, community-led approaches to disaster preparedness, mitigation, prevention and recovery.

You can read the submission here.

Thank you to many organisations that have participated in the Community Sector Disaster Capability Project (CSDC) over the past year. In particular:

Peaks partners Local Community Services Association and AbSec
CSDC local host services Monaro Family Support Service, Peppercorn Services and Bligh Park Community Services, Katungul and Eden Community Access Centre, and Resilient Lismore with support from Rekindling the Spirit, Mid Richmond Neighbourhood Centre, Nimbin Neighbourhood and Information Centre and Kyogle Together
All those local services in the Snowy Monaro, Hawkesbury, South Coast and Northern Rivers areas that participated in project activities to explore local disaster vulnerabilities and build resilience and preparedness among local services and the communities they support
Members of our Project Control Group and the many Emergency Management and Government personnel who have collaborated on project activities.

The project has enabled place-based social service organisations to take a leading role in identifying disaster vulnerabilities in their communities and helping local organisations and groups to plan and prepare for future disasters.

You can find out more about the project and link to resources and tools produced through the project on the NCOSS website here.

NCOSS CEO Cara Varian was interviewed about the NSW Budget.

The Hawkesbury Gazette reported that: "NSW Council of Social Service CEO Cara Varian questioned whether there was enough cost-of-living relief in the budget.

"There are limited additional cost of living supports for low-income families which is unfortunate given the immense pressure they are under to make ends meet during this cost-of-living crisis," she said.

"And there was no funding for early intervention and family preservation services to ensure kids and families are getting the support they need early instead of when they hit crisis point."

Ms Varian said she remained concerned about "widening inequality" in NSW.

Link to the Hawkesbury Gazette article.

On Monday 1 July, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre are changing their name to the Justice and Equity Centre.

They say: "We are making this change to reflect our mission: to build a fairer, stronger society by challenging and changing laws and practices that cause disadvantage and inequality.

Since 1982, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (known to many simply as ‘PIAC’) has been at the forefront of social justice. Although we are changing our name, we are not changing the work we do or how we do it.

Read more about why we are making the change at our website.

On the Run (Accidental) Counselling
LEAD Professional Development Association

8 August, Tamworth Powerhouse Hotel
$260-$325 | Register here

While you are not a formally trained counsellor, do you often find yourself in situations where you need to respond to someone’s distress, concerns, or strong emotions?

Whether it’s a colleague under pressure, a parent navigating challenges, or a child and family facing difficulties, these “accidental counselling” moments can be challenging to navigate.

This full-day transformative workshop is designed to equip you with the tools to become a more effective and empathetic communicator, responding appropriately to those who are distressed.

Protecting Professional Resiliency
LEAD Professional Development Association
6 August, online
$45-$60 | Register here

This online workshop is designed to introduce professionals who are not therapists to solution-focused thinking as it was originally developed by Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer and teach them how to use these principles to prevent and reverse professional burnout.

You will learn to identify signs of professional burnout and stress and develop an “emergency roadside repair kit” to assist them in preventing the potential negative impact.

You will also learn protective factors and how to use solution-focused thinking to decrease and address potential stress in the workplace.

NSW Government Youth Opportunities Grant
Closing Date: 15 July 2024

The Youth Opportunities program provides one-off, time-limited grants to incorporated not-for-profit community organisations and local government councils in NSW. Funding is for new projects that enable marginalised young people,aged 12 to 24, to lead and participate in their communities.

The Youth Opportunities program requires applicant organisations to have spoken with marginalised young people and involved them in developing the project proposal prior to submitting a grant application.

For more information, please visit the grant information page.

Westpac Social Change Fellowship
Closing Date: 24 July 2024

The Westpac Social Change Fellowship is an incredible opportunity for social entrepreneurs to spend time investing in their skills, leadership capabilities and networks. A truly bespoke offering, the fellowship is completely tailored to the individual and is designed to offer experiential learning opportunities that will help you drive sustainable positive change in Australia.

For more information, please visit the grant information page.

Australian Government National Women’s Alliances Funding
Closing Date: 3 July 2024

The Australian Government is inviting applications for funding to provide expert gender advice to Government and ensure women’s voices inform implementation of Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality (the Strategy).

This grant opportunity will establish a network of up to 6 civil society organisations to provide collaborative, intersectional, evidence based gender expertise and strategic advice to Government to inform ongoing progress of the Strategy’s outcomes.

For more information, please visit the grant information page.