Past Campaigns (archived)

2005-2006: Poverty It's Closer Than You Think

2009 - 2010: Create A Better State

Current Campaigns

Cost of Living

Cost of living pressures impact on many families, but impact particularly on low income households who face rapidly rising costs of basic necessities and have less room to move in the weekly budget. Financial pressures can lead to spirally debt and financial crisis, stress and relationship breakdown, or worse.

SACOSS produces quarterly cost of living reports to highlight issues and policies which can address cost of living pressures. The reports cover housing, utilities, food, health, transport, and income support. In October 2011 we held a Cost of Living Summit and continue to advocate for policies which will assist low income households.

Utilities

The cost of utilities, and electricity in particular, is a major concern for low income households. Utility charges are often impact more on low income households because they spend proportionately more of their income on electricity, gas and water, because they often don’t have the means to be able to utilise more energy efficient appliances, and/or because they have less income with which to pay the rapidly increasing bills.

SACOSS employs an energy policy officer to advocate for the interests of low income consumers.

Family and Community Development Program Reform

The Family and Community Development Program is a flagship early intervention program to help vulnerable families and communities in South Australia. In the September 2010, the state budget announced substantial cuts and a complete review of the program funding. In response to the campaigns of SACOSS and the sector, funding to the program has been restored and there is now a collaborative process to write guidelines for the next round of funding (scheduled for early 2013).

While the program is relatively small (approximately $9m), getting it right is important because it is one of the few programs with an explicit community development focus.

Financial Counselling and Credit and Debt Support

Financial counselling is a key service to low income people to prevent financial stress becoming financial crisis. Financial counsellors provide economic literacy advice and training, advocacy with creditors and other support services to not only assist people in difficult financial situations, but to set them up on a financially sustainable basis so they can move on with their lives.

Cost of living pressures and cuts to government-provided financial counsellors has seen demand for services increase and non-government organisations struggling to meet demand. In the week leading up to Christmas 2011, a number of services closed off their waiting lists. SACOSS is advocating for funding for more financial counsellors and for expansion of a range of other related services such as consumer credit legal services.

Pay Equity

After a long campaign by community sector unions, supported by SACOSS and most community sector employers, in February 2012 Fair Work Australia finally handed down a decision recognising the chronic and gendered underpayment of workers in the community services sector and awarded substantial pay rises to be phased in over nine years. Both federal and South Australian state governments have agreed to pay their share to ensure that services they fund are not cut back to accommodate the much needed pay increases, but there remains substantial work in the detail of implementation.

SACOSS continues to be engaged to ensure the outcomes of the pay equity case is properly implemented and the community services sector workforce is sustainable so that the best possible services are delivered to vulnerable and disadvantaged South Australians.

ACNC and regulatory reform

The federal government is moving some of the most far-reaching changes in regulation of the not-for-profit sector in memory. The establishment of a national regulator – the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission, changing rules around tax concessions, a statutory definition of charities, legislation prohibiting “gag clauses” in government contracts, and potential national fundraising rules are huge changes which will affect many charities and the services they provide. Many of the changes offer hope of smoother and more transparent regulation with less compliance costs, but there is always devil in the detail and charities need to ensure that their independence and ability to advocate on behalf of the vulnerable and disadvantaged is not compromised.

As part of the network of Councils of Social Service around Australia, SACOSS has been engaged in the reform process – contributing to submissions to government and parliamentary inquiries, talking to the relevant government departments and advising and consulting the community services sector.