Justice, Opportunity and Shared Wealth for all South Australians
Read our latest media releases, catch up on anything you missed from the our radio program Small Change, and comment on issues and ideas in our blog.
By Greg Ogle, SACOSS Acting CEO
WITH the AFL footy finals well under way, we are hoping that this will be the last final series where online bookmakers can take bets from South Australian punters and channel them through virtual gambling tax havens, thus avoiding paying gambling taxes in this state.
The South Australian Council of Social Service today called the conduct of corporate bookmaker Sportsbet outrageous and unsporting, and called on the state government to push ahead with its planned wagering tax.
CONGRATULATIONS to Justice Margaret Nyland and her team for their terrific examination of some of the uglier parts of our community. Her report should be required reading for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of human services, and the protection of vulnerable children.
But today I am left contemplating why we always seem to wait for something horrific...
The South Australian Council of Social Service today released its latest Cost of Living Update, including a survey of over 500 low income households. The survey findings, which come against a backdrop of further social security cuts, show that respondents are suffering significant financial pressure and deprivation, and are being forced to cut-back on essential items including food, utilities and medical treatment.
Royal Commissioner Margaret Nyland is due to release her Child Protection Systems Report this Friday, August 5, 2016, and the South Australian Council of Social Service is urging the Government not to move towards implementation of any recommendations without due consultation.
SACOSS CEO Ross Womersley says, "It is imperative that the Government not act unilaterally on the implementation of Justice Nyland's recommendations. History shows that in so many instances Royal Commission recommendations have not been successfully implemented".
A new report released today by the South Australian Council of Social Services highlights growing pressures on the state budget from declining gambling tax revenues – but it is not necessarily good news for gamblers or the community.
The SACOSS report notes that gambling taxes are the fifth biggest source of state taxes ($388m in 2014-15), but estimates that in real terms gambling tax revenue is now $111 a year less than it was a decade ago.
SACOSS CEO Ross Womersley has welcomed last night’s Budget Statement from ACOSS and noted that while there were several welcome initiatives (eg addressing superannuation tax breaks for the rich, getting global companies to pay their fair share of tax and changing work for the dole), he felt the most concerning thing was the absence of any discussion and intervention on three main ...
The South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) is disappointed with today’s decision by the Australian Competition Tribunal which prevents SACOSS from continuing its legal challenge of the Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) decision about SA Power Networks revenue - but consumers can be reassured they will still be saving money.
The South Australian Council of Social Service is today calling for sweeping changes to the taxation of online gambling to remove the abuse of tax havens in Australian betting.
Sports betting is Australia’s fastest growing form of gambling, and it is taxed by the jurisdiction where a betting company is licensed, not where the bet is actually placed or where the sports event is being held. Gambling corporations are therefore free to ‘jurisdiction shop’ to get licensed, with the result that the Northern Territory and Norfolk Island are operating as virtual gambling...
SACOSS has today published a report card on the Weatherill government’s progress in addressing poverty, inequity and injustice.
In doing so SACOSS has sought to acknowledge good performance and where promises have been fulfilled, and at the same time highlight areas where more work is needed on issues that impact on vulnerable and disadvantaged South Australians.
“The government has implemented or is in the process of implementing most of what they promised at the 2014 election,” says CEO of SACOSS Ross Womersley.
