Media Releases

SACOSS' Liveable Futures conference today provided an important and thought-provoking examination of critical equity considerations thrown up by our accelerating move to renewables.

"Decarbonising our economy in response to a changing climate is inevitable and necessary. But it’s also important for us to examine the equity implications of the energy transition," stressed SACOSS CEO Ross Womersley.

SACOSS welcomes the release today of the 2021 Australian Digital Inclusion Index, showing an improvement in digital inclusion in South Australia. The new data shows SA again has the second worst score of all states and territories, but our score improved from 63.0 to 69.0 in the last year to be just 2.1 points behind the national average (by comparison with the 4.5 point gap last year).
 

The South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) welcomes the Productivity Commission’s recently-released final report into National Water Reform.

The report recommends updating the National Water Initiative (NWI) to actively recognise the need to embrace the realities of, and adapt to, climate change while also working to improve water rights and access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  

A South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) submission to the Legislative Council Select Committee on the Privatisation of Public Services in South Australia has found that the privatisation of the South Australian electricity network increased inequality.

With lockdowns now in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, over one million people, including hundreds of thousands of children, are excluded from the Federal Government’s COVID Disaster Payments because they are on a social security payment, even though many have lost part-time paid work.

South Australian Council of Social Service CEO Ross Womersley said: 

SACOSS together with a range of key groups have made a powerful joint statement on the need for the State Government to step up to ensure that all South Australians have access to safe, affordable, and secure water.

Their call comes as the State Government progresses work on its draft Water Security Statement for South Australia – the first major statewide strategy for water security for over a decade.

The South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) is releasing a new report (Falling through the gaps) that casts a light on the issue of access to safe, secure and reliable drinking water services in regional and remote South Australia. It also provides practical solutions that can bring real change, to ensure that communities in these areas can have this fundamental need met. SACOSS is calling for action on this critical area.

This week’s Federal Budget will include the cost of the recent increase in JobSeeker and it will presumably look like a lot of money – but SACOSS’ latest Cost of Living Report provides new data which shows that the recent increase (which replaced the much higher Coronavirus Supplement) is in fact very small for people looking for work.