Support ACOSS in developing sound policy and undertake effective advocacy on the needs of people affected by poverty, disadvantage and inequality, and to build a strong and sustainable community sector.
May 2012
The initial ACOSS briefing on the 2012-13 Federal Budget. This briefing does not offer extensive comment on the merit or otherwise of these measures. The paper provides a general background on the Budget surplus, revenue and expenses, a table of ACOSS proposals that were announced in the Budget, and an outline of the key measures in ACOSS' major policy areas.
March 2012
This report presents findings from a new study conducted by Saunders and Wong from the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC), that measured material deprivation in Australia by asking a random sample of Australian adults in 2010 what goods and services they regarded as essential (for example, a ‘decent and secure home’), whether they had those items, and if not whether this was because they could not afford them. For the purpose of this research, ‘multiple deprivation’ was defined as lacking three or more out of 24 items regarded by the majority of respondents as essential. Respondents were also asked whether they identified their household as ‘poor’.
The report is an analysis by ACOSS of data from the Poverty and Exclusion in Modern Australia (PEMA) survey, on material deprivation among households whose main source of income is an income support payment such as Age Pension or Newstart Allowance.
March 2012
This submission is ACOSS' supplementary submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee on the Social Security Legislation Amendment Bill 2011.
This submission explores measures affecting sole parents on income support, such as the changing of rules regarding eligibility for Parenting Payment Single as of 1 January 2013, which would result in a loss of up to $58 per week in income support for around 28,000 sole parents over the next 4 years; and measures affecting young unemployed people aged 21 years, whereby 21 year old unemployed people would lose access to Newstart Allowance and have to remain on the lower Youth Allowance for an extra year after they turn 21.
January 2012
ACOSS Submission to Senate Community Affairs Committee: Social Security Legislation Amendment Bill 2011.
This bill, if passed, proposes to further extend compulsory income management to recipients of government payments who are referred by State and Territory regulatory authorities. It also proposes to extend compulsory and voluntary income management to recipients of social security payments in five new regions outside the NT on referral from child protection authorities or Centrelink social workers on the grounds of ‘vulnerability’; and to extend the suspension for parents of certain income support payments whose children are not enrolled or regularly attending school under the SEAM measure to additional communities in the NT.
ACOSS recommends that these measures be opposed, and outlines the reasons in this submission.
January 2012
In this submission, ACOSS outlines policy recommendations for consideration by the Federal Government in its 2012-13 Budget. The submission aims to resolve the tension between the Govern-ment’s commitment to restore the Budget to surplus from 2012-13 and the urgency of social and economic needs not yet met, of key social and economic reforms not yet completed.
Our priority for the 2012-13 Federal Budget remains to ensure that no person is excluded from the benefits of economic growth and prosperity and from the opportunity to fully participate in society. Some of the policy building blocks to meet this goal have been laid, including the commitment to introduce a National Disability Insurance Scheme, the emerging policy focus on employment participation for people excluded from the labour market, and last year’s mental health reform package.
June 2011
Following the Federal Budget, ACOSS wrote to all Federal MPs and senators raising our concerns about Budget cuts to social security payments for sole parents, people with disabilities and young unemployed people. The letter is attached. ACOSS also welcomed Budget decision to improve the job prospects of unemployed people by introducing wage subsidies for long term unemployed people, easing income tests, and expanding intensive employment and support programs in disadvantaged regions. However we don't believe it is necessary to cut people's payments to improve their employment prospects and have lobbied to have the cuts reversed, including visits to federal MPs and Senators on 23 June.
May 2011
This paper aims to move beyond the myths and stereotypes to take a closer look at who these two million people are and why it is that many have not found paid work, despite falling unemployment levels.
May 2011
ACOSS has argued for many years that family payments for teenagers aged 16 years and over are too low to enable low-income families to meet the rising cost of raising older children. ACOSS therefore supports the Government's intention to raise the Family Tax Benefit for older teenagers, but is concerned some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young Australians will miss out on proposed increases. The inflexibility of current participation requirements applied to Family Tax Benefit recipients means that up to 15,000 early school leavers may be deprived of a much needed increase in family assistance.
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April 2011
Social security legislation amendment (job seeker compliance) Bill 2011
The Bill, if passed, would bring forward penalties for unemployed people who do not attend appointments with Centrelink or employment service providers. Instead of warning a jobseeker on the first occasion they fail to attend an appointment and rescheduling the appointment, Centrelink will suspend their income support until they make contact and agree to attend a rescheduled appointment.
April 2011
Under proposed legislation, the compliance system will be amended to bring forward penalties for unemployed people who do attend appointments with Centrelink or employment service providers. If passed, this Bill will substantially increase the number of times that unemployed people are penalised or have their payments suspended for not attending appointments.
This submission gives our assessment of the proposed changes to the compliance system. ACOSS does not believe a strong enough case has been made for these changes, and recommends that the Bill be opposed.