If you have personal experience as someone who has lived with mental health issues, or a carer for someone who has, and are passionate about advocating for mental health in multicultural communities, apply to join the Embrace Multicultural Mental Health Project. Click here to apply, applications 7 November 2021

Nominations are open for Pro Bono Australia's Impact 25 Awards. Impact 25 winners spend their days advocating on the issues of the time, usually working over years and even decades to generate positive social change and support communities of interest. These extraordinary people take action in their communities and influence the lives of those around them, sometimes without recognition or thanks. Click here to place your nomination

With the federal election just around the corner, the Human Rights Law Centre has released a guide to assist charities and community groups to comply with their obligations under Commonwealth electoral law

A new report has identified the successful ways schools are using cultural activities to drive improvements in Aboriginal high school completions. The in-depth study, published by the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, analysed the data of almost 40,000 secondary students across the state, including 3,686 who were Aboriginal. Click here to learn more

The latest Community Colleges Australia (CCA) report shows how NSW adult and community education (ACE) providers significantly over-perform on almost all tracked measures in reaching vulnerable and disadvantaged students. This achievement results from targeted government funding, which combines with the ability of NSW ACE providers to use those funds effectively and successfully, to meet training outcomes for key equity groups. Click here to learn more

Housing and minimum energy efficiency standards are having a moment nationally, with the National Construction Code review and the upcoming climate summit in Glasgow putting the issue firmly on the policy agenda. The ABC’s The Signal podcast featured Healthy Homes for Renters supporters Dr Kim Loo (Doctors for Environment/NSW AMA chair) and renter Alice from Sydney, who both shared their compelling and powerful testimony as to why implementing minimum standards for many renters is a matter of life or death. Click here to listen

The Foodbank Hunger Report provides a snapshot of the prevalence and depth of the issue of food insecurity, as well as insights into the day-to-day experience of people living with this fundamental vulnerability. Whilst there are many contributors to food insecurity in Australia, COVID-19 has continued to rage during the past 12 months so, as it was last year, it is a major theme of this year's report.

Much of the report is informed by a national survey conducted between 1 and 28 July 2021 involving more than 2,877 Australians representing the population, more than 1,000 of whom had experienced food insecurity at some point in the last 12 months. 

Key statistics from the report include:

• One in six Australian adults haven't had enough to eat in the last year
• 1.2 million children have gone hungry in the last year
• Uncertain access to food affects Australians from all walks of life
• One in three people struggling to meet their food needs are new to the situation
• Two in five people seeking food relief do not get enough for their household’s needs
• More than half of people impacted by severe food insecurity go a whole day every week without eating
• 64% of food insecure Australians have a job
• Foodbank provides food relief to more than a million people each month

A dedicated National Safety Plan to end violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women - for and by First Nations women - is needed.

For many years now, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have been calling for a dedicated National Safety Plan written for and by First Nations women. Academics, Commissioners, specialist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services, community leaders and victim-survivors have been clear that only a dedicated First Nations National Safety Plan that is developed for and by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women will work for our people. 

This demand was again made at the Women’s Safety Summit in the opening forum, and was repeated throughout the Summit by First Nations leaders who are determined that another National Safety Plan should not be created that will fail our communities. 

Change the Record are calling on Prime Minister Morrison, Senator Payne and Senator Ruston to agree to support a dedicated First Nations National Safety Plan that is developed for and by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. 

The Australian Human Rights Commission has released a new report which makes significant recommendations to protect the human rights of people born with variations in sex characteristics. The report, Ensuring health and bodily integrity: towards a human rights approach for people born with variations in sex characteristics, makes 12 recommendations for a human rights-based approach to decision-making on medical interventions. 

“This report is the culmination of over three years of extensive consultations, including with people born with variations in sex characteristics, who have strongly advocated for their right to life, bodily autonomy and integrity,” said Commission President Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM. 

The Government has restarted mutual obligations and demerit points for jobseekers – but Anglicare Australia’s Jobs Availability Snapshot shows that the jobs just aren’t there for the people who need them.

The Snapshot measures how many jobs are available for people who don’t have qualifications or work experience. It found that:

• 27 jobseekers across Australia are competing for each entry-level job
  
• One in ten of these jobseekers don’t have recent experience or qualifications, or they have barriers to work
  
• Unemployment is going down, but the number of people with barriers to work has not budged
  
• These jobseekers spend an average of five years looking for work
• On top of that, 1.16 million people are underemployed. They could also be competing for these jobs.

“Our system is failing those who need the most help to find work – people with disabilities, who didn’t finish year 12, or older workers who lost their jobs later in life,” said Executive Director Kasy Chambers.

• In July this year, there were news headlines declaring that a major government reform to the NDIS was “dead”, following a concerted year long campaign by disability advocates. This was a stunning turnaround on a policy that the Government has been determined to introduce. Australian Progress is hosting a webinar examining the strategy and tactics behind the campaign to stop independent assessments. Hear directly from those who led the effort - 28 October 2021 - Click here for more information and to register

• Australia’s National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children is up for renewal in 2022. It will set the agenda for the next 10 to 20 years on key priorities and investment areas. Violence against women and children results in the death of at least one woman a week on average – a rate unchanged under the current National Plan. Join this UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion webinar for a discussion on what the next National Plan must deliver - 2 November 2021 - Click to register 
  

• Social media offers a number of benefits to not-for-profit organisations, including expanding reach, connecting people, starting conversations and growing awareness. Along with those benefits comes legal risks which, if poorly managed, can impact negatively on the organisation and its people. The High Court’s recent decision in the Voller defamation case demonstrates how far-reaching the responsibility of organisations can be for content posted on their socials. In this webinar Justice Connect will explain the implications of Voller’s case for the way your organisation manages its social media accounts – as well as stepping you through other key legal risks for not-for-profit organisations that engage with social media, and how to manage these - 9 November 2021 - Click here for more information and to register

• Maybe you already have a social media strategy that rolls over from year to year, or maybe you are more reactive and go from campaign to campaign. If you want to make a bigger impact in 2022 it is time to review and refresh your strategy. In this session by Connecting Up you’ll have the opportunity to review the year just gone, examine your results and create a sustainable and scalable plan that helps achieve consistent results throughout the year - 18 November 2021 - Click here for more information and to register

• Educational institutions around the country are being encouraged to identify and support young carers in their classrooms with the help of a new toolkit from Australia's peak body for unpaid carers. The Young Carer toolkit, a part of the National Carers Week 2021 Caring for Carers resources, can help teachers and support staff recognise that a young person in their school may have caring responsibilities. Click here to access the toolkit
  

Jen Hargrave, Women With Disabilities Victoria discusses disability royal commission into sexual violence and abuse against women and girls with disability.

Pat Turner expresses frustration about a lack of progress from states to develop specific contingency plans for managing COVID-19 outbreaks within First Nations communities.

A coalition of groups including the NSW Council of Social Service, Mission Australia and the Older Women's Network have released a report highlighting the urgent need to support women's economic security and safety by investing in social housing.

This #ChildrensWeek we celebrate safely connecting with others. Staying connected during the pandemic has meant socialising, learning and playing online. Our COVID-19 resources include online safety information for children, parents and carers. https://t.co/wj5RQRc9SJ

— SNAICC (@SNAICC) October 26, 2021