Media Releases

19/4/2012 Gold Coast signs up to A Fairer Queensland
19/4/2012 Moreton Bay community works together to tackle homelessness
More than 46 Community service organisations, government agencies and community members have worked together to plan and start implementing a set of 18 concrete actions and targets that will reduce homelessness in the Caboolture, Morayfield and Deception Bay region
13/4/2012 QCOSS cautions on impact of move to cost-reflective energy structures
Moves towards a more “cost-reflective” energy tariff structure must be accompanied by a review of current Queensland Government programs to assist vulnerable and low-income customers, warns the Queensland Council of Social Service.
12/3/2012 Call for Queensland to take five steps to fairness
23/2/2012 Communities step up to fight homelessness
Local communities in seven Queensland homelessness “hot spots” have stepped up to join the government and community service organisations in developing comprehensive plans to end homelessness at a local level.
10/2/2012 $30 m back pay brings some certainty to community services sector
6/2/2012 QCOSS – A vision for a fair Queensland
1/2/2012 Special Pay Equity funding needed for Queensland
The Queensland Council of Social Service has welcomed today’s announcement by Fair Work Australia of a wage increase for community service workers.
27/1/2012 Queensland electricity disconnections head for record high
The Queensland Competition Authority’s latest electricity disconnection figures for non-payment of accounts released this week show the extent to which disadvantaged Queenslanders are struggling with spiralling costs, says the Queensland Council of Social Service.
21/12/2011 People on Newstart among those facing toughest cost of living pressures
People on the Newstart unemployment benefit are among those most affected by cost of living pressures in the lead up to Christmas. The QCOSS Cost of Living Update released today also highlights industries where people are at greater risk of unemployment or underemployment and facing greater cost of living pressures.
25/11/2011 Education investment essential in moving towards a fair state
The Queensland Council of Social Service considers the announcement of a ‘Queensland Education Trust’ is an important component of working towards a fair state.
25/11/2011 Energy rules must change—consumers and big business agree
Consumer representatives from across the nation demand fairness in energy prices as rule changes are proposed to prevent price gouging by energy network businesses.
11/11/2011 $2 bn announcement will help disadvantaged in Qld.
The Prime Minister’s announcement today that the Federal Government will fund the outcome of the national Equal Pay case is good news for disadvantaged Queenslanders, says the Queensland Council of Social Service.
17/10/2011 Anti-poverty week statement shows low income households struggling hard
The QCOSS Annual Poverty Statement reveals low income households are experiencing high financial stress as they cope with the escalating costs of essential items. The statement is released today as part of Anti-Poverty Week.
17/10/2011 Anti-poverty week statement reveals who is doing it tough in Queensland
The QCOSS Annual Poverty Statement released today as part of Anti-Poverty Week reveals that large sections of the Queensland population are experiencing poverty.
20/9/2011 Government action needed on pay equity crisis
9/9/2011 Welcome cut to red tape
New draft legislation introduced by the Queensland Government will cut red tape and make it easier for community service organisations to apply for funding, says the Queensland Council of Social Service.
15/8/2011 Services can’t meet demand as thousands turned away
More and more Queenslanders are turning to community and social service organisations for help. However, an increasing number are turned away by a sector struggling with demand. The annual Australian Community Sector Survey released by the Australian Council of Social Service today shows Queensland organisations provided services on 1,682,781 occasions during 2009/10. This is an increase of 7 per cent. On 44,292 occasions clients were turned away. This is up 6 per cent.
12/8/2011 Indigenous child protection statistics appalling
The incredibly high number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in contact with the child protection system is now beyond what any fair society would accept, say members of the Combined Voices campaign. While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 6.4 per cent of the population they represent 36.7 per cent of Queensland children subject to a care and protection order.
9/8/2011 Fitzgerald foreshadows new era in community services
The community services sector is entering a new era in which clients will be much more influential in decisions affecting their lives, says Australian Productivity Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald.